Post: #1

A lot of people think that we are entering an unprecedented age of progressivism and feminism, and in many ways they are right - but it can also be said that certain eras share many parallels to the society we see today.

The 1920s was often a period marked by societal decadence and greed. The stock market was at an all time high, and many people racked up large amounts of consumer debt to fund their extravagant lifestyle. Inevitably, the stock market tumbled because people borrowed money on pure speculation to invest in high risk stocks that became worth as much as the paper that they were printed on. In the year 1928, income inequality was at an all time high. Today, income inequality is no different than in 1928.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/201...ince-1928/

Also during that time, women enjoyed unprecedented success because of the gains made by the women's Suffrage Movement. For the first time in American history, women were granted the privilege to vote in the year 1920. Coinciding with this movement was the Prohibition movement which was spearheaded mostly by women. Many of the women in the movement agitated for prohibition under the pretense that alcohol consumption lead to a culture of domestic abuse at the hands of men. Nowadays, modern day suffragettes stress the need to ban fraternities on college campuses because of a perceived paranoia about "rape culture".

While some women criticized drinking culture, other women reveled in it. The Flappers were, "a generation of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior. Many of the women in that era practiced casual sex while flouting sexual norms." Hmm...does this behavior not remind you of most of the women on tinder and your everyday personal life

As a result of WWI, many women were heavily prevalent in the job market. Many of them took jobs that were once considered exclusively male professions. Once women were able to gain economic independence, many women moved away from being homemakers, in order to practice the Rosie the Riveter lifestyle. According to BBC, "Divorce was made easier and the number of divorces doubled" in that era.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesiz...rev2.shtml

During this era, it can also be said that homosexuals gained wide acceptance. Many of the top Hollywood stars were openly homosexual. According to wikipedia, "The relative liberalism of the decade is demonstrated by the fact that the actor William Haines, regularly named in newspapers and magazines as the number-one male box-office draw, openly lived in a gay relationship with his lover, Jimmie Shields." In 1927, Mae West wrote a play about homosexuality called The Drag, and alluded to the work of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs. It was a box-office success. West regarded talking about sex as a basic human rights issue, and was also an early advocate of gay rights. With the return of conservatism in the 1930s, the public grew intolerant of homosexuality, and gay actors were forced to choose between retiring or agreeing to hide their sexuality."

Race relations were very turbulent. There were lots of violent riots and lynchings. Membership in racial-identity groups grew dramatically. White identity groups and Black Nationalists like Marcus Garvey were highly influential in their day boasting millions of members. Today, BLM and the Alt-Right have grown exponentially in numbers because of the growing tensions concerning race relations.

Overall, you can say that there are several trends from the 1920s that we are seeing recurring today. After all, the nature of history is very cyclical. I'm not big on quoting from the bible as an Agnostic, but I've always cherished this verse, "Is there anything of which one might say, "See this, it is new "? Already it has existed for ages Which were before us. (Ecclesiastes 1:10)

Modern day progressives like to style their political beliefs as being "new" and "trendy," when in reality, they are just recycling the same old tiresome political values from 100 years ago, and for time immemorial.

What is your opinion?

Post: #2

And the 1930s were very well known for the decadence of the Weimar Republic which lead into the rise of the Third Reich and World War II.

Are we headed that direction? Will we see that sort of wholesale killing? Probably, the stage is set.

Post: #3

"The 1920s was often a period marked by societal decadence and greed..." = economic boom, easy money, free resources, 'irrational exuberance' = r

"With the return of conservatism in the 1930s" = economic contraction, tight resources, looming war = K

Post: #4

The 20s and 30s were also the time of American isolationism and global protectionism, culminating with the aggressively paranoid autarkies of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan. It was also the the era of extreme racialist revanchism.

None of these features really exist today. Sorry to burst the bubble of all you twisted war fetishists but it's really difficult to see a global reckoning in the near future.

Post: #5

Rampant hedonism leading to economic decline leading to mass war?
Yeah I could see that playing out today.
Those that forget history & all...

