I wonder how the kids are doing

[EvolutionMonkey]

When I was a kid in the late 70's and early 80's I don't remember any stressful world situations like Iraq and 911 and stuff like that. This made me think today that if this type of stuff was happening when I was a kid I wonder how I would of reacted to it. Would I have just gone about all the fun things in life or because it's on tv all the time maybe I would have been really effected by it on a daily basis and consequently grown up to be a more jaded depressed person.

Do you folks think the affects of the last 2 years have a huge negative effect on the kids and teenagers or do you think they aren't really affected by it from a psychological standpoint ?

 

[TylerDurden]

Well check out your parents or grandparents, whoever was the 'kid' generation during WWII.

 

[Dreadsox]

When I was a kid in the late 70's and early 80's I don't remember any stressful world situations like Iraq and 911 and stuff like that.

Stress that I remember:

* Vietnam
* Iranian Hostages
* Oil Crisis
* Hijackings
* Bombing in Lebanon
* Cold War
* Accidental Passenger Planes Shot Down
* Lybia
* Syria
* Berlin Wall


I think there was stress.

 

[verte76]

There's always been stress, but not as much media coverage of stressful events as there is now. I'm told that there was so little news of WWII that people in the States didn't know what was going on in Europe. In the '50's President Eisenhower had a heart attack. They were able to get away with telling the press that the President had the flu. Good grief! There's no way in hell they'd get away with that now. Dread did a good job of posting all of the stressful stuff that went down in the '70's and '80's.

 

[BAW]

I was a kid in the early/mid 70's and a teenager in the early 80's and it was fairly stressful with all the things dread mentioned...but I think verte makes a good point about the media coverage. The horrible things going on the world weren't crammed down our throats 24/7 like they are now...TV, radio and newspapers were the only real sources for news and as a kid, TV was really the only place I heard about all of these things.

I was actually more terrified of UFO's landing on earth than any real events going on the world at that time LOL!

 

[verte76]

Good grief, BAW, I'll be *really* careful about my UFO jokes around here. Disclaimer: all my comments about UFO's are jokes!!

 

[Dreadsox]

CNN, MSNBC, FOX have changed the way news is broadcast. I think that this is a major factor in why things are terrifying now.

 

[BAW]

LOL verte!! I was seriously terrified of UFO's when I was a kid

I couldn't even sleep with my curtains open at night because I was convinced every plane or helicopter that flew by was an alien space ship

 

[verte76]

CNN, MSNBC, FOX have changed the way news is broadcast. I think that this is a major factor in why things are terrifying now.

Absolutely. There was even a difference in the way the first and second Iraqi wars were covered. The second was much more graphic than the first. Now I can barely watch without turning into a bundle of nerves. So I generally don't.

 

[Angela Harlem]

From what Dread has said, is this a good or bad thing?

Awareness is vital I think. From what Evolution Monkey raised in thsi thread, I feel somewhat ignorant of what was happening in the world during especially the 80's. So is this media saturation overall for the good? It can go too far, and in some cases does indeed do that. Though when I look at 9/11 and other major events, I think there is a feeling of you can't really go too far at all. I'm musing here, but I think it raises the question of whether there should be some moderation not from reporting the facts and giving something the attention it deserves, but from what can easily become a media circus.

 

[nbcrusader]

I think the last true life changing stress faced by Americans was by those young men of draft age during the Vietnam War. Since then, we really haven't faced a nation-wide life changing matter (9/11 provided the most significant, lasting images in our recent collective history, but as for changing the way we all live our daily lives, it does not compare to the potential for a year's service in the military).

Today, as a culture, we seek activities that create endorphine rushes in a way we never have before. Extreme sports, bunge jumping, etc. Our life is at such a high comfort level, we fret when our ISP slows down, our car AC isn't cold, or other minor inconveniences. We spend more time thinking about WHAT we will eat instead of IF we will eat.

 

[nbcrusader]

Absolutely. There was even a difference in the way the first and second Iraqi wars were covered. The second was much more graphic than the first. Now I can barely watch without turning into a bundle of nerves. So I generally don't.

I found the First Gulf War far more stressful because my father-in-law was a civilian contractor in Dahrain during the conflict. He was issued a gas mask and created a sealed room inside his apartment.

 

[deep]

In 91 Saddam was full strength.

This time he had almost no weapons and was weaken by years of sanctions.


Back to Emonkeys question. We all have our start point of reference. Mine is in the 60s.

It is impossible to protect us completely. Look at Israel with all their security. They will never have peace until there is a resolution to the mideast situation.

We will never have true homeland security until those that want to inflict terror on us no longer wish to so.
That does not mean we must capitulate to their demands. But, we should be doing more to achieve some understandings where they can be reached.

 

[BVS]

I grew up in fear of nuclear war. I felt bombarded with the idea that someone was going to fire a missile at any time and start the nuclear war that will end all wars. We had drills, like crunching under a desk would protect me from a nuclear explosion. Everytime they would test the outside weather alerts a small part of me would panic.

