What a difference 50 years makes....

[MrCanary]

This is from an American website about when we were kids and not wrapped up in cotton wool. Would be interesting to hear the viewpoints of teachers like Dick Smith...

 

Scenario: Jack pulls into school parking lot with rifle in gun rack

• 1957 - Vice Principal comes over, takes a look at Jack's rifle, goes to his car and gets his to show Jack.

• 2007 - School goes into lock-down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school

• 1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up best friends. Nobody goes to jail, nobody arrested, nobody expelled.

• 2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students

• 1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by Principal. Sits still in class.

• 2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Parents get extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his father's car and his Dad gives him a whipping

• 1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.

• 2007 - Billy's Dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. Billy's sister is told by state psychologist that she remembers being abused herself and their Dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.

Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some headache medicine to school

• 1957 - Mark shares headache medicine with Principal out on the smoking dock.

• 2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario: Mary turns up pregnant

• 1957 - 5 High School Boys leave town. Mary does her senior year at a special school for expectant mothers.

• 2007 - Middle School Counselor calls Planned Parenthood, who notifies the ACLU. Mary is driven to the next state over and gets an abortion without her parent's consent or knowledge. Mary given condoms and told to be more careful next time.

Scenario: Pedro fails high school English

• 1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.

• 2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state democratic party. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he can't speak English.

Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed

• 1957 - Ants die.

• 2007 - BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary, hugs him to comfort him

• 1957 - In a short time Johnny feels better and goes on playing.

• 2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison.

Scenario: As a hoax, two guys place signs with blinking lights in numerous places around the city of Boston.

• 1957 - Some laugh at the joke, some shake their heads in disbelief. A few panic and leave town believing there is an imminent alien invasion.

• 2007 - The devices spark a major bomb alert. The city is cordoned off, the bomb squads are called in. As a result, a top executive of a major corporation is forced to resign and the company has to pay millions in damages.

Progress

Scenario: Johnny (a Negro boy) was seen going out with Mary (a white girl)

• 1957 - Johnny was stood up against a tree and lynched.

• 2007 - People that know them think what a nice couple they make, while most others think nothing of it at all.

[Lori]

Funny thing is, I don't know whether to laugh or cry !

 

[powerdesal]

Cover all the bases, laugh till you cry [:)]

[Dick Smith]

I really don't see anything funny in it at all. It isn't a joke, it is mostly true and speaks to the way the world has changed in the last 50 years. Some good, some bad, mostly bad. For instance, I don't see why the ending of racist lynchings is something to wet yourself over, rather I would have some satisfaction in that.

And I don't really see why my opinion should be sought specifically...

[Lori]

You're right Dick, it really is sad.  Life for today's young people is so very different.

 

[Dick Smith]

I didn't say it was sad! I said that many things were worse. We could do something similar about advances in medicine, technology, social attitudes and so on which would be very positive.

1957 - John's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a radical mastectomy, which caused her enormous distress, the cancer spread, and with no effective treatments she died a year later.

2007 - A screening programme caught John's mother's cancer early. There was a small operation to undergo, but with treatments developed since the 1970s the disease did not spread, and she lived for another 20 years.

You have to think about these things, and not just react.

[Bugsy]

Don't you think that if you looked at any 'fifty-year period in history you would see similar dramatic changes. It would be nice to find a period where there were 100% improvements for the better though.

Just dreaming......................................

[Dick Smith]

It would be nice if cakes grew on trees, as well.

There have been many times when there were dramatic, and even worse, changes. The period of the Black Death, for example, London in the 1660s, the period of WW1.

[MrCanary]

Forgive me, I referred specifically to you Dick, as the list made references to college kids. I thought from another post you were a teacher. However, having looked at your website, I see you are no longer in the front line, but presumably you might still have teachers' opinions? 

I too took the list as serious but tongue-in-cheek and not a joke...

[Cassis]

You didn't REALLY take the list seriously, did you, Prasutagus?  It is obviously meant to be funny.  E.g.

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his father's car and his Dad gives him a whipping

• 1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.

• 2007 - Billy's Dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy
  removed to foster care and joins a gang. Billy's sister is told by
  state psychologist that she remembers being abused herself and their
  Dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.

Whether it really is funny or not is another matter. Depends if you condone whipping. 

In the right place, within reason, it can be quite pleasureable.  So I'm told. [Www]

[powerdesal]

Being American it was probably "whupping" not "whipping", as in seriously counselling him as to the error of his ways  [:D]

[hastobe]

Perhaps if you can't manage a laugh Dick - maybe just a wry smile?

Kathie

[Dick Smith]

Why? Why not think about things instead of just grinning?

Or - I know - I could make a snide post!

[Combes]

[quote user="Dick Smith"]Why? Why not think about things instead of just grinning?

Or - I know - I could make a snide post!
[/quote]

 

Thought that was all you ever did

[Dick Smith]

You'd know, of course. If you can show that to be the case, do so. If not...

[Cat]

Ahem, please, keep somewhere within the vicinity of the topic ladies and gentlemen.

[Dick Smith]

I was...

[MrCanary]

Ouch Combes!

Do you know Mr Smith?

[Cassis]

It doesn't sound like it, P. [:)]

[Ford Anglia]

And yet another post descends into bickering.

One wonders if the "last word" brigade are the same away from a keyboard?

 

[Dick Smith]

Meaning?

[Clair]

Please, keep somewhere within the vicinity of the topic.

[Russethouse]

 Just to get back on topic (roughly) 50 years ago if a woman got married it was pretty normal for her to give up work, do a job AND look after a husband ? Impossible.....

If you didn't fall pregnant, that was it - it wasn't meant to be, no hormone treatment or IVF, you were destined to be childless, no question and while I know many women still cannot have children at least there are more treatments to try - sometimes with success 

50 years ago we had wash day - yes, all day to do the washing ! No automatics (or very few)

50 years ago we had no choice but to eat what was in season, now we can have strawberries in December........good or bad ?

[MrCanary]

Hi Russethouse - and for those women who did have children, the fact that mother was at home as a full-time housewife did help the family to be a family - something that is missing today in much of the UK. The absence of a parent at home, I am sure, also contributes to the reasons many kids go off the rails!

In my opinion, the mother was the reason the kids stayed normal and well-behaved and she gave the support and strength to her husband with his role as bread-winner.

However, today's desire for more of everything means that the woman has to have a full-time job. It is interesting that, in most households, she still does all the other chores as well. And, as a man, I do acknowledge this fact!

[Teamedup]

When I got to France in 1981 women with tiny babies who were not even three months old were going back to work. In the north of England I had only known of one woman at that time who was going straight back, but still taking 6 months off first. Maybe in the north things were a little different, I don't know, but it wasn't as if I had moved to Paris either when I moved to France.

Women in France do work. Usually both parents work. I have never known many women who have taken much time off when they have had their children.