by exploited » Mon Feb 10, 2014 12:13 pm
Tough on crime will diminish as the old people die. I know very few younger people who have that point of view. And I know almost nobody of any age that thinks pot deserves prison time, whether buying or selling. So you'll see that change sometime in the next thirty years.
As for the gheys, it is hard to get a number because of two reasons: lots of people report sexual attraction to the same sex but do not identify as gay, and many more are closeted, and deny their orientation for years and years.
At the absolute bare minimum, 5% of the population is gay, while nearly 15% don't identify as gay, but are sexually attracted to some people of the same sex. It isn't uncommon for people to swing back and forth... Sexuality being a continuum and all. Most studies I've read seem to agree that the number is 7-12% when you factor in these variables.
As for the level of freedom, there is no doubt whatsoever that this is the freest time in all of human history. Sure, there is a lot more regulation, but this is to be expected from highly complex societies. Most of that regulation does not impact freedom whatsoever - the government telling you not to dump waste into the water supply is not freedom infringing, regardless of the whining of libertarians. You not being able to build a chemical factory next to a public school is not freedom infringing. You not being able to deny service to paying customers on the basis of race or sexuality is freedom-affirming not infringing.
What has happened is the raising of standards. As the most highly educated population in history we confuse the unfulfillment of our desires with a lack of freedom, with no real thought about how much things have improved. Blacks and gays and women and the handicapped all face drastically better circumstances, even though things aren't perfect. The only people whining about a decrease in freedom are libertarian whites who suffer from historical delusions.