Progressing

WHEN I WAS A CHILD in the nineteen sixties it was illegal, everywhere in the United States, to be gay, or as we called it then, "queer". Gay folks were incarcerated, all across the fruited plain, here in freedom's land, the land of purported liberty. Nobody ever discussed homosexuality. Homosexuals kept their sexual orientation hidden by whatever means necessary. To be "outed" was to lose one's life, or any opportunity for a fulfilling one. To be outed, or the mere thought of it, was terrifying for gay people. Among mainstream middle class American children, the greatest insult one could level in anger was "queer". Fast forward fifty years, and gay marriage is legal and rather common, and a gay guy is running for president, and doing well. There are, of course, many ways to look at this. Generally, there are two, positively, and negatively. Generally, liberals consider it positive, and conservatives think its negative. Liberals see progress, achieved at great cost, through their exertions, amid conservative resistance. Conservatives see societal decline and decay, caused by liberals and all they believe in, being forced upon a reluctant society and implemented to everyone's detriment. What is not in doubt is that American societal attitudes about homosexuality have changed greatly over the past half century, evolving, for a variety of reasons, into a far more tolerant attitude. There is no reason to think this will not continue in the future. Also evident is that past attitudes about homosexuality in America were more conservative, and present attitudes, are more liberal. Similar situations exist with regard to blacks, women, and most "minorities". (women of course outnumber men). Poorly though members of those sub groups are often treated today, their lot, overall, over time, has vastly improved.A surprisingly large proportion of American society does not embrace the change, the constant struggle of historically under represented groups to gain social equality. Many would argue that whether change equates to progress is outweighed by people's right from government and societal coercion, even to do what most people consider good. It is undeniable that equality for minorities in America, such as it exists, has been achieved only through decades of hard struggle, and with a considerable does of government coercion, as reflected in legislation. Just as nature tends towards balance and justice, history, with frequent interruptions, tends towards progress. Whether America should be made great "again, as it was in the past, or should be made great in a way in which it has never before been, depends upon one's ideology is conservative or liberal. The direction of America's social change may suggest an answer.