Can we go back in time?

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If you manage to travel back in time, or open your own sort of Amish group based in the 1950s (I wonder if you can just buy a subdivision of 1950s “rambler” ranch homes to do that), plan on giving up:
  • the Internet. AARPANET wasn’t online until 1969.
  • Your computer, your software.
  • Space travel of any realistic value.
  • Cures for cancer as well as ulcers. The latter only developed the cure of anitbiotics, which is what causes ulcers, *Helicobacter pylori, *was only discovered about mid-1970s, and treatment mid-1980s.
  • Welcome back giant transistors, and TVs that run on CRTs with huge tubes. Maybe Rexall still has a tube tester!
  • DVD as well as VHS VCR that’s digital and runs on microships.
  • Anything that runs on chips and printed cicuitry.
Obviously, you did not go to youtube and see my young friends at work in front of the abortuary, hundreds of them from all over my local town, protesting. You did not see the young man in the shirt that said, “You will not mock my God. You will stop killing my generation” or the young women with the shirts that said, “Abortion is mean” “Abortion is homicide”. And my favorite, the sign that reminded baby boomers that if babies could be killed, it was a simple step to enthanasia when those boomers got old and gray and needed care.

I think these young people know plenty about Catholic community. Living in the 1950s has nothing to teach them.

I will stay here in the 21st century and work on improving what’s been “broke” with those kids, if they’ll let an old geezer lady help them out.
 
I’ve read this thread with much interest. Perhaps there is a balance. There are some great thoughts, both with regards to good past things and good present things. So, picking and choosing what allows your family to remain tightly-knit and together, whether it be doing without TV or computer or whether doing a family activity would be the best thing. Our family has chosen some things from the past - we’ve recently moved to a farm and are trying to grow our own food, but we also use the internet and have cable for EWTN. One thing that does frighten me is thinking that these might be considered the “good old days” sometime in the future. THAT gives me the willies!:eek:
 
Who says the life the OP described is ‘back in time?’ It pretty much describes our family with few modifications.
  1. We have a second car.
  2. My wife is a licensed occupational therapist and works 2 saturdays a month for a few bucks and to keep current in her field.
  3. Our oldest is only 6, so she doesn’t exactly roam the neighborhood yet.
I don’t feel that we are ‘throwbacks’ nor do we have any trouble relating to neighbors and friends. The subdivision is rather empty during the days, which IS sad for my wife. Thus, the car becomes a NEED rather than a luxury in order for her to have social contact.

My feeling is that feminism is typical of leftist issues: they correctly identified the problem and then proposed a solution that made the problem WORSE. They correctly noted that women of the day were not respected as human beings and that the work they did was denigrated as unimportant. Feminism responded by AFFIRMING the piggish male assertion that caring for children, volunteering in the community/school, and organizing the home was work not worthy of respect a-la work in the marketplace. THAT is where they went wrong. The reality of family life is that this role is MORE important to the raising of healthy kids in a healthy community than punching the clock at the office/factory and bringing home more money.

Does this demean moms that go to work? Not necessarily. There are many ways to be flexible. IMO, it IS best for kids to get out of school and come home to a parent (or grandparent). That may step on toes, but tough. No day care can give kids the love they need in the right NOW quantities in which they need it. We found a way to make it work. We have friends where he is a doctor and she manages to be a successful realtor in his off time without leaving the kids in the lurch. Things like this can be done!

IMO, it is a disservice to describe full-time parenting as being ‘back in time’ like it is some kind of anachronism. Instead of pretending that men and women are the same with merely different plumbing parts, I think we do better to encourage our kids to think about careers that fit their interests, skills, sexuality AND provide the ability to have a healthy family.
 
And I don’t have a problem with anything you’ve said, manualman.

