>>115682669Basically it means that even as history progresses and the aesthetic changes, the mindsets and motives behind them stay the same. If you want to see a more autistic interpretation of the choice of words then read on.
Okay, so, each half of the saying uses the word “more” in a different way. The “the more things change” part uses the word “more” as in time progressing, while the “the more things stay the same” part uses the word “more” as in quantity, meaning that things have stayed the same between changes multiple times.
Think of it this way: through each change in historical era and inhabitants (e.g. WW2 vets to baby boomers, baby boomers to whoever the fuck came after them), the motives of different people will remain the same (for example, traditionalists). Think of this as a single “stay the same”, and consider a “stay the same” as something that can be accumulated like money. For each shift in the era you gain one “stay the same”, and with more changes in era comes more “stay the same”.
Therefore, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
