Saturday, July 4, 2015

When living in 2015 really is better than living in 1945

Since starting this blog, I've already talked ad nauseum about whether or not things are better now or in 1945. In some ways, life is so much better now than it was before: it's much better to be a woman for so many reasons (birth control, anyone?), and we don't get told we should use one of these gadgets for our babies anymore.

In some ways, though, life in 2015 is worse - social media complicates how we interact, it's hard making friends when we don't have strong communities around us, we waste so much food, things aren't built to last, and who knows what all of this screen time and technology is doing to our minds and attention spans, the way we view the world, and how we react to events. 

But, this week I am pleased to live in 2015. Why? Here's a clue:


The other day, my son was asking about marriage, and I was able to tell him that when he's older, he can marry a man or a woman. I am so pleased that he has that choice, and that at not-even-four, he has been to weddings between a man and a woman, as well as been the page boy for a wedding between two men. When I was growing up, homosexuality was illegal until I was seven, and gay was frequently used as a synonym for bad or lame.

True, there are still Neanderthal-esque homophobes out there, and some people have a long way to go before being as accepting as they ought to be. But, my children will nonetheless grow up in a time when, more than ever before in history, whoever you choose to spend your life is up to you and can be recognised in the eyes of the law. 

And that is why, today at least, I am pleased to be a mother in 2015 rather than 1945. Yay!

1 comment:

  1. I so agree with you. Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking bringing a child into this world. However the great advances in marriage equality around the world in the three years of my son's life so far is one of the few really positive advances. A definite improvement over 1945 that's for sure.

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