1957 vs 2007

[WriterPrincess1984]

Got this in a forward from my Dad and I HAD to share it!


HIGH SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2007
Scenario 1:
Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck's gun rack.
1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his=2 0car and gets his shotgun 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 2:
Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2007 - Police called and SWAT team arrives -- they arrest both Johnny and Mark. They are both charged them with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario 3:
Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to the Principal's office and given a good paddling by the Principal. He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD. The school gets extra money from the state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario 4:
Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
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 is removed to foster care and joins a gang. The state psychologist is told by Billy's sister that she20remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has an affair with the psychologist.

Scenario 5:
Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal out on the smoking dock.
2007 - The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario 6:
Pedro fails high school English.
1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.
2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against the state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English is then banned from core curriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario 7:
Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed.
1957 - Ants die.
2007- ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investi gates his parents -- and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Johnny's dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario 8:
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. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

I was beyond words when I read this  

[Nei1]

Wasn't this posted in topic before?  

[Pink Mint Tea]

I'm not sure is entirely realistic.
But I do know that nowadays people seem to ignore their common sense.
Hooray for the Age of Hand Sanitizers!  

[Niniann_Lockhart]

From some of the things I've seen, this isn't so much of a stretch. It is sort of weird how odd and paranoid things have gotten.  

[Corbin Noir]

God, the only way you could say that living in 1957 i s better than today is if you're looking at the past strictly through nostolgia-tinted glasses.

Sadly most boomers do.  

[Amarella Harte]

No offence, but 1957 was not boomer era**. Furthermore, the statistical changes are horrifying. Reading old autobio's as well as diaries(which I do) confirms this. There were problems then as there are in all eras. But there are better times as well as worse times. I would not have wanted to live through the 1930's or 40's which was only 10 and 20 years previous. Egads, the 70's were aweful.

Also, just because a person remembers one time in the past as better than now does not mean that they have rose colored glasses. 1. Many people also remember the worse times and 2. Many people are capable of making real value judgements that are not based on nostalgia.

Lastly, no one said anything about wanting to live in the past. It was just a comparison. Which, while exagerated in this case, still mirrors the facts as we have them today.

**Boomers were born as early as 1946. The oldest boomers would have been 11years old in1957. The earliest they could have been either aware or conserned with the country or world as a whole would be 1959. Talking to many many people (young and old), reading diaries, and auto-bio's this is actually unlikely. A more realistic figure would be 1962. Certainly they could not effect the culture until at least 62(realistic 64) and this is a discusion of culture.  

[Karill]

Argh, yes is this a repost, and yes, it still pisses me off every time I read it. We JUST elected an African-American president. Let's see that happen in '57.  

[Corbin Noir]

Amarella Harte

No offence, but 1957 was not boomer era**. Furthermore, the statistical changes are horrifying. Reading old autobio's as well as diaries(which I do) confirms this. There were problems then as there are in all eras. But there are better times as well as worse times. I would not have wanted to live through the 1930's or 40's which was only 10 and 20 years previous. Egads, the 70's were aweful.

Also, just because a person remembers one time in the past as better than now does not mean that they have rose colored glasses. 1. Many people also remember the worse times and 2. Many people are capable of making real value judgements that are not based on nostalgia.

Lastly, no one said anything about wanting to live in the past. It was just a comparison. Which, while exagerated in this case, still mirrors the facts as we have them today.

**Boomers were born as early as 1946. The oldest boomers would have been 11years old in1957. The earliest they could have been either aware or conserned with the country or world as a whole would be 1959. Talking to many many people (young and old), reading diaries, and auto-bio's this is actually unlikely. A more realistic figure would be 1962. Certainly they could not effect the culture until at least 62(realistic 64) and this is a discusion of culture.

Yes, they would have been 11 years old. And they're now all in their fifties and sixties looking back with rose colored glasses at their childhood, while ignoring the rampant racism, sexism and generally lower quality of life..

Exactly. my point. 3nodding

Incidentally, the seventies rocked to grow up in; it was the decade that pong was invented. blaugh (also, seeing the King Tut exhibit was pretty awesome as well, not to mention that you had Cosmos and Star Wars, plus all the Classic Rock we're now sick to death of was still new...).

