--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As social values shifted through the '80s…" description: "\"As social values shifted through the '80s and '90s, as modern conservatism rose to power, and as the electorate became a good deal more skeptical of bo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/ted-nordhaus-32454_80s_as-social-values-shifted-through-the-80s_1588874.jpg" --- # As social values shifted through the '80s and '90s, as… ![“As social values shifted through the '80s and '90s, as modern conservatism rose to power, and as the electorate became a good deal more skeptical of both government and environmentalists, these strategies, and the institutions that were created to prosecute them, foundered.” quote by Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/ted-nordhaus-32454_80s_as-social-values-shifted-through-the-80s_1588874.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/ted-nordhaus-32454_80s_as-social-values-shifted-through-the-80s_1588874.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/ted-nordhaus-32454_80s_as-social-values-shifted-through-the-80s_1588874.jpg) > “As social values shifted through the '80s and '90s, as modern conservatism rose to power, and as the electorate became a good deal more skeptical of both government and environmentalists, these strategies, and the institutions that were created to prosecute them, foundered.” [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Shifts in public opinion and rising conservatism weakened environmental enforcement institutions. **In simple terms:** Changing values weakened environmental enforcement. Key Takeaway Adapt strategies to new political realities. Themes environment politics institutional change public trust Mood cautious strategic Type analytical critical When to use this quote - campaign planning - environmental advocacy - legislative lobbying - public communication Key Concepts policy diffusion institutional resilience political economy Questions to Reflect On - How can environmental groups rebuild trust? - What new alliances can strengthen policy? A Different Perspective Opposition may still block reforms despite adaptation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conservatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservatism/) [Electorate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electorate/) [Environmentalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmentalist/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rose/) [Skeptical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skeptical/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-values/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [I like BuzzFeed, and I understand the pressure that online reporters are under. But I think everyone agrees that, despite all the awesome kitten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/i-like-buzzfeed-and-i-understand-the-pressure-that-online-reporters/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [We will not adopt the fantastic hypocrisy of modern conservatism which preaches the values of families and communities, while conducting a direct assault on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-keating/we-will-not-adopt-the-fantastic-hypocrisy-of-modern-conservatism/) [Paul Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-keating/) > [“Muller asserted that modern conservatism is really about creating the best possible society, the one that brings about the greatest happiness given local circumstances.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/muller-asserted-that-modern-conservatism-is-really-about-creating-the/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [The true American patriot is by definition skeptical of the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/the-true-american-patriot-is-by-definition-skeptical-of-the-government/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [Modern conservatism was forged in the crucible of the 1970s inflation crisis, and in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash many conservatives were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/modern-conservatism-was-forged-in-the-crucible-of-the-1970s-inflation/) [Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/) > [I believe that Americans should be deeply skeptical of government power. You cannot trust people in power. The founders knew that. That's why they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-comey/i-believe-that-americans-should-be-deeply-skeptical-of-government/) [James Comey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-comey/) > [It is a striking example of modern conservatism's emphasis on the moral worth of the individual. ... When I look at the debate over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramesh-ponnuru/it-is-a-striking-example-of-modern-conservatism-s-emphasis-on-the/) [Ramesh Ponnuru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramesh-ponnuru/) > [That is the crux of modern conservatism - government taking strong measures to foster the attitudes and aptitudes necessary for increased individual independence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/that-is-the-crux-of-modern-conservatism-government-taking-strong/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [My job is to be skeptical: skeptical of people like Edward Snowden and skeptical of the U.S. government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/my-job-is-to-be-skeptical-skeptical-of-people-like-edward-snowden-and/) [Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/) > [Like all Americans, I am skeptical when any government agency pries into our personal and private lives under the guise of rooting out 'threats.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/like-all-americans-i-am-skeptical-when-any-government-agency-pries/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [In essence I find that the foundation of modern conservatism is driven by a clinging to God in fear of the world, whereas the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/in-essence-i-find-that-the-foundation-of-modern-conservatism-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [The trumpet player, Ronnie Hughes, has still got his chops today but for some strange reason the culture doesn't call him because he's 83-years-old.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/the-trumpet-player-ronnie-hughes-has-still-got-his-chops-today-but/) [Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/) > [I think the action movies in the 80s and 90s were different. It was a testosterone age. Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Sylvester…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-tatum/i-think-the-action-movies-in-the-80s-and-90s-were-different-it-was-a/) [Channing Tatum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-tatum/) > [I was not even allowed to mention the name Madonna in my household - just because I think the '80s and '90s were so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/i-was-not-even-allowed-to-mention-the-name-madonna-in-my-household/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) ## More by Ted Nordhaus > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [Energy is a sector of the economy that has been particularly resistant to innovation. This is precisely the problem. It is why we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/energy-is-a-sector-of-the-economy-that-has-been-particularly/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [We can still cap carbon, but that needn't be at the top of the agenda that we communicate to voters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/we-can-still-cap-carbon-but-that-needn-t-be-at-the-top-of-the-agenda/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [Environmentalism has become a special interest, incapable of addressing large, complex, and global problems such as global warming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/environmentalism-has-become-a-special-interest-incapable-of/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [It is worth noting that virtually every alternative energy source we have - solar, wind, nuclear, and battery and fuel cell technologies for storage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/it-is-worth-noting-that-virtually-every-alternative-energy-source-we/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [We know that