You know... I went grocery shopping and this post stayed in my mind. I wonder if all organizations of sorts are hurting for members like the Lyons Club, Knights of Columbus, Shriners etc... It is now a different type of time in many aspects compared to the WWI/Korean war era. For one, many men joined outside groups for kinship of sorts. Although they were busy... they usually had stay at home wives who focused entirely on the home and children. Today, most parents work so when they come home... dinner, clean up, laundry, lunches for the next day... the list is endless for both the husband and wife. Weekends are spent on “catching up” with yard work, kid’s sporting events etc.. There really isn’t a whole bunch of time left to socialize per se.
I also think email, facebook, etc.. allows people to stay in touch more readily than before. Yes.. they had phones and wrote letters but now Marine A can keep in touch with Marine B much more easily. My Dad coached for the CYO. If I recall correctly, membership to outside organizations came in handy when being considered for promotions. I am not 100% sure that still applies like it did years back. The Rotary Club, for example, was used by many to meet other business type people and that could come in handy for employment opportunities.
See how much DEEP THINKING I do while grocery shopping!! LOL!!
You are spot-on regarding the modern family. My wife and I both work full time, and then some, jobs and we struggle keeping the lights on and do often look at the weekends as “catch up” time.
There are simply too many commitments and not enough time. I don’t know of anyone, unless they are retired, who has the time to sit around in a club/bar and just pass the time.
The Internet and social networks have made it easier to briefly socialize and stay in touch without going out.
Yes, many of them have seen declining membership. Take a look at this news article.
Masons, other service groups fight membership declines
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-01-31-masons31_ST_N.htm
With the various economic and social order shifts and breakdowns that have taken place over the last 50 years I’m not surprised to see this.
Once family goes on the decline so does the rest of a nation.