# Things that are considered acceptable today but will be seem as morally repulsive in the future **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 11, 2017, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223 "2017-12-11T18:58:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/21 "2017-12-12T06:14:26Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Even 50 years ago, who’d predict the Soviet Union would have fallen? In 1969, [Andrei Amalrik](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Amalrik) predicted the fall of the USSR in his essay, “Will the Soviet Union Survive Until 1984?” [Text of Part 1 here.](http://www2.stetson.edu/~psteeves/classes/amalrik1.html) [Text of Part 2 here.](http://www2.stetson.edu/~psteeves/classes/amalrik2.html) Amalrik was a few years off in his estimation, but he was correct that the USSR eventually fell. And only seven years after he predicted. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/22 "2017-12-12T06:21:59Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > > [@D\_Anconia](#): > > > > Who should pay for those things? Other people? > > All of us, through taxes, as we do for roads, schools, police, etc. I have no problem at all adding medical care, public transportation and such to that list. I stand ready to pay toward the care of others in the form of a national health system. > > And on that subject, I think in the future it will be very uncool to say, “Why should I contribute money toward the health care of other people?” While this has always been a churlish and selfish argument within our health care debate, I predict that at some point it will actually be seen as downright foolish. Exactly. As civilization advances and becomes more supportive of the importance of community and social cohesiveness, there’s a clear trend towards a greater recognition that it’s both more efficient and more humane to have collective responsibility for essential services. The exclusion of health care right now is a bizarre anomaly absolutely unique to the US, and one which is neither morally nor fiscally sustainable. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/23 "2017-12-12T06:30:05Z")
Nationality… The caste system remains today, with every child assigned a nationality “caste” at birth, destined to live his whole life trapped with a share of the economic wealth and prospects of his birth nation. Enforced by the Brahmins of the western industrial caste. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/24 "2017-12-12T06:39:58Z")
Access to healthcare will become an actual honest to god right. Lots of the world is already on the ragged fringes of that belief. Ditto for clean air and clean water. My opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/25 "2017-12-12T07:09:50Z")
[long post skip if you want :)] > [@Isamu](#): > > Making your kids live in a hateful marriage. Acceptable today, but won’t be in the future. I have no idea of the real statistics, but divorce seems to be getting more and more common. So much so, that beyond the legal ramifications, sometimes I wonder what the actual reason is. Yeah, I get it, love and all that, but when people can, and do, walk out of a marriage like they’re breaking up with someone…what’s the point? That is, ‘back in the day’ you may have stuck it out through thick and thin because you promised you would. Now, for many people, when the going gets tough, they take off. And people are encouraged to leave a spouse their not happy with rather than raise kids in that home. FTR, I’m not talking about abuse in way, shape or form. Just a ‘things aren’t working out’ or ‘we’re constantly bickering’ type issues. I’ve heard it suggested by random people that relationships should have a time limit of X years (say, 5) at which time they reevaluate. Either go their separate ways, no hard feelings or sign up for another 5. Not sure it would work, but interesting thought experiment. > [@BigT](#): > > It seems to me that ableism is the next one up on the chopping block. In fact, I’d say to look at the “SJWs” of today to find what stuff. Sure, a lot of it won’t make it, but some of it will. And it’s really the best you can do. As has come up in countless other threads, many SJWs are as nutty as the extreme right. In years to come some SJW ideas will stick just like some far right ideas will, but if both sides could take a few steps to the middle, tone down the crazy and get past the concept of 'every single thing you propose is wrong because you’re a nazi/socialist, they could probably get even more of their ideas to stick. Sidenote: It’s too bad for the SJW movement. It’s got good ideas, but I’ve seen them bash people to pieces for the strangest reasons and drive them away. > [@Graymalkin](#): > > Raising animals to then kill and actually eat them! Hunting will be seen as a barbaric practice. Which it is. But these developments as well as the others mentioned above assume that we will continue on in some kind of more technologically “civilized” way, which, as the latest US election has shown and is showing, is not guaranteed. Part of that is very much ingrained in the gun culture. I’d be interested to hear how popular hunting is in other countries that don’t have guns and have as much wildlife/forest as we do. But part of it is also keeping said wildlife at bay. If we don’t hunt (from what I understand) we end up with deer and other animals making their way into the cities. > [@snfaulkner](#): > > Unrequested/unannounced phone calls. That would be great. It would be wonderful to go back to answering an unknown number and knowing it was someone I was (more or less) interested in talking to. I’ve had some thoughts on that, but I’m not sure the logistics would work out. > [@MandaJo](#): > > We’ve been having this thread for close to twenty years. I really want someone to go back and see if anyone ever said > > “I think current attitudes toward sexual harassment will seem absolutely barbaric. As a society, we often dismiss things like groping, self-exposure, forced kisses, lewd suggestions as just boorish at worst and sometimes as a perk of power. I have reason to hope that at some point in the future, that will just be appalling, and we will call assault what it is.” > > Because I don’t remember ever seeing that, and if we didn’t see this coming, well, we are really bad at this. I’d be interested in that as well, however, I’d be surprised if there was anything about sexual harrassment, even here, going back 20 years. