Intergenerational Solidarity Quotes
This captures the essence of the Social Security System and similar old age support programs. In earlier and less developed societies, the cultural tradition was that the children had a responsibility to car for the elderly members of their families; in sophisticated societies, there is recognition that some younger people will not or cannot fill this responsibility and the system is institutionalized as Social Security of some variant thereof.
She was over 80 when she said this.
In the political norms of the 21st century this is a remarkable statement. Here we have the President’s wife, at the end of his first term, stating that her generation has failed. If anyone close to the Obama administration in 2012, after his first 4 years, had stated that we had failed, the press would have had a field day and the minority party would be running the statement day and night as attack ads. “He’s been in control for 4 years and we are still a failure. He is incompetent.” The reality is that political honesty was not punished in the 1940’s as it was in the early 21st century. In 1936 most Americans were not sure we would ever have an economic recovery even though things were getting a little better. It would certainly take over a decade. In reality it took 20 years and a major war. In 2012 many thought that it would be more than a decade to make up for all the lost jobs and standard of living for the average person. But no politician, much less anyone in the administration would ever admit that or even say we had “failed” when that generation of politicians, business and labor leaders surely did.