(08-26-2016 11:49 PM)Space Cowboy Wrote:  The 20s and 30s were also the time of American isolationism and global protectionism, culminating with the aggressively paranoid autarkies of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan. It was also the the era of extreme racialist revanchism.

None of these features really exist today. Sorry to burst the bubble of all you twisted war fetishists but it's really difficult to see a global reckoning in the near future.

Actually, there are those that surmise of a restructure of Europe after a crisis (organic or manufactured), into a proverbial 4th Reich.
A European super-state with eyes on dominating the Middle East.

Post: #6

(08-27-2016 09:47 AM)CynicalContrarian Wrote:  Actually, there are those that surmise of a restructure of Europe after a crisis (organic or manufactured), into a proverbial 4th Reich.
A European super-state with eyes on dominating the Middle East.

This fantasy seems about 10 years out of date.

Post: #7

(08-27-2016 10:25 AM)Space Cowboy Wrote:  This fantasy seems about 10 years out of date.

Some say Brexit was only the 1st step.

Post: #8

(08-27-2016 10:35 AM)CynicalContrarian Wrote:  

(08-27-2016 10:25 AM)Space Cowboy Wrote:  This fantasy seems about 10 years out of date.

Some say Brexit was only the 1st step.

These "some" sound like cynical contrarians.

Post: #9

There are too many people on the planet. As Bill Burr said repeatedly in his stand up gigs, there has to be repercussions for every cretin, moron and idiot breeding like rats and it will eventually lead to something akin to 50% or more people walking into the sea.

Post: #10

(08-26-2016 11:49 PM)Space Cowboy Wrote:  The 20s and 30s were also the time of American isolationism and global protectionism, culminating with the aggressively paranoid autarkies of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan. It was also the the era of extreme racialist revanchism.

None of these features really exist today. Sorry to burst the bubble of all you twisted war fetishists but it's really difficult to see a global reckoning in the near future.

I swear, I just instead refer to them as "military glory hunters". Really, fucking thirsty for World War III, starring (read: targeting) both Koreas? I even personally met Korean War veterans who personally confirmed to me MacArthur wanted WWIII to happen.

Post: #11

(08-27-2016 01:54 PM)Foolsgo1d Wrote:  There are too many people on the planet. As Bill Burr said repeatedly in his stand up gigs, there has to be repercussions for every cretin, moron and idiot breeding like rats and it will eventually lead to something akin to 50% or more people walking into the sea.

So the first biological lesson of history is that life is competition. The second biological lesson of history is that life is selection. We are all born unfree and unequal. Nature loves difference. Inequality is not only natural and inborn, it grows with the complexity of civilization.
The third biological lesson of history is that life must breed. Nature has no use of organisms, variations, or groups that cannot reproduce abundantly. She has a passion for quantity as prerequisite to selection of quality. She does not care that a high rate has usually accompanied a culturally low civilization, and a low birth rate a civilization culturally high; and she sees that a nation with low birth rate shall be periodically chastened by some more virile and fertile group.

Post: #12

The decadence in the 1920, to me is similar to the decadence of the mid 1990's through the mid 2000's. I think the historical similarities today are of the mid 1930s...or something of a difference late 1780's France.

Post: #13

I've written in some depth about this topic:

/thread-50253...pid1367454

The reason Weimar and particularly Berlin seems so similar is because the same people are in control and depravity, moral relativism and decadence is the inevitable outcome. In addition, Weimar fashion and art is almost identical to today, including short hair and women wearing masculine clothes. Then as now, the media was entirely corrupt and violent socialist stooges ran amok in the streets. This is no co-incidence. In Weimar Germany, Beer Halls were free speech zones where anyone could speak their mind freely, today it is online forums.

Post: #14

Big difference between then and now nukes however financial history does tend to repeat:

The world's richest individuals are preparing for something big.

Carl Icahn, the American business magnate worth $21 billion, has sold billions' worth of stocks this year.

Including his entire stake in Apple.

He said he's preparing his portfolio for a "day of reckoning."

