How Americans Changed in 40 years

There is an opinion that our civilization is defined by the development of our technology, but the morality of people stays the same. People do not change.
I do not agree with that.
I agree that we change mu-a-a-a-uch slower than our technologies. In those thousands of years of our history we did learn to take care of each other. We care about the lives of others, not just our own. Here is a link to a quote by Margaret Mead to how she defined civilization and being civilized. So I am more in agreement with Margaret Mead than with the general opinion that our civilization is defined by the development of our technology.
However, I do understand that without technology we couldn’t take care of each other as well as we do now. I also am not a person who wants to go back to the caves in spite of the fact that I vote green when I have a chance. Here, I want to talk about just the last 40 years of our modern lives. The reference to the thousands of years back was just an illustration of how slowly the real change in our minds happens.
What happened 40 years ago? I had just moved to the United States and felt euphoria about the fact. My euphoria lasted for long enough not just because I moved out of the Soviet Union, but also because the general idea deeply brainwashed into the minds of all Americans that we are free compared to all others, affected me too.
What made me the most happy at that time was the fact that I could say whatever I was thinking and people who disagreed with my opinions had not lost any respect to me personally. That was like a breath of fresh air for a person who grew up in the society that ingrained in their souls that if you are not with us you are against us. Everyone had to think the same, was taught to have the same opinions about the facts and books, and, of course, voted the same and unanimously every time again and again.
I can’t forget how I, a new and young teacher in our very democratic New York, never had to hide the fact that I voted for republicans. They did comment, they disagreed, but they loved me anyway, even my students, young and passionate souls, listened to why I was voting differently.
Only 40 years!!!!
We still can say what we think and we often do, but the result is not the same.
Compared to the Soviet Union we still stay free, nobody will put us to jail for a different opinion. But we’ll be judged! You’ll be judged by friends, coworkers, society, and family!
It started slowly, it still is not completely ingrained, but it’s around all and each of us. Remember how families lost their members just because of different opinions about Trump? BLM?
Majority now shares the opinions of the media it follows.
I find it very interesting, I just realized, 40 years later, that it was less the power of the Soviet Union authorities, but more the power of the Soviet Union media that brainwashed us into zombies that voted unanimously.
It took us, humans, tens of thousands of years to learn to take care of one another and only 40 years to throw stones into those who think differently.
I am an optimist though, I believe that we are just taking a step backwards before we leap into our freethinking future.