Source of photo: http://sites.psu.edu/comm411spring2015/wp-content/uploads/sites/21499/2015/04/spaceagemeetsstoneage.jpg
I preface this post by pointing out that the title subject is not about the theory that we older folks know about surrounding the 1987 crossover television special The Jetsons meet the Flintstones. This theory suggests that the Flintstones is a post-apocalyptic depiction of the world the Jetsons are a part of.
Interesting theory, but not only is it dated, but a little pedantic, even by 1980s standards. If you are interested in this theory, see the link below:
https://fantheories.fandom.com/wiki/The_Jetsons/The_Flintstones
The theory I’m writing about in this post is quite relevant to the here and now, though one could proffer the argument that people who revere and wish to preserve (and misremember) the ways of the past (Flintstones) have always clashed with those who embrace the present with an eye towards the future (Jetsons).
I came across this interesting theory watching the podcast of the person who proffered it, one comedian and activist, DL Hughley. If you wish to hear this theory (or more accurately, “observation”) on your own, see the link below:
To summarize and explain what Mr. Hughley said, the economic prosperity and record job growth our country is presently experiencing is primarily realized in ten cities in the United States:
-San Jose, California
-Austin, Texas
-Nashville, Tennessee
-San Antonio, Texas
-Charlotte, North Carolina
-Grand Rapids, Michigan
-San Francisco, California
-Raleigh, North Carolina
-Columbus, Ohio
-Dallas, Texas
Mr. Hughley goes on to point out what these ten American cities have in common…
They are either “blue cities” in “blue states” (meaning the cities and states that primarily support the Democratic Party) or they are blue cities in “red states” (“red” meaning the states that primarily support the Republican Party).
These ten cities are culturally, ethnically, and racially diverse, have one or more large institutions of higher education, have large educated populations, and the job growth is primarily in industries that require a large, educated workforce, meaning the jobs require intellectual rather than manual labor.
Mr. Hughley goes on to point out that the cities and states that are not experiencing the current economic prosperity and job growth have more monolithically cultural and ethnically homogenous populations, regardless of whether these places are predominantly white or predominantly black/minority.
This latter group of people are the so-called Flintstones. People who want the world the way it used to be. People who lament the closing of traditional industries such as coal mines and manufacturing jobs, little realizing that most of these industries are either becoming increasingly automated or becoming increasingly obsolete.
The former group represents a part of the population that invariably always receives the benefits of our rich economy, both in good times and bad times. These are the Jetsons. The people who don’t remain static waiting for opportunities to come to them, but either move to where their skills, education, and motivation are needed or create their own opportunities.
People like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos didn’t wait for luck to find them, they didn’t build their empires through serendipity.
President Trump built the bulk of his political base around the Flintstones, not the Jetsons. He made promises (and continues to promise) that circumstances simply will not permit him to keep and he knows it. Unfortunately, many in his base either cannot or will not accept reality.
Instead of eschewing the industries of today, such as solar power, and instead of President Trump convincing his base and his party to encourage industry to bring these kinds of jobs to the areas that need them most, the Flintstones would rather embrace pharmaceutical and political opioids to dull the pain that only they themselves can alleviate.
Instead of doing what Mr. Hughley suggests and moving to where their skills are needed, or even better, take my suggestion and build new industries where they live, the Flintstones would rather malign the Jetsons and support leaders who take advantage of their pain to keep power for themselves.
Consuming empty political and social rhetoric and pharmacological fortification is more comforting than doing the work creating your own opportunities to pursue happiness. Luck is not serendipitous, it is created when preparedness meets opportunity and opportunity is always around.
Just ask the Jetsons or the immigrants who come here and prosper despite their disadvantages and the vitriol they sometimes endure.
The maximum effective range of an excuse is zero meters.
-The Rational Ram
The Rational Ram 