5 billionaires — Stanley Druckenmiller, Paul Singer, Li-Ka Shing, David Einhorn, and George Soros—have all moved money out of U.S. banks and the U.S. Dollar and into gold.

Soros has also put a massive "short" position (2.1 million shares) against the S&P 500. In other words, he's making a major bet that the U.S. stock market will crash.

What have these billionaires been preparing for?

Doug Casey, the New York Times best-selling author of Crisis Investing, believes a worldwide monetary crisis of historic proportions is heading our way.

Casey, a renowned speculator (and former classmate of Bill Clinton), is worth listening to.
He predicted the S&L Crisis of the 80s.

He’s one of the few analysts who predicted the ".com" crash months before it happened… and has the documented evidence to prove it.

He predicted the collapse of the EU as far back as 2012.

He predicted the attacks of 9-11, just two months before they happened.
Robert Ringer, a multiple time, New York Times best-selling author, said, "A hundred years from now… Doug Casey may well be remembered as one of the great prophets of our time."

Casey's research firm has put together a special presentation on how you should play the crisis heading our way.

Post: #15

There's a post somewhere where a forum member mentioned:

All those guys making predictions are wrong at times but don't talk about it. They keep mentioning the end of times and push it off and off. Yet when they are right that one time, they go all out.

Post: #16

This is a pretty good documentary about the decadence of Weimar Germany.

Post: #17

The 1950s was one of the most conservative periods of America. It was more conservative than the 30s or 40s. People were really afraid of communism and nuclear war. The 1960s was a rebellion against the repression, and they went in the opposite direction. So it seems that human societies cycle between repression and too much sexual freedom.

Post: #18

Apart from Weimar Germany, the early Soviet Union was a bastion for "free love" and feminist politics. Decriminalizing homosexuality was one of the first things that was instituted after the Soviets came to power after the revolution. When Joseph Stalin came to power he implemented several socially conservative policies that criminalized homosexuality and promoted family values.

Post: #19

Many good men died during the Great War. Those who were going to the front. Who remained at home, but the Wimps and those rich enough to avoid the conscription?

It might explain, at least in part, what happened during the 20's : a lack of Alpha Males brought Western Society down and gave some minorities a chance to take over.

Post: #20

Sex was highly commoditized during the 1920s. Movies often depicted nude women and sexual scenes. The Hays Code was eventually enacted to counter movies depicting sexual imagery.

Here is a list of mainstream movies back in the day that depicted sex (NSFW).
http://www.filmsite.org/sexinfilms2.html

Post: #21

(08-27-2016 11:15 AM)Space Cowboy Wrote:  These "some" sound like cynical contrarians.

In terms of the mainstream media & the political / elite class; Brexit was largely derided.
Yet, the contrarians of Britain voted for it anyway.

I was not surprised that Brexit was voted in; despite the MSM derision.
Cause I already expected Europe to shift & alter.
Plus, that a newly emerging Euro Super-state would not include Britain.

I may state an opinion, yet that does not mean I necessarily want a particular instance to occur.
Rather that I expect said instance to occur on a basis of being a greater likelihood.

Here's what I stated on another forum in regards to Bernie Sanders back in January :

Quote:With the way Ron Paul was handled / treated in the past; most that are pro-Trump should be weary of any GOP fuckery.

Yet, it will be interesting to see how the pro-Sanders crowd handle any Democrat / Hillary fuckery...
It's not as if she's above nefarious methods.

Odds of a Democrat initiated Sanders shanking?

& wouldn't you know it.
Sanders got 'berned' by the DNC as surmised...

I'll admit my analysis it not always 100%.
Yet it helps to avoid having rose-tinted glasses when looking at political or geo-political matters.

Cynical contrarian is as cynical contrarian does.

Post: #22

Quote:Rampant hedonism leading to economic decline leading to mass war?
Yeah I could see that playing out today.
Those that forget history & all...

I can see how you could come to that conclusion, but at the same time it is hard to envision a WWIII scenario in this day and age, especially with the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the hands of many countries world-wide. Any large scale war would mean mutually assured destruction.

