Times Change, People Don't

As seasons change, so do people. It seems almost impossible to think of human beings as group who are satisfied with their current situation. We always want more, and we always want better. Not that it is a bad thing, although it does carry the potential. We have evolved from hunter-gather societies, to a collection of super-power nations, seemingly doing as they please, using other nations almost like pawns in a chess game.
My senior year in high school, I had an English teacher who taught the idea that, “Times change, people don’t.” In a way she was right. Generally, people have always wanted the same things out of life, just go about them with different means. Even when you consider literary eras, all form of textual art seems to be a mixed expression of feelings and emotions attempting to explain an upside-down world, this comes from the generalized perspective of an amateur.
Think about that though, “Times change, people don’t.” Our styles of clothing and music have changed dramatically over the past thirty years, but we are identical to the people then in the sense that we are surviving to be happy, loved, healthy, so on and so forth. On a certain level though, I do have a problem with this idea, because it seems to take all the bad things we have done as a species, and almost blame them on our genetics. Although, I can see how people can mistakenly take this approach, the statement of people not changing is not meant to be taken as a law of human society.
Sure we change! We adapt and grow to new ideas, laws that were deemed Constitutionally sound only half a century ago, not reflect societal awareness, changing to fit the needs and wants of people. The idea behind the statement is still there: we all want the same things out of life and out of each other. Regardless what you label an era in art, or cultural revolution, the same basic underlying principles have always been there.

The Short Leash

It appears as if everything we are exposed to is monitored and controlled by some higher power. Nothing enters human culture on accident anymore, because corporate America does not allow it to. It can be argued that the heads of American business and economy take our society for a walk around the block, not giving us much slack on our leash. They feed us just enough to keep us hungry, and we always want more.

There is a craving among American culture to possess the newest hottest thing, and corporations are more than happy to fulfill that craving. But isn't it almost essential that we continue this relationship? I wonder if it is even avoidable now that it is established.

I also wonder how people feel about the way the world has transitioned from having a free flowing and easily accessed artistic world, like that of the 1960's, to what we have now in regards to things like MTV and KISS FM. Was the transition even noticeable? Personally, I was never really conscious to the fact that I was being force feed a particular outlook on life until someone made me aware that it was a possibility. How does this end up affecting us? Does it create a zombie-like nation, jumping as high as we are told? In a way, I could see it as a form of maintaining peace, although it does not seem to be achieving this goal.

I feel that if people are being 'sheltered' from various opinions, and if they discover that information and ideas are being withheld purposefully, a cultural revolution would not be too far behind. Considering the increasing rate at which various aspects of our daily life are changing, it isn't such a far-fetched idea that a revolution is on the way. Not just politically or economically, but culturally. People are being to realize once again that they need to stand up for their rights, fighting against forces that wish to hold them down. With priorities shifting, values are growing; paving the way for an extremely exciting time to be an American citizen.