Memories And Musings

I feel old. I can remember black and white television, and only getting three channels. I remember phones with a rotary dial, and vinyl records. I remember when putting a man on the moon was a big deal, and you had to go to a theater to watch a movie. I remember how hopeful people were about the future, and I remember the attitude that we could do anything we set our minds to.

I remember GI Joe being as big as Barbie, and Tonka trucks made of metal so tough you could ride on them. I remember school teachers who paddled kids who were bad, and no one batting an eye. I remember the kids in my home town, who were planning to work in the same factory their Father worked in, because back then we still made things in this country. I remember when having your mother work was unusual, and having two cars in a family was almost unheard of.

I remember when a skateboard was quite literally that - a board that you nailed the wheels of a skate onto. I remember cars that didn't have seat belts, and kids clambering all over the back seat. I remember riding a bicycle without a helmet, and neighbors who knew your name. I remember it being scandalous if a girl got pregnant in high school, and I remember kids who couldn't read didn't graduate.

I also remember other things, like college kids being gunned down by the National Guard because some of them were protesting against the war in Vietnam, and that two years earlier three young black men protesting segregation were killed by police at SCSU and the media practically ignored it. I remember how outraged Americans were by the deaths of over 58,000 young men in Vietnam, and yet those who returned were literally spat upon by civilians.

Overall, as a nation, we seem to have less swagger than we did then. People no longer believe in our country's future, and we have more of our populace in prison than any other developed country. We have the highest rate of teen pregnancies and divorces in the world, and no one seems alarmed that the Bill Of Rights is being destroyed by those in power, in order to "keep us safe".

Technology is more prevalent than it was before, but we seem to have forgotten that quality of life matters as well. I miss seeing kids playing outside. Kids spend an average of 28 hours a week watching television, and many additional hours using a computer or their cell phones. We talk about saving the planet, but how can we expect a generation that hasn't experienced the outdoors to care about the environment?

The good old days weren't all that good, but we managed to survive them. Perhaps there is hope that we as a nation will make it through the crisis looming on the horizon, as the American empire collapses. Perhaps.