[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by redwitch

Rubicon, I agree with some of what you said in Post 19, but not quite all. No question our kids and grandkids lose their innocence much too early. I do blame the media for that -- books, television, movies have all gotten much more graphic, both for violence and sex. I have met more than one girl under 16 who has told me she is a virgin, but the only thing she hasn't experienced is intercourse. That's just sad.

My daughter was raised to say please and thank you, yes ma'am/sir not so much (I hate being called ma'am -- it makes me feel ancient and I work for a living tyvm). My grandson is yes sir/ma'am on a regular basis. He is not a bully nor subjected to bullying as much as I or my daughter was. The kids today are more willing to include the children that are different. Skin color really doesn't matter to them. Ability counts more than socio/economic background to these kids.

As to women working in your town -- what were their positions? Teachers? Nurses? Babysitters? Shop clerks? Secretaries? Any that owned a business not female related? A surgeon? Police officer (not meter maid)? Mayor? Working for pin money doesn't count.

How did you miss out having to see Reefer Madness in school? Funniest dang movie I was ever forced to watch. Marijuana was around in the fifties. So was heroin, cocaine, anti-depressants, speed. Most of us kids were too young and innocent to see it, but it was there. The punks existed in our schools. They were just as violent towards teachers as today's punks. Only difference is they didn't carry guns. And, back then, they were kicked out of school -- while education was free, it was more of a privilege than a right back then.

Personally, I'm grateful whistling has gone to the wayside. To me, it is noise pollution.

The main difference back then is that everyone was truly more innocent. Kids were still molested, killed, kidnapped. Women were raped and beaten. Beat cops were known for swinging their batons both on the street and in the station. It all happened, we just didn't know about it. There was no way to know. Newspapers carried little international, national news -- just the most important events. The paper was much like the Daily Sun -- feel good rags. Television was just beginning to make a dent. So, radio was the big news carrier and it rarely cared about social issues -- that took Vietnam, civil rights and women's lib to bring those items into the forefront. Today, thanks to Amber Alerts, we know a child is missing minutes after it occurs. Thanks to the internet, we know when a victim is beaten or murdered by a cop. We know who has slept with whom, when, how many and sometimes even what positions they used. Everything is out there. But the events happened in the fifties just as they do today. Father Knows Best, I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver were lovely fantasies but had little to do with reality unless you were a child.

Congratulations Redwitch, you have an excellent way with words and I agree with everything you wrote. I even agree with your comment on whistling .... I have a fairly close neighbor who whistles continuously, not a tune, but a monotonous one note whistle .... I believe it is a nervous habit.