I think I'll query my friends and acquaintances of about the same age and see if I'm way off base or not.
I'm going to resurrect this thread to report that I did, indeed, ask my friends of a certain age whether or not my remembrances were way off the mark. They weren't. In fact, they seem to be spot on.
Here's the responses I got:
"i remeber my school days as you desribe but i believe that the main ingredient that is missing from todays family are the values taught through the teachings we were rasised with ...GOD is missing in the hectic lives that have evolved --prices are so high that both parents try to work so they can give thier younguns a better life than what they had---opinion-- we did't have all the STUFF that has been invented so we didn't miss it..if you got a whopping in school u could bet on getting another at HOME ..i don't think it hurt our generation nor the ones that percieved ours....actually i believe it made us stronger." (Male-60's)
"The conditions you mentioned were ALL there when I went to school - Don't remember much about grade school happenings but definitely in junior high and high school." (Male-60's)
"First and final point-MEMORY IS PLASTIC-no one remembers the same thing the same way even twice-research (Scientific American Mag) has shown that every time we "remember" we edit that memory depending on our mood-that said, I was in govt schools all but the 1st and 2nd grades and I do remember guys had knives n there were fights but we were being taught by mostly prior military service people who expected discipline to b rigid and punishments to b levied on the military parent as well as the child. I was an Air Force brat and was taught that my behavior (as well as my mother's) would determine my father's advancement thru the ranks. We were pretty controlled in school as most of the kids were very aware of what their behavior could to to their parent." (Female-60's)
"I don't recall any guns being used or brandished at school. However, it
wasn't uncommon to see a rifle or a shotgun in a rifle rack in a pickup
truck. Having been in a few fights, most all of them, except one involved NO
weapons. The one that did involve a weapon had it taken away from him and
then was urged on to continue to fight me. I have never witnessed a teacher/
student fight because the teachers I had wouldn't take any shit. I've also
never seen a fight "encouraged" by ANY of my teachers. Generally, those
caught fighting got sent to the Principal's Office.
I do recall boys generally carrying knives. They were rarely, if ever used
in a fight. There were those few who carried an illegal switchblade.
I was never robbed. However, there were those inclined to bully. Fights &
threats, sure. The threats were more like, "I'm gonna kick your ass". I
don't know why kids are taking guns to school and killing other kids. I
could maybe grasp some of the teachers being threatened or killed. That's
pretty iffy, at best.
I DO recall my step-dad watching me get into a fight and he didn't step in.
He just let us duke it out. That kid & I went at each other for a few years.
As far as pregnant girls, I don't remember too many, if any at all. Most of
them dropped out of school for a while and then returned after having their
baby. I don't remember sex in the bathrooms, but there were plenty of cars
rocking & rolling.
" (Male-50's)
"You hit the nail on the head on this one, yes we did have a lot of violence in all schools way back when. whenever someone got into a fight with another, we settled our differences and went on. No one pulled a gun or a knife on anyone way back when. We always had diciplene back then to, I think the worst part was being sent to the superindents office for some sort of disiplene,(heck can't spell it right,) I can'[t recall any fights between students and teachers. I do know a couple of male teachers had sex with some of the senior girls after school, and some of the guys would sneak off with thier girl friends during class and find a secluded spot. One time a teacher was banging this gal, and her boyfriend and another gal sneaked off and found them in a closet under the stairs. Talk about instant oops." (Male-60's)
"MY school's also had the ingrediants of a self-righteous,dissorderly manner. Things haven't changed all that much! I cut a boy's shirt with my pocket knife------------my younger sister was caught with several bottles of vodka in her locker." (Male-60's)
"Fights were pretty common, most male students had rifles and/or shotguns in racks on the rear window of their pickups.
Sex was where ever you could talk her into. Many students in Grade School brought some type of gun for show-and--tell.
When I was in high school, you had a designated smoking area for students, and before, after, between classes, and during lunch, drugs were available for purchase, from pot, ludes, white-crosses, coke, valium, por acid.
Many students brought alcohol to school or school functions. In Ninth Grade we had several students OD, and start dropping like flies at lunch, to be taken by ambulance to the hospital to have their stomached pumped.
We had a few students commit suicide by ODing or shooting themselves. Several died in auto accidents. We had married students, unwed mothers, and lots of pregnancy.
I am married to the Love of my Life, she is 4 years younger than me. We married 4 days after her 16th birthday in August of 1984, and my son was born in December of the same year. I'm not proud of the mistakes we made, but I would not undo them if I could.
I believe we were raised in a more violent time than the latest generation, you just didn't hear about all the other violence in the US, or the World. Tough love was expected, and even encouraged. If you we're caught doing something you shouldn't have been doing, the person that caught you would whip you, then you got it again when you got home, and everyone did and expected the same for their kids." (Male-50's)