 

[Laura M]

My Mum and Dad grew up in the seventies during the troubles here

My mums family were burnt out of 3 houses, had death threats and when my mum was about 12 and 13 men and women in her street used to throw things at her because she was a different religion

I feel safer living here now than I would have back then - every era goes through stressful times - the only thing that firghtens me is that they have all these advances in nuclear and chemical weapons nowadays

 

[zonelistener]

Great point Lara!

And every culture will have different threat levels at different times!

Imagine the different generational struggles in Sarajevo. World War II, then positive times when the Olympics came through, back to struggles witht eh Civil War.

I remember fearing "The Russians" as well as the hostage crisis in 1980.

But I never feared UFOs.

 

[verte76]

I had nuclear war fears too. Wars scare the out of me. I didn't know anyone in Operation Desert Storm. There's always been stress out there.

 

[EvolutionMonkey]

Re: Re: I wonder how the kids are doing

Stress that I remember:

* Vietnam
* Iranian Hostages
* Oil Crisis
* Hijackings
* Bombing in Lebanon
* Cold War
* Accidental Passenger Planes Shot Down
* Lybia
* Syria
* Berlin Wall


I think there was stress.

I was born in '71 so I was only about 9 years old by the end of the '70's but not one of those things you listed went thru my head during the '70's or even the first half of the '80's. I had no stress from world events and I can't be the only one. Whereas today even a child of 8 years old knows about 9-11 and all sorts of terror related things. If that was my life at 8 years old I think i'd be a very different person today in other words more negative in my thinking.

 

[EvolutionMonkey]

I think the last true life changing stress faced by Americans was by those young men of draft age during the Vietnam War. Since then, we really haven't faced a nation-wide life changing matter (9/11 provided the most significant, lasting images in our recent collective history, but as for changing the way we all live our daily lives, it does not compare to the potential for a year's service in the military).

Today, as a culture, we seek activities that create endorphine rushes in a way we never have before. Extreme sports, bunge jumping, etc. Our life is at such a high comfort level, we fret when our ISP slows down, our car AC isn't cold, or other minor inconveniences. We spend more time thinking about WHAT we will eat instead of IF we will eat.

Yeah the Vietnam war was the last big thing that was faced by Americans as a whole. I think of the tv show The Wonder Years and it makes me think that kids went thru stressful times back then as much as today. By the way that Winnie chick was pretty hot

 

[BVS]

Re: Re: Re: I wonder how the kids are doing

I was born in '71 so I was only about 9 years old by the end of the '70's but not one of those things you listed went thru my head during the '70's or even the first half of the '80's. I had no stress from world events and I can't be the only one. Whereas today even a child of 8 years old knows about 9-11 and all sorts of terror related things. If that was my life at 8 years old I think i'd be a very different person today in other words more negative in my thinking.

Maybe your paticular environment sheltered you a little better from what was going on.

 

[nbcrusader]

Compared to many other countries, Americans live in a sheltered environment.

 

[deep]

Yeah the Vietnam war was the last big thing that was faced by Americans as a whole. I think of the tv show The Wonder Years and it makes me think that kids went thru stressful times back then as much as today. By the way that Winnie chick was pretty hot

I was a kid in the 60s and the tv program "American Dream" is good at getting things right. Especially on race relations. Many if not most tacitly condoned segregation because it did not disenfranchise them.

Now everybody is behind MLK jr. and civil rights when many opposed it at the time.

We had the same thing with WWII. Americans did not care about what Hitler was doing in Europe.

I thought Winnie was cute too, she is in her 20s now i guess.

 

[deep]

Compared to many other countries, Americans live in a sheltered environment.

This is very true.

That why many are not ?with us? when we are indifferent and may even unintentionally contribute to others suffering.

 

[melon]

If you're looking for some idyllic "good old days," you won't find them.

Melon

 

[verte76]

If you're looking for some idyllic "good old days," you won't find them.

Melon

Absolutely not. Earlier on the Dixiecrats had their convention right here in Birmingham in 1948. The Old Guard and their buddies in the Ku Klux Klan kept the status quo here with bombs, killings and other outrages. Tensions blew up and blew rigid apartheid-style segregation out the door of respectability but not out of existence. The fight goes on.

 

[Dreadsox]

Re: Re: Re: I wonder how the kids are doing

I was born in '71 so I was only about 9 years old by the end of the '70's but not one of those things you listed went thru my head during the '70's or even the first half of the '80's. I had no stress from world events and I can't be the only one. Whereas today even a child of 8 years old knows about 9-11 and all sorts of terror related things. If that was my life at 8 years old I think i'd be a very different person today in other words more negative in my thinking.

I teach 8 year olds....and they are more worried about playstations....and are not stressed in my room at least.

