The Future of Social Conservatism

[Likely Voter]

It does seem that in the last century the traditional/social conservatives are running out of things to protect us from. They have already lost the battles on alcohol, porn, comic books, violent games/tv/movies, interracial marriage, birth control, sex education, homosexuality as crime, abortion, prayer in schools and even gambling (somewhat).  I agree that marijuana and gay marriage will join the list soon enough.

I think the last lines of defense may be around hard drugs, prostitution and perhaps gambling becoming even more available. And then there are the legal ages and other regulations for all of the above activities (which is how they are fighting abortion now).

[Likely Voter]

Another last line of defense is nudity and profanity on network TV. Of course in 50 years there probably wont be a distinction between network tv and cable tv so that may also be moot.

[Likely Voter]

It does seem that in the last century the traditional/social conservatives are running out of things to protect us from. They have already lost the battles on alcohol, porn, comic books, violent games/tv/movies, interracial marriage, birth control, sex education, homosexuality as crime, abortion, prayer in schools and even gambling (somewhat). 

don't know who you've been hanging around, but I've only been in favor of outlawing abortion...in fact, I don't want gay marriage to be illegal, I just dont want to condone it by having the state recognize it (there are a lot of things that are legal yet are not recognized by the state).

I wasn't talking about you, i was talking about the history of social conservatism over the last century. Over that time there have been those who have fought change on all of those issues and every time they lose and within a generation or two the whole argument seems kind of silly. The arguments are usually the same. "We must ban this or that to protect children/tradition/etc. If we don't ban x/y/z then society will fall apart and there will be a slippery slope to [insert hyperbole]." But it turns out that society can handle change and diversity of lifestyles and choices.

[Likely Voter]

My fear is that social conservatism will be rendered so irrelevant that all I'll be left with is railing against people wearing four-in-hand dies who deem it to be "black tie". I am a social conservative. I believe in morality, what is proper, what is right. Nuclear families, traditional marriage (with civil unions), a strong personal faith within organized religion, opposition to abortion, opposition to pornography and crudeness in the public sphere, topped with an admittedly rigid view of social etiquette and rules.

Combined with changes in the social dynamic thanks to the future, and the overall decline of the United States, I get pretty depressed thinking about the future these days.

No one in my generation thinks like that.

Well there is nothing wrong with feeling that way and I am sure that there will always be religious/social conservatives. The thing that is losing favor is the effort to use the levers of government to impose those beliefs on everyone.

As for the United States. I think it is a lot more resilient. I do find it ironic that so many of those who talk about American exceptionalism are also those who seem to think that the nation is so fragile that it will decline or collapse over these societal changes.

[Likely Voter]

By the way, by the time I'm complaining, most people won't wear ties... sigh.

That reminds me of THIS

[Likely Voter]

Technology will create new things for social conservatives to oppose.  Genetic tampering such as designer babies and cloning come to mind.

Don't forget sexbots.

And of course marrying your sexbots