What will be the next big social issue?

[eric82oslo]

The two next big social issues will most unquestionably be the death penalty and gun control, without any doubt whatsoever. Just give it a little bit of time to mature, as with marriage equality. And maybe these issues won't need 50 years either, but rather some 11-19 or something. Future history writing usually do surprise us, especially so in this modern day of robotics and self-driving cars.

Okey, there are obviously more than just these two issues which are gonna be huge in the years going forward. Marihuana legalization and the end to mass incarceration are certainly gonna be just as important and epoque changing.

[eric82oslo]

I have changed my view of polygamy to supportive. I think it's hard to argue against the idea of polygamy, and the biggest real problems with it are purely practical. But practical difficulties in living something out don't justify a blanket ban. Prostitution should definitely be decriminalized, if not legalized.

Transgender rights, prison reform and drug legalization are may be the next big issues that occupy us for a time before passing through a stage of acceptance. Issues of race, gender, immigration (an appendage to race, sort of), and so on will always be with us.

At least it's consistent. Many SSM supporters get awfully angry when this topic is mentioned.

Do you understand Beet's (fortunately fringe) position as necessary in order to be consistent? Because the increasingly prevalent opinion that I've encountered (and which I hold) is that limitation to two partners is qualitatively more important to the institution of marriage in our society, in societies similar to or derived from ours, and in the expected and hoped-for future of our society than is the question of the partners' sexes, and thus it's not inconsistent to put stock in the former but not in the latter.

Which I acknowledged 11 years ago, when I already took the 'consistent' pro-SSM position that you praise here, a very narrowly tailored pro-SSM position that avoided any slippery slopes. And that remains a perfectly consistent position, yes.

But over time, the predominant pro-SSM position evolved to a simpler one, by Occam's razor superior, which was "If it harms no one, then why not?" Basically, if society thinks the harms of denying something (in this case, recognition of SSM) is greater than the harms of allowing it (apparently nothing more than the mental anguish of anti-SSM conservatives) then it will be supported.

All the polygamists need to do is point to one healthy, loving and working polygamist family who isn't hurt anyone, but is being hurt by lack of legal recognition, and ask "why not?" to build a very strong case for themselves.

Agreed completely. Very well written. Very rational. This is basically what everyone would have written/thought had there been no religion (or old traditional practises) in the world.

If it hurts noone, there exist absolutely no moral reasons whatsoever to Outlaw such a practise.

[eric82oslo]

The two next big social issues will most unquestionably be the death penalty and gun control, without any doubt whatsoever. Just give it a little bit of time to mature, as with marriage equality. And maybe these issues won't need 50 years either, but rather some 11-19 or something. Future history writing usually do surprise us, especially so in this modern day of robotics and self-driving cars.

Okey, there are obviously more than just these two issues which are gonna be huge in the years going forward. Marihuana legalization and the end to mass incarceration are certainly gonna be just as important and epoque changing.

I could see death penalty abolition becoming a major movement soon. Gun control is a much bigger stretch.

Yep, agreed, but only for one reason: That it's written in the Constitution. Without the second amendment, I'm confident that the US currently would have had at least 90% less guns in circulation than it currently has.

Okey, that was perhaps a too bold statement. After all, USA has this pretty recent history of slavery/segregation/Jim Crow etcetera that makes my European experience a bit obsolete. Let me just say that it's complicated. As soon as the last remaining die hard racists will die out in 10-15-20 years from now, things will start to move really, really rapidly on this issue, even with all the baggage that is US history.

[eric82oslo]

Marijuana is a niche issue. There might be victories there, but it's also not a civil rights issue and any victories will be done via legislation, not the courts.

It is NOT a niche issue. It is not merely the consumers (and producers) who care. The war on drugs has been having a humongous impact all around.

Agreed. The war on drugs is basically what has caused the miserable nature of Mexico, most of Central America (minus Costa Rica and Panama) as well as Colombia. I believe this is the main reason why Uruguay of all countries became the first country in the world to legalize marijuana.