 

[sue4u2]

Stresses, phew there's been a few:
1. the kkk
2. Nuclear blast fears, hiding under desk.
3. Assasinations
Kennedy
Kennedy
MLK jr.
4. the KKk - watching bullies/jerks pick on the only 4 black people
in my school.
5. Vietnam
6. Cousin coming home from Vietnam, or the person who looked
like him?
7. The 70's were ok. some exceptions of course but even though I was an adult by then with 2 young children, my 4 year old at the time still remembers:
8. the 80's - The kkk, because a beautiful young man Michael Donald was hung from a tree around the corner from where we lived. Although it took years, the mother finally won a lawsuit aganist the kkk in Al. Some of the men involved have been executed and/or remain in prison without parole. My son still talks about those days.
However, there was always music. All kinds, a saving Grace, throughout it all.

 

[Laura M]

Stresses, phew there's been a few:
1. the kkk
2. Nuclear blast fears, hiding under desk.
3. Assasinations
Kennedy
Kennedy
MLK jr.
4. the KKk - watching bullies/jerks pick on the only 4 black people
in my school.
5. Vietnam
6. Cousin coming home from Vietnam, or the person who looked
like him?
7. The 70's were ok. some exceptions of course but even though I was an adult by then with 2 young children, my 4 year old at the time still remembers:
8. the 80's - The kkk, because a beautiful young man Michael Donald was hung from a tree around the corner from where we lived. Although it took years, the mother finally won a lawsuit aganist the kkk in Al. Some of the men involved have been executed and/or remain in prison without parole. My son still talks about those days.
However, there was always music. All kinds, a saving Grace, throughout it all.

Can I ask a question about the Ku Klux Klan?? Do they openly reveal who they are or are they more of a private society where ppl know very little about who is involved in it??


Last night I was remmebering some "stresses" from when I was younger and I was surprised at how much i remembered

- The Omagh bombinh (because we nearly went to omagh that day)

- Not being able to go into town around Christmas (or every weekend) because of bombscares

- I dont know how well known this story is in other coutnries but in 1988 3 IRA members are shot dead in Gibraltar and at their funeral a loyalist man Michael Stone killed threeppl in a Belfast cemetary. But at the funerals of the ppl he killed 2 british soldiers were driving near the funeral cortage and mourners at the funeral took them from their car and beat them to death. I was very young at the time but I remmeber we had left our aunts house and we witnessed some of this - a lady took us into her house and we stayed there for a few hours but because of the stress of what had happened my mum went into labour with my sister that day.

- I remember when the IRA when into a bar and said "Trick or Treat" and shot dead 8 or 9 people

- I rmeember eveyr year during the 12th of July (not just that day, days before it) riots near my house where buses were burned and cars were hi-jacked, it means we dont go out at this time of year and everyone stays at home. Eevry time there is an Orange parade it sparks some sort of problem with either Catholics who dont want to see the parade where they live or protestants who arent allowed to march where they want to.

I do remmeber more than that but its basically bombs/ terrorist groups killing people - I still wouldnt have said i was particularly stressed though I was too young to really know what kind of menaces there are in the world and I still believe that it would have been worse to live in different eras such as during WW1 & 2, even in Ireland living through the irish civil war, the uprising. 1916 rebellion, Ireland was a fierce place to live back in the times when ppl were first resisiting english rule. Even in places like Spain I have heard horrible stories about ppl who lived under the rule of Franco where he employed ppl to go to universites and ask them about their views on Franco and if they said anything against him the ppl were attacked. But if there wsa a war now I doubt it would be long and drawn out like WW1 & 2 well imo anyway.


I will have typed a novel if I dont stop now

 

[verte76]

Can I ask a question about the Ku Klux Klan?? Do they openly reveal who they are or are they more of a private society where ppl know very little about who is involved in it??

The Klan has always been pretty open about who they are, despite being "secretive" in theory. In practice I've seen Klan members walking around in KKK jackets, T-shirts, etc, etc. When I was growing up in a small town near Birmingham everyone knew that the Klan was having meetings in the area and Klansmen were all over. Members wouldn't always admit they were in the Klan, but I think it probably depended on who they were talking to. If they were talking to people they thought would be sympathetic they were probably pretty open about it. But no one ever told my family members they were in the Klan because we were very anti-Klan and said so. They probably thought we'd call up the FBI or something, something that made them nervous because at times they were breaking the tax laws and stuff and this could get them in trouble.

 

[sue4u2]

The kkk was, for the most part secretive and what I would call a terrorist/hate group that was allowed to flourish because most of the members recruited were uneducated. Of the members who were educated and there were/are many, they went into the law enforcement and politics to try to keep the African Americans from gaining any civil rights or even become educated. It's been a long sordid history and I for one am glad this organization at least has been pushed further underground. Not too many would dare admit to being a member or having been a member, now. But, unfortunately there are those and others like them out there. However on a positive note, Things are considerably better these days.
They would be shunned.