Post: #23

(09-02-2016 02:01 PM)numanist Wrote:  

Quote:Rampant hedonism leading to economic decline leading to mass war?
Yeah I could see that playing out today.
Those that forget history & all...

I can see how you could come to that conclusion, but at the same time it is hard to envision a WWIII scenario in this day and age, especially with the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the hands of many countries world-wide. Any large scale war would mean mutually assured destruction.

I think nukes would be rather limited in use (until it's last-ditch-effort-to-avoid-my-doomsday time), limited mostly to key cities. You gotta' have something to acquire if you're winning. No one wants a nuclear wasteland as a spoil of war. If you're flinging nukes left and right, chances are it's because the opposing horde is pounding on the front door and any side doors and it's the only option that's left for you.

And don't forget, a number of countries have nuclear defense systems in place, too.

Post: #24

(08-26-2016 10:06 PM)numanist Wrote:  Overall, you can say that there are several trends from the 1920s that we are seeing recurring today. After all, the nature of history is very cyclical. I'm not big on quoting from the bible as an Agnostic, but I've always cherished this verse, "Is there anything of which one might say, "See this, it is new "? Already it has existed for ages Which were before us. (Ecclesiastes 1:10)

Modern day progressives like to style their political beliefs as being "new" and "trendy," when in reality, they are just recycling the same old tiresome political values from 100 years ago, and for time immemorial.

What is your opinion?

Its an interesting thought experiment to attempt to figure out the reasons and rhymes of history and to extrapolate them to future events. I read a fascinating book not long ago called The Fourth Turning which surmises that as we age, the different generations go through different phases of life and those phases shape how we move through the different challenges of history. We're due for something, whether that something is nationalism v globalism, East v West, Christianity v Islam, or brother v brother remains to be seen. You could say that people fantasize about or glorify war, but what is war really? War is the manifestation of the will of a nation or culture to alter its own destiny. What man wouldn't want to chart his own course?

From Strauss-Howe Generational Theory, but I highly recommend the book.

Quote:Turnings
While writing Generations, Strauss and Howe discovered a pattern in the historical generations they examined which revolved around generational events which they call turnings. In Generations, and in greater detail in The Fourth Turning, they identify the four-stage cycle of social or mood eras (i.e. turnings).

High
According to Strauss and Howe, the First Turning is a High. This is a post-Crisis era when institutions are strong and individualism is weak. Society is confident about where it wants to go collectively, though those outside the majoritarian center often feel stifled by the conformity.[19]

According to the authors, America's most recent First Turning was the post-World War II American High, beginning in 1946 and ending with the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.[20]

Awakening
According to the theory, the Second Turning is an Awakening. This is an era when institutions are attacked in the name of personal and spiritual autonomy. Just when society is reaching its high tide of public progress, people suddenly tire of social discipline and want to recapture a sense of self-awareness, spirituality and personal authenticity. Young activists look back at the previous High as an era of cultural and spiritual poverty.[21]

Strauss & Howe say America’s most recent Awakening was the “Consciousness Revolution,” which spanned from the campus and inner-city revolts of the mid-1960s to the tax revolts of the early 1980s.[22]

Unraveling
According to Strauss and Howe, the Third Turning is an Unraveling. The mood of this era is in many ways the opposite of a High: Institutions are weak and distrusted, while individualism is strong and flourishing. Highs come after Crises, when society wants to coalesce and build. Unravelings come after Awakenings, when society wants to atomize and enjoy.[23] They declare that America’s most recent Unraveling was the Long Boom and Culture War, beginning in the 1980s and ending in the late 2000s.