things like energy independence, getting off oil, getting out of the Middle East, and creating jobs and economic development in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/we-know-that-things-like-energy-independence-getting-off-oil-getting/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [Environmentalists needed to stop imagining that they were representing a thing called Nature or the Environment, separate from us (e.g. humans) in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/environmentalists-needed-to-stop-imagining-that-they-were/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [Making big investments to get off oil, making clean energy alternatives widely available and cheap, and creating millions of new jobs in clean energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/making-big-investments-to-get-off-oil-making-clean-energy/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [After a brief couple of years in the late '70s, public funding for clean energy technologies dried up and has been on the decline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/after-a-brief-couple-of-years-in-the-late-70s-public-funding-for/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [The levels of technology investment in the energy sciences pales compared to the kinds of investment we make in the computer and bio-sciences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/the-levels-of-technology-investment-in-the-energy-sciences-pales/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [In the months after George W. Bush's reelection, a lot of liberals and environmentalists were ready to take a hard look at their political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/in-the-months-after-george-w-bush-s-reelection-a-lot-of-liberals-and/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [Skepticism about the potential to achieve the kinds of breakthroughs we need has been a self-fulfilling prophecy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/skepticism-about-the-potential-to-achieve-the-kinds-of-breakthroughs/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [We don't make the investments we need to make, the sector fails to innovate, and then we conclude that it can't innovate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/we-don-t-make-the-investments-we-need-to-make-the-sector-fails-to/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [The great successes of the modern environmental movement in the '60s and '70s had laid the seeds of their failure in the early years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/the-great-successes-of-the-modern-environmental-movement-in-the-60s/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) [Explore all 15 Ted Nordhaus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) ## More 80s quotes > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [As an actor I kind of do. I started out doing voice overs in the mid 80s when I was in grad school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/as-an-actor-i-kind-of-do-i-started-out-doing-voice-overs-in-the-mid/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [It's nice to have been around long enough to be a part of people's lives. A lot of people who come to my show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-easton/it-s-nice-to-have-been-around-long-enough-to-be-a-part-of-people-s/) [Sheena Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-easton/) > [ It was a very economically depressed time \[the 80s\] and because of that, there was a lot of space. Everything was relatively dilapidated, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/it-was-a-very-economically-depressed-time-the-80s-and-because-of-that/) [Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/) > [If for no other reason than it's just fun to watch people age, and it's fun to watch what happened to '80s hairdos and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-borstein/if-for-no-other-reason-than-it-s-just-fun-to-watch-people-age-and-it/) [Alex Borstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-borstein/) > [I don't dislike rappers or hip-hop or people who like it. I went to the Def Jam tour in Manchester in the '80s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-don-t-dislike-rappers-or-hip-hop-or-people-who-like-it-i-went-to/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [Since I was gay and loved disco music, it was kinda pre-programmed that my first experiences with house music and acid - which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justus-kohncke/since-i-was-gay-and-loved-disco-music-it-was-kinda-pre-programmed/) Justus Kohncke > [We are upsetting the atmosphere upon which all life depends. In the late 80s when I began to take climate change seriously, we referred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/we-are-upsetting-the-atmosphere-upon-which-all-life-depends-in-the/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [When I was coming up in the '80s television, if you were on television that meant either you were a young actor just coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/when-i-was-coming-up-in-the-80s-television-if-you-were-on-television/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [My fashion was not the best in the '80s. I looked crazy as hell. I used to wear my pants tucked into my socks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/my-fashion-was-not-the-best-in-the-80s-i-looked-crazy-as-hell-i-used/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-cook/bin-laden-was-though-a-product-of-a-monumental-miscalculation-by/) [Robin Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-cook/) > [When someone asks if you're a god, you say YES!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/when-someone-asks-if-you-re-a-god-you-say-yes/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [His (Lloyd Kaufman) string of low-budget, lowbrow horror comedies stretching back to the ’80s has been cited as influence by Peter Jackson, the Farrelly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-lumenick/his-lloyd-kaufman-string-of-low-budget-lowbrow-horror-comedies/) Lou Lumenick > [I have this obsession with the '80s because I missed all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-spektor/i-have-this-obsession-with-the-80s-because-i-missed-all-of-it/) [Regina Spektor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-spektor/) > [It was the case in the 70s and 80s that people believed music could change the world. But now people aren't making music because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinead-o-connor/it-was-the-case-in-the-70s-and-80s-that-people-believed-music-could/) [Sinead O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinead-o-connor/) Browse all 488 80s quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As social values shifted through the '80s and '90s, as modern conservatism rose to power, and as the electorate became a good deal more skeptical of both government and environmentalists, these strategies, and the institutions that were created to prosecute them, foundered.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ted Nordhaus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/as-social-values-shifted-through-the-80s-and-90s-as-modern/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "80s" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/as-social-values-shifted-through-the-80s-and-90s-as-modern/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/ted-nordhaus-32454_80s_as-social-values-shifted-through-the-80s_1588874.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/ted-nordhaus-32454_80s_as-social-values-shifted-through-the-80s_1588874.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/ted-nordhaus-32454_80s_as-social-values-shifted-through-the-80s_1588874.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As social values shifted through the '80s and '90s, as modern conservatism rose to power, and as the…” — Ted Nordhaus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ted Nordhaus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As social values shifted through the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/as-social-values-shifted-through-the-80s-and-90s-as-modern/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/as-social-values-shifted-through-the-80s-and-90s-as-modern/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```