Our changing America

The start of each great era is preceded by a great change. Right now is that time of change.

When we look back on memorable eras, we tend to think of the culture of that time. The Roaring Twenties were characterized by parties and flapper girls.

The 1960s launched the Civil Rights Movement. The ’70s were marked by great rock music. And, of course, the ’80s had a style all their own.

It is now 2014, and America’s culture is changing once again.

As far as music goes, artists are starting to produce innovative sounds that have never been heard before. Beyonce’s new self-titled album combines sound clips with her own style.

Other artists such as Kanye West and Eminem also applied new approaches to sound in their latest albums.

This new take on music is comparable to the start of rock ’n’ roll in the ’40s and ’50s. Or perhaps it is more similar to the dawning of rap music in the early ’80s.

But music isn’t the only thing changing in the United States. The culture wars continue to rage on.

For example, the fight for civil rights is further escalating with the rise of our generation.

The temporary defeat of HJR 3, which would’ve defined marriage in Indiana as only between one man and one woman — while also refusing to recognize civil unions — was tabled after the mobilization of progressives.  

The entire country is facing the same-sex marriage debate right now, and it’s not going to last forever.

One day, when our generation is talking to its grandchildren, they will find it hard to believe that people weren’t always allowed to marry whomever they wanted.
I believe we’re in the beginning of a major cultural shift in our country, just like the Civil Rights Movement of the ’60s marked a new era.

Along with these other changes, our era is also bringing about a change in the way that people view certain things, such as the legalization of marijuana.

With Colorado’s new laws legalizing the sale and recreational use of weed, the rest of the country is bound to follow.

The legalization of weed will likely be thought of in the same way as the end of the prohibition of alcohol in 1933.

America’s music is changing. Civil rights battles are being fought. People are thinking more progressively.

Many of these things have happened before and have been remembered as great times in American history.

That is why I believe 50 years from now, Americans will look back on the past. They will recognize these years as the dawning of a new era.

syrafter@indiana.edu