Maher's Mask Slips: Punching Down While the Republic Burns

[KT2000]

95. I believe the results bear it out

Through my life I have learned that most people do not rise up, rock the boat, or risk much discomfort for themselves. True, most people are observers of events around them, but the boomers did step up! People saw injustice and tried to fix it. There was an avenue to do that in the boomer generation.

Learning that women could die from illegal abortions brought many women to that cause. Planned Parenthood is still providing medical care to women. Knowing that most of the young men around us could be drafted into the Viet Nam war brought a lot of people to that cause. The draft was ended. We are still dealing with the fallout from that war - PTSD, homeless vets, cuts to medica care for veterans. Civil rights made progress as organizations sprang up that could take to court violations of civil rights laws. Many of those organizations are still operating. Equal pay is still making progress but not there yet. Many environmental groups got their start in the 70s and many are still working on those issues to this day.
If you lived near a military base or defense manufacturer during the Cold War, the prospect of nuclear war was a real threat - daily. For that reason, some committed themselves to the peace movement.
It was not uncommon for churches to be involved in social justice issues as well.

As for the South, most of the critical events of the civil rights actions took place in the deep South.