I think, too, what needs to happen is to stop looking at the externals (dresses and skirts only on women, men in fedoras with suits and ties, crewcuts and ponytails, “the” way to do things is the only way, “We must keep up appearances- what will the neighbors say?”, etc.), and look at the internals (respect both ways, family time versus 24/7 TV for children, getting out and knowing the neighbors, teaching kids about the facts of life AT HOME, etc.). In fact, I have 3 new neighbors this week, and I will be bringing them cookies or brownies this weekend. I cannot go beyond convention in this regard, and bringing them a veggie tray to welcome them to the neighborhood just doesn’t seem right.😃

Fiona (wonderful name!), I applaud your efforts to have balance. I am lousy at horticulture, and the best plants I grow are generally fabric and plastic. I need to have my skills, so I use them and trade them for things like food and clothes.😉
 
I would love to go back too- the irony of this is that I grew up in the 80’s, but I’d love to go back to the 40’s and 50’s. I LOVE books about those eras, and I love the lifetsyles of back then. I would LOVE to stay at home and cook and clean and raise kids. My generation looks at that like it’s a crime. EVERYONE my age that I know works outside the home. I know my kids are paying for this. I long and pray for times like the ones you described. Unfortunately, I think that our world has changed too much. Back then, people had respect for authority. No more. People believed in human life and respected the unborn-abortion and assisted suicide were not an option. America had SO MUCH pride for our soldiers and there was never another time that there was so much support for our soldiers as during WWII. We had very deeply supported morals and every American had faith in God. We prayed in public schools. Teens and young adults and virtue and took pride in being discreet with their bodies. I never lived during those times, but I sure wish I had. I tell my husband all the time that there MUST be somewhere in the world that’s still like that. And when I find it, we’re moving there! twk
 
There are still places like that. There are neighborhoods where people sit on their porches, communicate with their neighbors, say hello to strangers and kids play together. The air is not polluted with cussing and swearing and loud (especially no rap/hip-hop) music.

The country of faith was slowly dismantled by the following:

Hippies, Yippies, Anarchists. Free love (sex with anyone), illegal drugs are cool. And don’t trust anyone over 30 (mom, dad, your priest, etc.).

The National Organization of Women. Men are the devil.

The ACLU. Although it has done some good, it is most responsible for removing religious symbols, monuments, activities and related from public places. All this “to protect” religion ???

The Media. TV began as a welcomed guest in our home, now it is the visual celebration of all things sinful and dysfunctional in life, along with the movies.

You can choose. That’s right. Regardless of all the noise out there to the contrary, you can live without a lot of media, without porn, and without special interest groups that demand you see their point of view even if they are antagonistic and divisive, like the National Organization of Women.

Read your Catechism. Read Christian books, magazines and newspapers. I read the Michigan Catholic. Get to see the world from a Catholic perspective. It’s really helpful and necessary.

God bless,
Ed
 
Don’t over-romanticize the past. Ever hear of the roaring 20’s? Dunno about you all, but both my grandfathers and both GREAT grandfathers were heavy drinkers - probably alcoholics. Back then if a beaten wife called the cops they’d ignore it as none of their business.

Each era has its problems. The fact that the lifestyle you desire is not common today is no excuse not to go ahead and live it anyways. Reclaim the good and leave the bad in the dustbin. Why wait for the rest of the culture to catch up with you? Why order your finances like they do?
 
manualman said:
Don’t over-romanticize the past. Ever hear of the roaring 20’s? Dunno about you all, but both my grandfathers and both GREAT grandfathers were heavy drinkers - probably alcoholics. Back then if a beaten wife called the cops they’d ignore it as none of their business.

Each era has its problems. The fact that the lifestyle you desire is not common today is no excuse not to go ahead and live it anyways. Reclaim the good and leave the bad in the dustbin. Why wait for the rest of the culture to catch up with you? Why order your finances like they do?
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Interesting point here. I have always loved the 50s. I am an 80s/90s child, but somehow I have always loved the 50s. There were alot of great things about it. The music, values, etc… however, one time I brought up how I wished I would have lived in the 50s and some friend made a comment saying “Oh really?, the time of the cold war, people traumatized by the Great Depression, the Korean War, polio, and so on…” I realized that its true that every era has its great times and its bad…🙂 We must keep our memories alive by remembering the great times! 😃
 
twk001 said:
I would love to go back too- the irony of this is that I grew up in the 80’s, but I’d love to go back to the 40’s and 50’s. I LOVE books about those eras, and I love the lifetsyles of back then. I would LOVE to stay at home and cook and clean and raise kids. My generation looks at that like it’s a crime. EVERYONE my age that I know works outside the home. I know my kids are paying for this. I long and pray for times like the ones you described. Unfortunately, I think that our world has changed too much. Back then, people had respect for authority. No more. People believed in human life and respected the unborn-abortion and assisted suicide were not an option. America had SO MUCH pride for our soldiers and there was never another time that there was so much support for our soldiers as during WWII. We had very deeply supported morals and every American had faith in God. We prayed in public schools. Teens and young adults and virtue and took pride in being discreet with their bodies. I never lived during those times, but I sure wish I had. I tell my husband all the time that there MUST be somewhere in the world that’s still like that. And when I find it, we’re moving there! twk
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I loved the way things looked back then, too—I collect old magazines, cookbooks, pamphlets, etc.

