Starker on 24/8/2017 at 17:32
Quote Posted by demagogue
May be hard to believe, but it was only 28 years ago that the Cold War ended, Eastern European countries were opened to the West, and things like secret police and political prisoners ended edit: ... in Europe, edit2: ... for the most part. (Their gov'ts are still on the dodgy end of the spectrum, but at least better than then! Edit3: But I may be wrong. I'm just thinking of some news stories I read but I haven't really researched it.)
It really depends on what countries you are dealing with. Some are dodgy in the sense that the US or France are dodgy -- that is, not all is well. Others are dodgy in the sense that they are corrupt autocracies. There are countries that are better off than the US as far as press freedom is concerned and there are countries that don't have a free press.
Anyway, I was on the other side of the Iron Curtain and it was definitely a bizarre experience. So many things that people take for granted simply didn't exist. Censorship was common. Connections were everything. And yes, you could get in serious trouble by doing things as simple as not wearing a red neckerchief in school.
nickie on 24/8/2017 at 18:33
As nobody has yet mentioned remembering Watch with Mother, I can only conclude you're all babies. And farthings.
ffox on 24/8/2017 at 18:37
Before that there was Listen with Mother. Get some in!
Renault on 24/8/2017 at 18:53
I always think it's weird now when I hear about friend's kids going off to college with their laptops and tablets under their arm, and the fact that we didn't have email or even the internet back then, let alone personal computers.
But in some ways, it was a good thing.
Starker on 24/8/2017 at 20:15
Internet? Hell, we didn't have a phone for the longest time, so if I wanted to meet with friends, I had to go to their house and ring the doorbell and ask if they were home.
heywood on 24/8/2017 at 22:30
We all had phones, but when I was a kid we would just walk over to each other's houses and ring the doorbell anyway.
But that was back when kids could walk around the neighborhood freely. That's one of the things I'm most nostalgic for.
voodoo47 on 25/8/2017 at 07:05
yeah, no way that's happening now with all the hobos, junkies and other types of people you wouldn't touch with a two meter pole all around - one of the very few things the Reds got right is that streets are supposed to be clean of trash, be it just regular litter or former human beings (the other two is being required to explain where all your money is coming from and ALL foods and drinks not being permitted in cinemas).
pretty sure I'm happy to have them (Reds) gone (and wouldn't mind if they were actually banned completely), but those three bits.. yeah, I wouldn't mind to have them back. but that's like wanting to be 20 again, I suppose - just not happening.
Kolya on 25/8/2017 at 09:29
Say what you want about political regimes, but at least they keep the streets safe and clean.
heywood on 25/8/2017 at 11:27
I was raised in a tract home in a middle class suburb. We had clean streets and no hobos or junkies, just the occasional neighbor with a scary dog. The only thing we really had to watch out for was cars, and poison ivy. The typical rule was that if you were younger than school age, you couldn't leave your own yard unless accompanied by an older sibling or a neighbor your parents trusted. I lived just over 1/2 mile from an elementary school and from the 1st grade on we just walked to school. From the time school ended until supper time, we had free reign. The neighborhood was full of kids so we had lots of fun and adventures.
I followed in my parents footsteps and now I'm raising my kids in a tract home in a middle class suburb. We have clean streets and no hobos or junkies, and as far as I can tell, the only thing we really have to watch out for is cars. But nobody lets their kids roam the neighborhood until they're in their teens, and even the teens tend to stay inside.
Kids around here have mountains of toys. I think my kids have more than they can play with, so I'm always on my wife's case to get rid of some if she wants to buy some more. But when we visit other people with young children their homes are just overflowing with toys. And most play is supervised. When I was a kid, we didn't have nearly so many toys, but we had freedom. We improvised toys and made up games and went on adventures in the woods and gullys. Every day there might be a different mix of kids getting together in a different spot coming up with a different activity. And we didn't have parents circling around trying to supervise and direct our play.
That's what I'm nostalgic for and what I wish my kids could have.
Dia on 25/8/2017 at 11:30
Quote Posted by heywood
I was raised in a tract home in a middle class suburb. We had clean streets and no hobos or junkies, just the occasional neighbor with a scary dog. The only thing we really had to watch out for was cars, and poison ivy. The typical rule was that if you were younger than school age, you couldn't leave your own yard unless accompanied by an older sibling or a neighbor your parents trusted. I lived just over 1/2 mile from an elementary school and from the 1st grade on we just walked to school. From the time school ended until supper time, we had free reign. The neighborhood was full of kids so we had lots of fun and adventures.
Sounds like we grew up in the same neighborhood. Good times.
