50 YEARS – Then and Now

My relatives who were not married when I left India, have grandkids now. That shows how long I have been in the United States. I have, like others of my generation, seen many changes in this society. I am outlining these changes from the point of view of an immigrant who came to this country for graduate studies in the 70’s.

NEWS REPORTING

"And that's the way it is". Sounds familiar? News anchor Walter Cronkite signed off “The CBS Evening News” with that tagline. Eric Sevareid, a radio and television correspondent who became one of the country's most respected reporters and commentators, did his commentaries during the last few minutes.  

Walter Cronkite was the most trusted person in the United States. The news was a mirror held up to the world. Reporters used to report.

Many of our generation were looking forward to the 6:30 news with Walter Cronkite.

Then came Larry King Live. It was an American television talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was the channel's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. It was a mix of celebrity interviews, political debates and topical discussions.

Charles Rose was an American television journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host of the talk show Charlie Rose on PBS and Bloomberg LP.

Both Larry King and Charlie Rose shows offered in-depth 1:1 interviews and analysis of important news of the day.

Fast forward to The Trump era. Alignment and polarization of media is complete. FOX for the political right and CNN for the left. No more 1:1 in depth interviews on substantial issues affecting common people. The anchor picks up a polarized issue like abortion or gun control and a whole slew of talking-heads, the so-called analysts, join in and blabber.

The media is how most Americans get their information about politics and politicians. If the media is tilting toward certain types of political stories and figures, then the political system will tilt in that direction, too. The media doesn’t just reflect the politics we have; it shapes it, creates it.

POLITICAL

Who would have believed Nixon, a republican president, created the Environmental Protection Agency, considered a basic minimum income, and proposed a national health care plan?

Back then, things used to get done in government. Some examples – Senator Ted Kennedy working with republican senators to pass bills on voting rights, education, immigration reform, the minimum wage, national service, the nation‘s first major legislation to combat AIDS, and equality for minorities, women, the disabled and gay Americans. Even though President Reagan criticized the then Speaker of the house Tip O’Neill in public, they had a knack of working together to get things moved through the congress. The biggest accomplishment of working together came in 1986 – tax reform bill. It was a hard sell to Republican members of the House. When they refused to get behind Reagan’s bill, it went down to embarrassing defeat. To save the day, Speaker O’Neill made an offer to the administration. If Treasury Secretary James Baker could find just 50 House Republicans to back the bill, O’Neill would go all out for its passage. The deal worked.  Baker scrounged up the 50 GOP votes. O’Neill gave what the Treasury secretary called an “excellent speech in favor” of it. The bill passed, and Reagan was able to sign the biggest legislative achievement of his second term.

The Speaker was impressed by how it all worked out: “After the vote, I was struck by how much could be accomplished when the president and the Speaker, coming from opposing parties but working together, could agree on specific legislation.”

The strength of the American Political system was to avoid violent swings in administrations from one extreme to the other. There was continuity in funding for major national undertakings over the course of multiple administrations, be it the Manhattan Project to produce atomic bombs during 1940’s or the Inter-state highway system during 1950’s or the Apollo project during 1960’s, sending man to the moon.

Why isn’t there a national undertaking of such a magnitude or impact since 1970’s? It is not because of the necessity for such an undertaking but because of political division. Norms of cooperation and deference are breaking down – crises, paralysis, and polarization are the result. Government shutdowns have become more common, judicial nominations have stopped. Loud gets noticed. Extreme gets noticed. Confrontational gets noticed.

Politics matter. Politicians matter. They shape how we live, work, and enjoy our freedom. They shape our immigration policy.

ECONOMICAL

The biggest change in the United States over the past 50 years has been the growth of the service sector and the decline of the manufacturing sector. This shift has resulted in a more knowledge-based economy, with a greater emphasis on technology and innovation. The rise of globalization has also had a profound impact on the U.S. economy, with many companies outsourcing jobs to countries with lower labor costs. Additionally, income inequality has become a major issue, with the wealth gap between the rich and the poor growing increasingly wide.

CULTURAL

The biggest change has been the rise of diversity and the decline of traditional cultural norms. This has been driven by the civil rights movement, which led to increased legal protections for minority groups and greater acceptance of diversity. The LGBTQ rights movement has also played a significant role in this cultural shift, as has the increasing presence of immigrants from around the world.

            There are more women at the executive positions, journalism, and in politics.

There has been a growing focus on environmentalism and sustainability, as concerns about climate change and the depletion of natural resources have become more pressing.

Attitude towards immigrants has been changing, there is more knowledge about other countries and tolerance towards different cultures. There are temples in many places. There are lots of ethnic restaurants and ethnic food in super markets.

EDUCATIONAL

Campus demonstrations against the Vietnam war during the 60’s was widespread. But there were no demonstrations during the Iraq war (2003 - 2011). Iraq war was as unjustified as the Vietnam war. Why is that?

There were very few students coming to get their undergraduate degrees to the US during the 70’s and 80’s. Now that number has gone up significantly, because more parents in India can afford to send their kids to the US for undergraduate study. However, the number of Indian students coming for Ph.Ds. dropped significantly during the 80’s and 90’s. That is because many people got jobs directly without studying in the US; especially in the Information Technology (IT) sector.

TECHNOLOGICAL

During 1990, one of our friends invited us for a dinner party. They were living about half an hour from our place. As usual, I wrote down the directions on a piece of paper and started driving with my wife and two daughters. In many towns, there are no signs at the street corners. It is not easy to find where we are, especially during the night. We drove around in frustration, only to return home after an hour and a half. We called them from our home to tell them what happened, as there were no cell phones then.

Now with mobile phone and Google map, this is not an issue.

Four of the most useful tools during our 2018 trip to India were Uber, Trivago, Google map, and Google search. With these tools, we can travel anywhere in the world with ease.

The phone call to India used to cost $3 per minute and you had to be lucky to get connected with the poor communication infrastructure in India. Compare that situation to now. With apps like WhatsApp, the call is free and instantaneous. Grandparents in India can see and talk with their grandkids in the US whenever they want.

SUMMARY

In spite of all the changes described above, many things remain relatively unchanged in the US. We breathe clean air, drink clean water, walk on clean sidewalks, and hike on clean mountains. There is water when you turn on a faucet, gas or electricity for cooking every day. You can get what you want in a grocery store. You don’t have to pay a bribe to get things done. You can practice your religion, blame any politician including the President of the United States in private or in public without any repercussion.

We take these things for granted. Visit some other countries and live for a few days and then you know what I am talking about.

Technological changes have made life easier, providing more free time for socializing and entertainment. But, have these changes made us more content, happy?

|