As I try to make sense of big bombshells and small tidbits of news with friends, I find myself regularly repeating one sentence, with a figurative shrug of my shoulders: “It’s a different world now.” But what does that really mean? Although the multitude of large and small issues add up to a whole that is sometimes unrecognizable, I find specific issues more instructive than a generalized “world.”
Three unrelated changes quickly came to mind, all considered morally unacceptable by many just a few decades ago. Respected sports figures now talk about the betting odds on a game or various “prop” bets (over or under a predicted point total, who will score first, what color shoes a star will wear, etc.). As beloved Big Papi flamboyantly throws cash in the air to show how easy it is to win, I recall the time when gambling was strictly limited to illicit bookies, neighborhood numbers games, and the major, Mob-controlled casinos.
Today, 44 states have casinos, and a growing number allow sports betting and online gambling. There’s even one local radio ad that promotes the feeling of “having skin in the game” to fuel interest in a bad college football game (such as UConn or UMass vs. nearly anyone) when a person has no other rooting interest.
Marijuana laws have turned upside down as well. Smoking or ingesting “weed” or “ganja” was a risky activity for most of my life. Possession of even a small amount could bring a felony charge, prison sentence, reduced job prospects and more. At the same time, the risk factor enhanced the impulse to get “high” as a statement against … our repressive culture? … a multitude of authority figures? … the “reefer madness” propaganda backed by church and government groups? Regardless, 91% of Americans now believe marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use, or both.
I’m unsure about the long-term effects of both of these changes. I’m not passionate about either: I essentially have no “skin in the game” in either case. Certainly, it’s nice to be rid of the Draconian sentencing for marijuana use and the common racial inequality involved.
I try to stay away from “what-aboutism,” which relies on changing the subject of a debate and suggests that any criticism of an idea is unjust because no person or movement is perfect and blameless. (It’s been a favorite rhetorical dodge used by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in defending political assassinations, violations of civil rights, and more.)
For example, there are certainly possible long-term problems with excessive gambling and marijuana use. A “what-about” argument asks “But what about alcohol? It’s responsible for more deaths, mental and physical health problems, etc. than gambling or marijuana.” But adding another possible harm to our society doesn’t address the harm of alcohol abuse or any possibilities connected with gambling or marijuana.
The better question for the two issues is “Do the rewards outweigh the risks?” I think they do, and I’ve seen that repression didn’t yield the desired result–eradication of a perceived vice. But it’s certain that these blobs of toothpaste aren’t going back in the tube now that they’ve been squeezed out, especially since both are heavily-taxed, multi-billion-dollar industries that state and local governments depend on for needed revenue.
One change I find wonderfully positive is that 90% of college dorms are now coed, compared to the single-sex restrictions (and accompanying punishments and elaborate evasions) in colleges before the 1980s. (I apologize for choosing alliteration over the preferred form of address in the title, but I was a “boy” in a dorm and wished there were “girls.”) Today, I watch young men and women interact easily in situations that years ago might be fraught with sexual tension: they are comfortable hanging out together in their pajamas, accept sharing bathrooms, and reject the idea that every routine encounter must have sexual overtones. I believe they are much more capable of being pals, buddies, confidants, true friends with the opposite sex than we ever were, not to mention their ability to accept non-traditional gender roles and identifications.
It’s a different world now, and I regularly wonder how it will turn out. Cultural change has given rise to dire predictions for centuries, from Aristotle to Bye Bye Birdie, which asked “What’s wrong with kids today?” in 1963. But I’m happy to report that our resilient human spirit has prevailed, and we have an incredibly rich, creative, and complicated world around us.
Allen Woods is a freelance writer, author of the Revolutionary-era crime novel “The Sword and Scabbard,” and Greenfield resident. His column appears regularly on a Saturday. Comments are welcome here or at awoods2846@gmail.com.