*thinks back fondly on memories of playing pong in 1975* redface

Karill

Argh, yes is this a repost, and yes, it still pisses me off every time I read it. We JUST elected an African-American president. Let's see that happen in '57.

Or even '87 ... eek  

[Lil Brat]

It's very easy to point out the good or bad things from past generations... What I find in the original post isn't so much nostalgia or viewing the past through "Rose-Colored Glasses" - more it's a means of pointing out how we tend to go to extremes in trying to correct issues.

Yes, child abuse was often ignored and swept under the carpet a few generations ago, but now kids are taught to scream "CHILD ABUSE" whenever a parent attempts to correct them. Parents are terrified and kids end up spoiled rotten. I remember the first time one of my kids came home from Kindergarten and informed me that if I swatted her on her little butt, she'd turn me in... I handed her the phone ~ told her better yet, let me call. She could go to foster care and see if things were better. Where's the middle ground? True child abuse should be turned in, but kids should not be handed a trump card when parents attempt to guide them into making good decisions.

Here's another - statistics show that more and more kids are being given meds to control their behavior, but they are not being shown the skills to assist them in controlling their own behavior. That's a problem, compounded by a child being given the right to decide at the ripe old age of 13 whether parents can be told about their mental health issues ~ but said parent will be blamed for not taking appropriate action if the child then acts out... hands tied much? Why were they given that decision - due to the low percent whose mental health issues could be tied back to bad parenting. Shouldn't that decision be made on a case by case basis?

Our society is overrun by greed - something our new president pointed out in his inauguration speech. Yes, it speaks volumes that he is our first African-American president. But I hope that future generations remember him for far more than that, otherwise we haven't moved very far from the Diversity standpoint ~ as Dr King pointed out so long ago - Diversity is inclusive, respect for all humans regardless of race, religion, etc. To merely look at our new president for the color of his skin implies we've forgotten that we should judge a man by his character and not his color. I don't believe that the majority voted for this man because of his color... I think his character played the big role here. There may be those who did vote because of his race (for or against), but I think his views on the issues are what got him elected by most of the people. I wish him the very best during his term.

When I read these types of posts, rather than finding a reason to be offended and sound off on the poster, I see that we as a society still have a long way to go to find a better way. We've forgotten to look out for one another - so many are still in the space that it's all about "ME!"

One final example: A parent sends a child to school with an asthma inhaler, and the school threatens to kick her out - she needs a doctor's note for said inhaler. Said note from doctor is sent to the school; however, the child still cannot carry the inhaler - she needs to come to the nurses station to use it. Not practical when she's in gym class on the ball field outside and can't get to the nurses office. Do you see the lawsuit coming? Common sense people.

*Picks up soap box and leaves the topic*  

[Amarella Harte]

Lil Brat

It's very easy to point out the good or bad things from past generations... What I find in the original post isn't so much nostalgia or viewing the past through "Rose-Colored Glasses" - more it's a means of pointing out how we tend to go to extremes in trying to correct issues.

Yes, child abuse was often ignored and swept under the carpet a few generations ago, but now kids are taught to scream "CHILD ABUSE" whenever a parent attempts to correct them. Parents are terrified and kids end up spoiled rotten. I remember the first time one of my kids came home from Kindergarten and informed me that if I swatted her on her little butt, she'd turn me in... I handed her the phone ~ told her better yet, let me call. She could go to foster care and see if things were better. Where's the middle ground? True child abuse should be turned in, but kids should not be handed a trump card when parents attempt to guide them into making good decisions.

Here's another - statistics show that more and more kids are being given meds to control their behavior, but they are not being shown the skills to assist them in controlling their own behavior. That's a problem, compounded by a child being given the right to decide at the ripe old age of 13 whether parents can be told about their mental health issues ~ but said parent will be blamed for not taking appropriate action if the child then acts out... hands tied much? Why were they given that decision - due to the low percent whose mental health issues could be tied back to bad parenting. Shouldn't that decision be made on a case by case basis?

