I fail to see how capitalism is the only factor here. Capitalism has existed for hundreds of years, in some function or another. Its more that, with information so readily available and easily transferable, parents have less and less of an impact as more sources of information are available to young(er) children. Not to mention, people used to marry off kids at ages most people would consider to be far to tender nowadays. Frankly, I think people tend to like to dramatize events and situations in their own lifetimes because they either don't fully comprehend fully the historical context of it, or because they like to feel like they are a part of an important movement. Color me nonplussed.