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Plus I remember bullying from 20-30 years ago in school. But my brother who has kids told me it is totally different now. Maybe his kids are in a better school than we were, but bullying like my generation faced in school doesn’t happen in his kids school according to the parents I’ve met. I don’t know if that is a widespread improvement or not. I’d hope so. Bullying has had a HUGE improvement. Back in the day (my day anyways). Teachers, more or less, dealt with it on a case by case basis. IF you told a teacher that another student was bothering you, they may or may not do something about it depending on the circumstances (did they see it happen? anyone else see it? any marks on you? parents involved? etc?). Even then it may just be as simple as punishing that kid for that incident which likely makes things worse for the other kid. But nowadays how bullies are defined are pretty strict and how they are dealt with ramps up very, very quickly. Case in point. My kid was having her lunch stolen. I told the teacher about about it. He pulled the kid aside and told her that it cannot happen again. He also talked to her parents and, IIRC, sent a memo to the principal. (5th grade BTW) It stopped for a few days, then happened again. I told the teacher. The teacher, the kid, the parents and the principal had a meeting, which I beleive the superintendent and school board where made aware of. The kid was out of the school a week later. It should be made know that I know there were other disciplinary issues with that student and for all I know the parents moved and it was a coincidence. My point being, that I made two reports to the teacher about this happening and the district was aware of the issue. OTOH, a few years earlier she had a ‘good’ bully, the ‘real’ kind that acted like they were besties, then tormented her and if she told the teacher she convinced her [my kid] it was her fault, like. My kid sound like an abused wife. I mean, she would come out of school every day, crying and but convinced that it was her fault. Worst part was, the teachers believed the bully so I couldn’t get anywhere with it. But that’s a whole 'nother story. > [@Chronos](#): > > Another thing that I think that future generations will have a hard time forgiving us is our use of heat engines for everything. Don’t we realize how horribly inefficient those are? It’s one thing to use up irreplaceable fossil fuels, but far worse to use them so wastefully. I’m assuming you’re talking about solar? Only because you have to keep in mind that electric cars still use power from your local power plant, most of which still burn coal or oil. Granted, it’s generally more efficient to get it from the grid than make it locally, but it’s still not a renewable resource…that is, unless you’re local utility is hydro/solar/wind (or even nuclear). ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/26 "2017-12-12T07:28:14Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > All of us, through taxes, as we do for roads, schools, police, etc. “All of us” don’t pay taxes. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/27 "2017-12-12T07:43:02Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > “All of us” don’t pay taxes. Maybe ‘all of you’ who don’t pay taxes now might be called to task in the future?? 😃 Having just traveled in SE Asia, I’m hoping that plastic bottles and shit might be banned…and that the local communities get some sort of rubbish collection system happening. Otherwise tropical paradises are just ruined by the sheer volume of crap that is washed up in creeks and beaches. Oh, and the same here in western countries…the quicker we ban shopping bags and disposable bottles, the better our lives will be in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delicious)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/28 "2017-12-12T10:13:21Z")
It could all go the other way; if nationalism/racism becomes more prevalent then future people, in their ethnically cleansed countries, may think it was abhorrent for us to accept immigrants and dilute their good culture/bloodlines with those of dirty foreigners & immigrants. It will be considered child abuse to _not_ genetically engineer your child in the womb to be a genius. Being poor will be accepted as a moral failing and those horrid dirty plebs will be shoved down mineshafts by loyal, hardworking robo-police ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/29 "2017-12-12T11:15:27Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Access to healthcare will become an actual honest to god right. > > Lots of the world is already on the ragged fringes of that belief. If by “in the fringes” you mean that we believe it to be a right, yes. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/30 "2017-12-12T11:56:54Z")
Insanely loud motorcycles. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/31 "2017-12-12T12:03:25Z")