Our society is overrun by greed - something our new president pointed out in his inauguration speech. Yes, it speaks volumes that he is our first African-American president. But I hope that future generations remember him for far more than that, otherwise we haven't moved very far from the Diversity standpoint ~ as Dr King pointed out so long ago - Diversity is inclusive, respect for all humans regardless of race, religion, etc. To merely look at our new president for the color of his skin implies we've forgotten that we should judge a man by his character and not his color. I don't believe that the majority voted for this man because of his color... I think his character played the big role here. There may be those who did vote because of his race (for or against), but I think his views on the issues are what got him elected by most of the people. I wish him the very best during his term.

When I read these types of posts, rather than finding a reason to be offended and sound off on the poster, I see that we as a society still have a long way to go to find a better way. We've forgotten to look out for one another - so many are still in the space that it's all about "ME!"

One final example: A parent sends a child to school with an asthma inhaler, and the school threatens to kick her out - she needs a doctor's note for said inhaler. Said note from doctor is sent to the school; however, the child still cannot carry the inhaler - she needs to come to the nurses station to use it. Not practical when she's in gym class on the ball field outside and can't get to the nurses office. Do you see the lawsuit coming? Common sense people.

*Picks up soap box and leaves the topic*

That was beautiful.

sigh. I wish I could state what I mean so nicely.  

[Lil Brat]

Yes, occasionally I get on a good rant... usually when I'm frustrated to see someone has gone off and made others afraid to post... neutral  

[Karill]

Alright, I'm not going to be as lovely and articulate as you, Lil Brat, but here goes nothing.

All I take away from that email is that someone is creating grossly over-exaggerated, theatrical scenarios that portray the 50s as some sort of quasi-Eden where everyone was lovely to each other, everyone was smart and had common sense, then contrast it with today as some sort of overly-paranoid, insane world. It doesn't bother to take into account the faults of back then, or the good of now. It doesn't bother to take into account the changes our society has gone through. It'd rather blame the faceless adults portrayed in the scenario as the reason for today's woes, rather then bother itself with WHY the adults are behaving as such.

No, I know you didn't mean it as such, OP, but that's what it says to me.  

[Lil Brat]

And I can respect that's how it makes you feel ~ thank you for returning to explain the why factor... it opens up the discussion. 3nodding

In looking at history, whether it's 20 years ago or several centuries, it's full of hate, violence and unimaginable cruelty perpetuated by humans on other humans, and animals, and the planet, and... Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it - and that's why it can be hard to study ~ seeing the same patterns over and over again doesn't speak to humankind being intelligent... then again, human-kind is probably the best example of oxymoron - humans aren't always kind.  

[Noir Resurection]

There are a lot of differences from back then to today but its just the way that everything flows now. Yeah back then someone had a shot gun in there truck, but then again back then a lot of people carried shotguns in there trucks, Especially farmers. Now a days you really have to worry about gangs with there high powered guns that they seem to get in there hands. But if you really want to blame someone about that its basically our government. They create all these weapons and once they no longer need then they just put them aside or even sell them on the market itself. The bad thing about it is that for some reason these weapons always fall into the wrong hands.

The thing on how kids are today is all the adults fault to begin with. Man I remember when i was a kid. I did something wrong, and boy did i get a spanking. Something bad enough and it was a belt, and yes I got to live through the paddle in the principle's office. But whats so wrong with getting disciplined. Stupidly now its a kids word against yours. Its stupid how now you really cant lay a finger on your own child because they can go yell child abuse. Its harder to show some discipline to my own child. I was raised the old fashion way and I look back on how much I hated it, but you know what, I should be thanking them because of those spankings I learned right from wrong and and I learned to respect. Something that a lot of kids are lacking today.

As for the fights, yeah they are different and I wish they were still like back then. Your going to fight with someone, people gather to see, and it didn't matter if you got taken down with one hit or you lasted for 5 minuets, but the second you hit the floor it was over. Everyone got a show, and everything goes back to normal as it was before. Now you get into a fight and you are for sure to get someone pull a weapon on you or you get jumped by all of his friends at the same time. Sadly its the way it is today. but oh well, cant expect everything to stay to same forever.