I lived through it. Yes, there is a great difference in the ‘tone’ of society between then and now, and it’s not to our betterment.

I think ‘that special place’ is now a state of mind. We can only lead by example. This is why I recently set aside space in my closet for ‘Sunday Best’ clothing to attend Mass (even though I never ever showed up in a dirty tank top and ratty flip-flops). I can clean up my language and behavior.
 
There are still places where people of faith still live. I can tell my friends that this or that part of town is like the neighborhood I grew up in.

The corruption of this type of faithful living smothered it to some degree. But, in a few places, it lives on, largely unchanged.

I think it is very important to realize what those specific corrupting influences are so Catholics can better identify and deal with current threats that are either a continuation of those created in the late 1960s and 1970s to newer threats like a more militant atheism.

True students of the 1950s should look at the roots and backgrounds of the people they admire. Elvis wanted to be a Gospel singer. Do you know his Christmas albums are considered some of his best work? Look at how many singers came out of the Church. The closer we were to God, the more we lived the Commandments, the more our culture flourished with things that were good.

Growing up at that time, I don’t want to give anyone the impression that things were perfect. Crime was still there plus all the perversion that has been put into the spotlight lately, but there was a clear sense of right and wrong and that’s what we lived by.

God bless,
Ed
 
Sailor_Kenshin said:
I loved the way things looked back then, too—I collect old magazines, cookbooks, pamphlets, etc.

I lived through it. Yes, there is a great difference in the ‘tone’ of society between then and now, and it’s not to our betterment.

.
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I’m not surprised you’d say that. It rings true.

When we comment on the good things about the 50s, the ones who start spouting off about how horrible they were, are generally people who never lived through them.

When folks who were there talk about them, we get a more valid picture, I think.
 
john_ennis said:
When we comment on the good things about the 50s, the ones who start spouting off about how horrible they were, are generally people who never lived through them.
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You know, there’s something to that. I’ve begun to think that those who think that the past was so good aren’t really living in the present, just projecting it.
 
I grew up in the 80s. I lived on a farm and learned the value of hard work. My family ate supper together every evening. We played outside when we had time, and worked outside learning responsibility by caring for animals. We had a strict “room time” but whether we went to bed or stayed up reading was up to us. We had no TV. We understood that looking after the animals came first, then supper, then homework, but we were all expected to do well in school. We had extra-curricular activities, but not very often. When we were really lucky, we were allowed to have our friends over for a bonfire.
On the other hand, my mother is a bit of a feminist. The boys had to learn to cook, and the girls had to do the heavy lifting, too. We all learned to take care of ourselves. My parents gave us our clothing budgets and sent us to the mall to shop for ourselves, so we could learn about money. Homework was done at the kitchen table, with the kids eagerly looking at each other’s work and comparing grade 5 math with grade 9 math.

I know that when I have children of my own, I’m going to raise them in the country or in a small town. My children will not be afraid to play outside. My children are going to do chores and learn the value of hard work. Allowance will not be a right, it will be something to be earned. I loved my childhood, but I love my present too, and I’m looking forward to my future. Although I’d be interested to live in the past, I’m enjoying my life and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m so thankful that my parents did such a wonderful job raising their children. I’ve looked at some people my age, who are getting into trouble and dealing with problems, and I’m grateful to my parents for deciding to move out of the city and into the country in order to instill old-fashioned values in us. Sure, they’ve made their share of mistakes, but being raised in the country was the best thing to ever happen to me.
 
My parents have worked so hard to raise us right in these times. They grew up in the 80’s but tend to be stricter and more conservative than my friends’ parents . They brought us up to love learning, to stand up for ourselves and what we believe, and to work towards our dreams. In my house, MTV is banned, so is a lot of that annoying hiphop/rap music (my parents prefer classic rock which is OK because so do I). The worst thing on our TV will be soaps that my mom and sister watch. And woe betide us if we slacked off in school.