Crisis
According to the authors, the Fourth Turning is a Crisis. This is an era in which institutional life is destroyed and rebuilt in response to a perceived threat to the nation’s survival. Civic authority revives, cultural expression redirects towards community purpose, and people begin to locate themselves as members of a larger group.[24] America’s most recent completed Fourth Turning began with the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and climaxed with the end of World War II. The G.I. Generation (a Hero archetype, born 1901 to 1924) came of age during this era. Their confidence, optimism, and collective outlook epitomized the mood of the era.[25] According to the authors, the Millennial Generation (Hero archetype, born 1982 to 2004), show many traits similar to those of the G.I. youth, including rising civic engagement, improving behavior, and collective confidence.[26]

Quote:Cycle
Each turning lasts about 20–22 years. Four turnings comprise a full cycle of approximately 80 to 90 years,[27] which the authors term a saeculum, after the Latin word meaning both “a long human life” and “a natural century.”[28]

Generational change drives the cycle of turnings and determines its periodicity. As each generation ages into the next life phase (and a new social role) society’s mood and behavior fundamentally changes, giving rise to a new turning. Therefore, a symbiotic relationship exists between historical events and generational personas. Historical events shape generations in childhood and young adulthood; then, as parents and leaders in midlife and old age, generations in turn shape history.[29]

Each of the four turnings has a distinct mood that recurs every saeculum. Strauss and Howe describe these turnings as the “seasons of history.” At one extreme is the Awakening, which is analogous to summer, and at the other extreme is the Crisis, which is analogous to winter. The turnings in between are transitional seasons, similar to fall and spring.[30] Strauss and Howe have identified 26 turnings over 7 saecula in Anglo-American history, from the year 1435 through today.

Quote:Archetypes
The two different types of eras and two formative age locations associated with them (childhood and young adulthood) produce four generational archetypes that repeat sequentially, in rhythm with the cycle of Crises and Awakenings. In Generations, Strauss and Howe refer to these four archetypes as Idealist, Reactive, Civic, and Adaptive.[37] In The Fourth Turning (1997) they update this terminology to Prophet, Nomad, Hero, and Artist.[38] The generations in each archetype not only share a similar age-location in history, they also share some basic attitudes towards family, risk, culture and values, and civic engagement. In essence, generations shaped by similar early-life experiences develop similar collective personas and follow similar life-trajectories.[39] To date, Strauss and Howe have identified 25 generations in Anglo-American history, each with a corresponding archetype. The authors describe the archetypes as follows:

Prophet
Abraham Lincoln, born in 1809. Strauss and Howe would identify him as a member of the Transcendental generation.
Prophet generations are born near the end of a Crisis, during a time of rejuvenated community life and consensus around a new societal order. Prophets grow up as the increasingly indulged children of this post-Crisis era, come of age as self-absorbed young crusaders of an Awakening, focus on morals and principles in midlife, and emerge as elders guiding another Crisis.

Nomad
Nomad generations are born during an Awakening, a time of social ideals and spiritual agendas, when young adults are passionately attacking the established institutional order. Nomads grow up as under-protected children during this Awakening, come of age as alienated, post-Awakening adults, become pragmatic midlife leaders during a Crisis, and age into resilient post-Crisis elders.

Hero
Young adults fighting in World War II were born in the early part of the 20th century, like PT109 commander LTJG John F. Kennedy (b. 1917). They are part of the G.I. Generation, which follows the Hero archetype.
Hero generations are born after an Awakening, during an Unraveling, a time of individual pragmatism, self-reliance, and laissez faire. Heroes grow up as increasingly protected post-Awakening children, come of age as team-oriented young optimists during a Crisis, emerge as energetic, overly-confident midlifers, and age into politically powerful elders attacked by another Awakening.

Artist
Artist generations are born after an Unraveling, during a Crisis, a time when great dangers cut down social and political complexity in favor of public consensus, aggressive institutions, and an ethic of personal sacrifice. Artists grow up overprotected by adults preoccupied with the Crisis, come of age as the socialized and conformist young adults of a post-Crisis world, break out as process-oriented midlife leaders during an Awakening, and age into thoughtful post-Awakening elders.

Post: #25

Unless you have lived in the 1920's then you cannot talk about that period.

Most of the history or real history is not reported, this alone is a deep topic that I could go on forever.

One poster talked about the 90's, well to my recollection the 80's was a very opulent decade.

Compared to today, the 80's seems like a hundred years ago.