High school kids !!

[gbk]

[QUOTE=Fox;1107013]Racism, sexism, lack of compassion for those with mental illnesses, some of the problems of the past that are being rectified.

I think even you do not mean this seriously.

All these are big stigma words created to shame people-mostly by the SOOO tolerant ones.

[sawbill]

I don't know why you would refute Fox's comments. I went through grade school in the 50's and kids were bullied, teased and ostracised constantly for being fat or skinny, for being homely, having pimples, wearing glasses or having some sickness like epilepsy or even Down's Syndrome. We knew it was wrong to tease but there were never any consequences for it. No one was ever told to stop, either by teachers or parents. We didn't understand how negatively it impacted a person and didn't care anyway. And it was common practice. There was never anything in the newspapers or TV about teasing or bullying unlike today. Now we have social media, it gets talked about in schools and hopefully parents talk to their kids about bullying.
I wish I could go back in time because I now know how to be a better person because the topic is front and center.

[jaycee]

I'm a boomer also. The one thing I believe to be different was that we were taught manners and were expected to display those teachings in our daily lives. As kids, if we acted up especially in public, we'd pay dearly. If I got in trouble and my parents found out about it I was more afraid of them than the consequences of law. We had to be in at certain times and be accountable for what we were up to. When I messed up I was disciplined. Today its tantamount to child abuse. You can argue about exceptions all day long but on the whole I like to believe I lived in a better society.
I see the difference today. At one time you were expected to open a door for a women. Now you can expect to be subjected to ridicule or sexism. And if you sit down at my table wearing your hat backwards, expect to hear about it in no uncertain terms.
I don't mind being old. Besides, we grew up with the best of music.

Great Post , Sawbill , although I am a Pre Boomer by about 4 years, but with you 100 percent! One thing that you didn't mention is "Respect " and the lack of it these days.

[jaycee]

I don't know why you would refute Fox's comments. I went through grade school in the 50's and kids were bullied, teased and ostracised constantly for being fat or skinny, for being homely, having pimples, wearing glasses or having some sickness like epilepsy or even Down's Syndrome. We knew it was wrong to tease but there were never any consequences for it. No one was ever told to stop, either by teachers or parents. We didn't understand how negatively it impacted a person and didn't care anyway. And it was common practice. There was never anything in the newspapers or TV about teasing or bullying unlike today. Now we have social media, it gets talked about in schools and hopefully parents talk to their kids about bullying.
I wish I could go back in time because I now know how to be a better person because the topic is front and center.

That is because even in those days there were both parents and teachers that didn't care, and from then on things just deteriorated in those families all the way along to the present and the future for their following generations , because no one cared way back then to put a stop to it.

[Sharon]

I don't know why you would refute Fox's comments. I went through grade school in the 50's and kids were bullied, teased and ostracised constantly for being fat or skinny, for being homely, having pimples, wearing glasses or having some sickness like epilepsy or even Down's Syndrome. We knew it was wrong to tease but there were never any consequences for it. No one was ever told to stop, either by teachers or parents. We didn't understand how negatively it impacted a person and didn't care anyway. And it was common practice. There was never anything in the newspapers or TV about teasing or bullying unlike today. Now we have social media, it gets talked about in schools and hopefully parents talk to their kids about bullying.
I wish I could go back in time because I now know how to be a better person because the topic is front and center.

Now that is the truth.
I'd have treated people differently back then too.
The worse thing you could have done in the 50's was get pregnant in highschool, this was while 16 year olds were in grade 8 bullying others; women were beat up at home and had no one to turn to; boys in wheelchairs ( had 2 brothers with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy) didn't know what access for the disabled meant; veterans were returning home when no one had ever heard of PTSD
I never call it the good old days.

[rick_iles]

I'm a boomer also. The one thing I believe to be different was that we were taught manners and were expected to display those teachings in our daily lives. As kids, if we acted up especially in public, we'd pay dearly. If I got in trouble and my parents found out about it I was more afraid of them than the consequences of law. We had to be in at certain times and be accountable for what we were up to. When I messed up I was disciplined. Today its tantamount to child abuse. You can argue about exceptions all day long but on the whole I like to believe I lived in a better society.
I see the difference today. At one time you were expected to open a door for a women. Now you can expect to be subjected to ridicule or sexism. And if you sit down at my table wearing your hat backwards, expect to hear about it in no uncertain terms.
I don't mind being old. Besides, we grew up with the best of music.

Hear, hear !!!! Excellent post Sawbill! I too am from that era. You were bang on with the way I was raised.

[MarkB]

That's refreshing to hear ... good on those kids. There's no doubt good kids out there.
I think the experience is really based on where you live. I see lots of good people in smaller towns.
Some of the rich communities around Toronto have groups of really rotten kids ... they are selfish, foul-mouthed, reckless and borderline anarchists (destroy things just to destroy things).

[jaycee]

That's refreshing to hear ... good on those kids. There's no doubt good kids out there.
I think the experience is really based on where you live. I see lots of good people in smaller towns.
Some of the rich communities around Toronto have groups of really rotten kids ... they are selfish, foul-mouthed, reckless and borderline anarchists (destroy things just to destroy things).

Also from well to do educated families, a number of years ago there was a series of mailbox bashings in the area , when they were caught their leader was the son of the Provincial Court Prosecutor in the nearby large City on Lake Ontario. [not Toronto or GTA ]

[fishermccann]

Some good parents have 'bad' kids. Some 'bad' parents have good kids. Not always. Go figure.

[73hunter]

Some good parents have 'bad' kids. Some 'bad' parents have good kids. Not always. Go figure.

And this, ^^^, is the only generalization that anyone can really make