My parents had difficult upbringings and they’ve been trying to correct that. They’ve raised me to where I’ve chosen my own faith (Catholicism), chosen my own way of life and chosen to move five hours away for school in order to experience our nation’s capital. Yes, some things I’ve had to learn on my own (money, how to study for classes, etc.), but I’m glad my parents have set up a firm foundation for me. It’s been tempting to drink with some friends but I remember that my parents would be so disappointed if I did that and also that I don’t party Saturday night because I have to face my priest Sunday morning (or night, depending on when I get back for Mass).

I did spend half my life in a small town but my childhood years were spent in the cities. I like having that balance because from an early age, I was exposed to different cultures, etc. but the small town atmosphere was also relatively safe and quiet. Though I have to say, right now, I prefer the city.
 
what do we have that our kids don’t?

excellent theme songs.

from Mr. Ed to Gilligans Island. we have the theme songs.

our kids, i pity them… forgettable filler noise is all they have. do you think 30 years from now they’ll be singing the theme from ER or Greys Anatomy. i think not.

plus music… they don’t have anything good today. they have forgettable noise. i really do feel bad for them. they see more concerts, but not by Dean Martin or Led Zeppelin… they have Gwen Stefani and Brittany and 50¢. i pity these kids.
 
thechrismyster said:
what do we have that our kids don’t?

excellent theme songs.

from Mr. Ed to Gilligans Island. we have the theme songs.

our kids, i pity them… forgettable filler noise is all they have. do you think 30 years from now they’ll be singing the theme from ER or Greys Anatomy. i think not.

plus music… they don’t have anything good today. they have forgettable noise. i really do feel bad for them. they see more concerts, but not by Dean Martin or Led Zeppelin… they have Gwen Stefani and Brittany and 50¢. i pity these kids.
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My friends and I were at a dinner party and sang the theme songs to Animaniacs, Tiny Toons, Full House AND Gilligan’s Island! I can still whistle the tune to the Andy Griffith Show.

My generation was lucky enough to have syndicated episodes of I Love Lucy, Green Acres, Andy Griffith Show, MASH, and many many more on TV. I can say that I Love Lucy is one of my favorite sitcoms ever. (Mental note, add DVD box set to Christmas List.)

What you say about music is exactly what my grandfather said about the Beatles and Elvis. Happens in every generation. I think our generation does have some good music, just harder to find because now music is based on image rather than talent.
 
thechrismyster said:
what do we have that our kids don’t?

excellent theme songs.

from Mr. Ed to Gilligans Island. we have the theme songs.

our kids, i pity them… forgettable filler noise is all they have. do you think 30 years from now they’ll be singing the theme from ER or Greys Anatomy. i think not.

plus music… they don’t have anything good today. they have forgettable noise. i really do feel bad for them. they see more concerts, but not by Dean Martin or Led Zeppelin… they have Gwen Stefani and Brittany and 50¢. i pity these kids.
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I will agree there’s nothing such as a rousing rendition of “The Beverly Hillbillies” or “Petticoat Junction” to put a person in a good mood. And can you still whistle the theme to “the Andy Griffith Show”?

Shows don’t even start with theme songs anymore!!!

“Come and listen to my story 'bout a man named Jed…”

I think that new show “Caveman” could have gone someplace. Instead, it is crass.
 
I Dont Think We Can Really Go Back In Time But Maybe We Can Try To Keep Morals. Because Especially For Young People Today, They Dont All Want To Work.

But Look At Car Insurance, House Mortgages, House Insurance, Health Care. Thats Before What We Need. Thats What We Have To Have.

Maybe Some How We Can Take The Good Back Then And Then Take The Good Today And Incorporate It Together.

And Start With The Easy Stuff, Dont Miss Church On Sunday If We Can, And Dont Miss The Holy Days. Then Try To Go To The Park More. There Is Alot Of Free Stuff We Dont Even Realize.
 
StratusRose said:
What you say about music is exactly what my grandfather said about the Beatles and Elvis. Happens in every generation. I think our generation does have some good music, just harder to find because now music is based on image rather than talent.
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yeah, but i’m right and my grandfather was simply mistaken. 😃
 
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