In Your Ear — What Will Future Generations Condemn

Historical November–December 2015 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.

What do we do today that will be castigated in the future? No, Ramona, I’m not talking about what you and I do (though there’s no doubt plenty of grist there). Rather, I’m wondering what do we as a society do — even officially sanction — that will be scorned in three hundred years. That’s not an idle question. Take slavery as an example of how cultural mores have changed. Today slavery is totally abhorrent (thankfully!). Taking away the freedom of another human being is simply unacceptable. And yet, as the tragic shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina and the way that the Confederate flag was revered by the killer, slavery is still alive in some minds; demented minds, but still minds.

In fact, slavery really didn’t end all that long ago in our country. (Mind you, I’m only talking about slavery that was sanctioned by governments. I’m well aware that de facto slavery and slave-like conditions existed beyond the end of the Civil War.) It’s been 150 years since 1865, the official end of slavery.

But if we go back another hundred years, slavery was embraced by many people living in what became our country.

As we well know, Washington and Jefferson were among the notables who held slaves (pun intended with Jefferson).

While they each made comments about the evils of slavery, neither even bothered to give freedom to their slaves when they died. And these guys were, like, leaders to whom we owe our country!

There are thousands of places, from streets to states to universities named after them, and they engaged in something we find immoral today.

All in all, twelve U.S. presidents owned slaves at one time in their lives. Yes, times change. Thankfully. Looking ahead 250 years, what do we routinely do today that the people of 2265 will find abhorrent and disgusting?

In those future history books – oops, I mean future history chips, likely embedded in children’s brains at birth – what practices will they see in 2015 that will cause them to gasp in incredulity and amusement? Peering into my plump polyester ball (given to me by my aunts, Polly and Ester), I’ve identified three current practices that will confound our descendants into two and a half centuries. Zoos. Regardless of how spacious or attractive they are, future generations will wonder how we could imprison animals for our amusement.

I know, I know, the zoo director will say that zoos protect the future and are primarily educational. Right. Tell that to the chimpanzee, sharing 99% of our DNA, who spends his life in a cage. Especially with what technology can do today, do we really need living creatures behind bars or screens? (One of my favorite zoo exhibits has a sign that says “Look at the world’s most dangerous animal!” It’s posted above a mirror.) “How humancentric,” future generations will sneer. Determining the quality of education that a child receives on where she lives. Think about it: school expenditures are based on property taxes, and property taxes are a function of where you live. Wealthier communities generate more revenue so that the students attending their schools, already residing in homes with enough wealth to live there, have better paid teachers, more staff, and more supplies.

This is illustrated by the difference in funding between two St. Louis suburbs: In 2013, the per pupil expenditure in the Clayton School District was $17,721, but in the Mehlville School District it was $8,612. Future generations will ask “How fair was that?” Allowing fossil fuels to be the norm for powering automobiles. Perhaps we didn’t know about global warming fifty years ago (I didn’t), but we do now. More, today we have the technological means to move away from being dependent on oil. Sure, it will cost a lot more, at least in the short run, but unless we change things quickly and significantly, the short run will become the short swim. “Why didn’t they act?” future generations will wonder. Acting badly with knowledge is even worse than doing so from ignorance. Allowing so many guns to be held by so many people.

I don’t know how many more killings or school shootings it will take, but sooner or later, hopefully sooner and not later, the public will force politicians to throw off the NRA shackles and restrict firearms. Once legislators behave responsibly and then after the hundred or so years that it will take to get all of the weapons off the street, the homicide rate will plummet. It’s a lot harder to knock off someone with an ax or a knife, and a mass killing by stabbing is not likely. “Whatever took them so long?” will be the obvious question of future generations. OK, enough of Hawkeye’s profound and perspicacious prognostications. What do you think? What appalling current practice have I overlooked? (Note: This question is based on the assumption that someone will still be at home on planet Earth in 2265.

In the history of civilization, that’s a long time. At the rate we’re going, what are the odds that our planet will be habitable? Will the human race will still be here by then? Will it be populated by bots? Will we become bots?)

Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, November–December 2015.

Read this article in the original newspaper issue.

Archival transcription note: Source says neither Washington nor Jefferson freed enslaved people at death; historically questionable assertion retained as author’s 2015 wording, not endorsed factual finding. Source promises three practices but lists four.

Original source: SD_Times2015_11.pdf, printed page(s) 8; PDF page(s) 8.