Speculating that, in the future, the things you personally believe to be morally/ethically true shall be universally accepted, and that those who disagree shall be thought of as barbaric. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/32 "2017-12-12T12:11:06Z")
Pets will continue their ascent as furbabies so that not giving them high-quality food, comfort and stimulation will be seen as morally culpable neglect. This will be helped by the fact that there’s good money to be made in convincing pet owners of that. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/33 "2017-12-12T12:13:56Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Burying ones enemies without ritually consuming their strength. Voting for ones rulers instead of submitting to the will of the God King. Keeping ones pinky uncovered outdoors where just anyone can see it. > > Prefixing the future is hard, because people always assume the future is going to be like the present, but more so. If you look at predictions from 100 years ago, people miss a lot, but because they’re dumb, but because we take for granted stuff they never thought of. Even 50 years ago, who’d predict the Soviet Union would have fallen? Who’s predict the way the Internet changed our lives. > > The same is true of values. 100, it was the height of I’ll manners to go outside without a hat. How many people back then do you think predicted, “We’ll see the end of hats”? Cue G.K Chesterton: > [@](#): > > The human race, to which so many of my readers belong, has been playing at children’s games from the beginning, and will probably do it till the end, which is a nuisance for the few people who grow up. And one of the games to which it is most attached is called “Keep to-morrow dark,” and which is also named (by the rustics in Shropshire, I have no doubt) “Cheat the Prophet.” The players listen very carefully and respectfully to all that the clever men have to say about what is to happen in the next generation. The players then wait until all the clever men are dead, and bury them nicely. They then go and do something else. That is all. For a race of simple tastes, however, it is great fun. - From “The Napoleon of Notting Hill” ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/34 "2017-12-12T14:08:11Z")
“Remember when we used to drive cars ourselves?” Also, the Electoral College will be seen as an abomination that lasted far too long. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/35 "2017-12-12T14:21:21Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > (we do this thread a lot) Some of us ran out of interesting things to talk about a long time ago and are just biding time until heart disease takes us. Here’s a novel subject that has never come up in conversation before. Did anyone see what the republican president just did? What a stupid, cruel criminal. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/36 "2017-12-12T14:27:33Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Speculating that, in the future, the things you personally believe to be morally/ethically true shall be universally accepted, and that those who disagree shall be thought of as barbaric. There is a general trend line towards social liberalism, justice and egalitarianism that has existed since the industrial revolution. Despite localized setbacks the overall global trend line is clear. We aren’t anywhere near finished and who knows what reforms will happen in the future. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/37 "2017-12-12T14:33:09Z")
Kardashians ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/38 "2017-12-12T14:37:21Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > “What opinions do I have about society now that I wish would change in the future”. This seems to describe a great many responses to the OP. Lots of wishful thinking going on, but I am doubtful about many of these will actually come to pass. > [@GargoyleWB](#): > > Charging indiviuals money for water, electricity, medical care, internet, or public transportation. First of all, public transportation is already heavily subsidized. Take my city’s bus service, for example. Last year they pulled in $7M in passenger fares, but they also received about $35M from local, state, and federal assistance. This means that your dream of people _not_ paying for public transit is already 83% realized. Same is typically true for water: cities budget tax dollars for maintenance of the public water supply/sewer systems, and only part of that actually comes from your water bills. 100% subsidy is hazardous. If people are not charged at least a nominal fee for their consumption of goods and services, fewer people will opt to be good stewards of those resources. Free water? Well dang, I’m gonna stretch my shower out to twenty minutes instead of ten, and I’m gonna water the everloving crap out of my grass. Maybe you won’t, because you’re environmentally conscious, but that’s definitely not everyone. And tying back to what **Sir T-Cups** said, do you truly believe that these things _will_ happen, or is it just something you wish would happen? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/39 "2017-12-12T14:40:12Z")
I hope the whole germ phobia thing dies a much deserved death. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223/40 "2017-12-12T14:53:52Z")
I think the sport of football will disappear at some point. I still watch (it’s deeply ingrained from childhood), but every time I do, I feel more and more like I’m watching a Roman circus. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-considered-acceptable-today-but-will-be-seem-as-morally-repulsive-in-the-future/804223.md?page=3)