Reply #11: You're living those changes [View All]

[Le Taz Hot]

and since they've always been a part of your life, you take those things for granted, never seeming to recognize that people fought and died for you to be able to enjoy those rights. Off the top of my head:

Women's Rights:
Women can now get birth control pills without the consent of her husband.
Women can now get safe, legal abortions.
Women can now get credit on their own, without a husband or father co-signing for them.
All jobs are open for women now whereas most jobs were closed to them.
A potential employer can no longer ask how old you are, if you have children, if you're married, if you're planning on getting married or if you plan on having children. All of those questions were asked of me in the late 1960's/early 1970's.


Civil Rights:
Education is now open to all Americans, regardless of ethnic background.
The abolition of Jim Crow Laws.
The abolition of Poll Taxes.
No more forced segregation (though the Supremes ruled on it in 1954, it took until the 1960's to enforce it in the South and other places)
Civil Rights Legislation making racial/sexual discrimination illegal.


Environmental Movement:
Love of nature and the Environmental Movement started large scale in the 60's and continued through the 1970's (abandoned by the Reagan Administration).

Challenging the mores of 1950's America where entire groups of Americans were disenfranchised (women, minorities, gays) and denied their Constitutional Rights. We questioned that. We challenged that and, with time, we changed that.

So sad that so many sacrificed so much, just to have it thrown back in our face in a "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" sort of attitude. At least my generation has many things to point to with pride and say, "we did that." Oh yeah, and we're not done yet.