Other than vilifying an invisible enemy and an occasional scrape or splinter, there was no harm done in hiding under our desks. We even changed the Pledge of Allegiance to reinforce “us-versus-them” attitudes, even though Francis Bellamy, creator of the original Pledge, was probably spinning in his grave. But there were no mass school shootings back in the 1950s, when all this was going on.

Today—exaggerating, I realize—it’s practically become ‘mass shooting du jour’—not only in schools. Perhaps we need to look at what has changed in our world, both in attitudes and availability of weaponry that make hiding under our desks in the 1950s, well, child’s play. I agree with the poster who pointed out the potential benefit, though possibly remote, of a child being safer during a school mass shooting less visible under a desk rather than sitting at it or standing in the classroom or trying to run.

As an aside, the history of Francis Bellamy and his Pledge of Allegiance is interesting. Here’s a link from the Smithsonian about it:

Attention Required! | Cloudflare

I graduated in the early 60's so don't recall the hiding under desks. When I first heard it I wondered at the wisdom of that....thinking about "IF" an automic bomb went off near-by wouldn't folks be incinerated??? What kind of protection would be offered?? When we lived in the upper midwest I worked for a time in the public schools. One afternoon we were told to go to a center hallway of the building as a tornado was headed our way. Herding a bunch of elementary kids and getting them situated is a bit like herding cats. Anyway, we did our job only to have the principal announce---"the danger is past, go back to your classrooms!" We'd have been injured or killed by the time a twister might have gone over-head but guess it's better to prepare or be sued by angry parents.

The reality is, masks do work. Read this from the mayo clinic. Sadly, we have taken a giant step backwards regarding gun control.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...k/art-20485449

& smoking lounges in hospitals :shocked: LOL

Oh stop complaining. As I recall under the desks was a great place to meet girls ! !

Well I started grade school in 1948. WWII had just ended with a bang...make that two big bangs. The Iron Curtain went up and the Cold War was on. I remember we had bomb drills at school and we got under our desks; we had fire drills where we marched out of the building in orderly fashion. . Edward Teller and others were developing the H bomb; there was a nuclear weapons race with the USSR.

No mass school shootings back then that I can recall.

[QUOTE=fdpaq0580;2137142]If you respond (you did), then, at the very least, you nibbled. 😀[/QUOTE. Now that’s funny!!

Good info. Scientists made recommendations based on best data at the time and regularly reviewed and updated as we learned more about the virus. And subsequent variations of the virus may have different characteristics and require different behavior. Now I believe they are saying that a good fitting N95 mask, used properly, is very effective, cloth masks not so much.

Yes, we were told to hide under the desk with our hands over our heads. If they did that today, the kids would need therapy.

:agree::pray:

The fact is we learn as we go, and when we look back, we realize our mistakes.
I still hide under my desk when I hear thunder.

And I hide under the bed when my wife discovers I ate the cookies she baked for company. 😦

Guns were far, far more available prior to the gun control act of 1968. There were sales ads for guns of all descriptions in many magazines. You filled out the order slip, enclosed a money order or check and mailed it out. A few days later your friendly postal worker would deliver it right to your doorstep. No background check, no identification required. What has changed? If you don't know the answer, I'm not going to waste my time and effort to explain it.

I remember in 1964 buying by mail order an old beat up Mannlicher-Carcano rifle, the type used to assassinate JFK. It cost me either $17 or $23. I can't remember which. I stored it and never used it.