While we didn’t have mass-shooting drills, we had “civil-defense” drills….which were hiding under our desks in case of nuclear attack. And Vietnam (I had cousins and an uncle who were there), and a cancer diagnosis was pretty much a death sentence. There are always things to be afraid of, sadly.
Stalin, no swimming in pools or lakes in late summer due to polio. World hunger in the WWII aftermath. Duck and cover in schools due to nuclear war threat. No active shooter drills.
Pandemics at the start, followed by an increasing number of vaccines. Cold War and MAD. Pollution so bad you couldn’t see 1/2 mile and rivers caught fire…
Yes, we had all those things, the polio pandemic, the possibility of nuclear war, Khrushchev, Mao, and Castro painted as Putinesque threats, and even global climate change, but that last one hid in the wings, counting on not being noticed.
We also encouraged the greed that spawned oligarchs, both here at home and abroad.
I was born just after WWII started. I remember Victory Gardens, and Mum not being able to find food in the grocery store. Dresses made of feed bags or old sheets, and later, duck-and-cover drills. My dad thought d-&-c was the dumbest thing in the world. “If it comes through the roof, it’s going to come through the desk.” FWIW, we had a rooster named Tojo, which I didn’t understand until much later.
Segregated schools, housing, parks; miscegenation laws; employment ads for white men only; adultery, drunkenness, and family violence swept under the rug; etc.
We had bomb drills in school. My mom, my sister, and I all had special admittance cards to the local nuclear-war shelter because my dad worked in nuclear weapons testing. They wanted to make sure those guys got into the shelters so their expertise could be drawn on, so they gave their families these admittance cards. If the families were there, they knew the men would come with them.
Lets put it this way… She deserves a tip for putting up(in a usually pleasant manner) with all sorts of ‘Karens’ and ‘Karls’ for eight or ten hours a day, normally without even a ‘Thank You’. Everybody pisses and moans about the quality of service received but rarely take into consideration the treatment they hand out!
i_am_the_jam over 2 years ago
Thermonuclear war. And Global Cooling™ was all the rage in the news, including Sports Illustrated. :P :P :P
Liverlips McCracken Premium Member over 2 years ago
Sure. There was AIDS, Chairman Mao, and Love Canal.
Say What Now‽ Premium Member over 2 years ago
Crashing head first through a windshield was a real thing.
catmom1360 over 2 years ago
Yeah kid, we had the Polio epidemic, threat of nuclear war, the Russians.
bigger Nate over 2 years ago
I want one
dlkrueger33 over 2 years ago
While we didn’t have mass-shooting drills, we had “civil-defense” drills….which were hiding under our desks in case of nuclear attack. And Vietnam (I had cousins and an uncle who were there), and a cancer diagnosis was pretty much a death sentence. There are always things to be afraid of, sadly.
Olddog1 over 2 years ago
Stalin, no swimming in pools or lakes in late summer due to polio. World hunger in the WWII aftermath. Duck and cover in schools due to nuclear war threat. No active shooter drills.
WaitingMan over 2 years ago
Unsafe toys. Lots of them.
david_42 over 2 years ago
Pandemics at the start, followed by an increasing number of vaccines. Cold War and MAD. Pollution so bad you couldn’t see 1/2 mile and rivers caught fire…
Nuliajuk over 2 years ago
Nuclear weapons and pollution.
ChukLitl Premium Member over 2 years ago
Polio, Khrushchev & nuclear Armageddon. Meh. The Sun’s coming up & I’m still here. It’ll do.
DawnQuinn1 over 2 years ago
childhood scars were badges of honor.
car2ner over 2 years ago
the older we get the more we’ve survived.
poppacapsmokeblower over 2 years ago
Yes, we had all those things, the polio pandemic, the possibility of nuclear war, Khrushchev, Mao, and Castro painted as Putinesque threats, and even global climate change, but that last one hid in the wings, counting on not being noticed.
We also encouraged the greed that spawned oligarchs, both here at home and abroad.
MCProfessor over 2 years ago
With me it was Khrushchev, nuclear war, and Viet Nam.
Dani Rice over 2 years ago
I was born just after WWII started. I remember Victory Gardens, and Mum not being able to find food in the grocery store. Dresses made of feed bags or old sheets, and later, duck-and-cover drills. My dad thought d-&-c was the dumbest thing in the world. “If it comes through the roof, it’s going to come through the desk.” FWIW, we had a rooster named Tojo, which I didn’t understand until much later.
ValancyCarmody Premium Member over 2 years ago
Segregated schools, housing, parks; miscegenation laws; employment ads for white men only; adultery, drunkenness, and family violence swept under the rug; etc.
thejanith Premium Member over 2 years ago
We had bomb drills in school. My mom, my sister, and I all had special admittance cards to the local nuclear-war shelter because my dad worked in nuclear weapons testing. They wanted to make sure those guys got into the shelters so their expertise could be drawn on, so they gave their families these admittance cards. If the families were there, they knew the men would come with them.
suelou over 2 years ago
Lets just say only our own government!
Shikamoo Premium Member over 2 years ago
Cold war, acid rain, Viet Nam.But I feel sorry for today’s kids. This pandemic has changed the world. And Putin isn’t helping.
mikeywilly over 2 years ago
Lets put it this way… She deserves a tip for putting up(in a usually pleasant manner) with all sorts of ‘Karens’ and ‘Karls’ for eight or ten hours a day, normally without even a ‘Thank You’. Everybody pisses and moans about the quality of service received but rarely take into consideration the treatment they hand out!
cherns Premium Member over 2 years ago
https://youtu.be/bp6dsKleGpU (by Sheldon Harnick)
Nicole ♫ ⊱✿ ◕‿◕✿⊰♫ Premium Member over 2 years ago
This is probably the nicest I’ve ever seen her!
love2cook over 2 years ago
Kidnappings