[x]

The "grown-ups" were there because we had important tasks to achieve -- beating the Germans and the Japanese, countering Soviet moves, building post-war prosperity, and even putting a man on the moon. The country agreed about those goals and it was a matter of finding the right way to achieve them. So we got men (and yes, they were almost all men) with experience in other fields to achieve them.

Now we don't have agreement about common goals. People who get in power tend to want to implement their ideology, rather than achieve some clear, agreed-upon national objective. In contrast to the days of the "grown-ups" the whole system has become unserious and detached from fundamental necessities. So if you go to the businesses and colleges and institutions that gave us yesterday's "wise men" the people you get really aren't worth much, since they've spent their time pursuing illusory objectives.

That, and everybody back then went through the war and didn't have much tolerance for BS.

[FormerFRLurker]

Good post. In the absence of a common enemy the people will turn on themselves.