School Daze

[Pew]

Scenario:

Jack pulls into school parking lot with rifle in gun rack.

1973 - Vice Principal comes over, takes a look at Jack's rifle, goes to

his car and gets his to show Jack.

2006 - School goes into lockdown, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail

and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for

traumatized students and teachers.

++++++++++++++++++++++

Scenario:

Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.

1973 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up

best friends. Nobody goes to jail, nobody arrested, nobody expelled.

2006 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge

them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Scenario:

Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.

1973 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by Principal.

Sits still in class.

2006 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. School

gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Scenario:

Billy breaks a window in his father's car and his Dad gives

him a whipping.

1973 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to

college, and becomes a successful businessman.

2006 - Billy's Dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster

care and joins a gang. Billy's sister is told by state psychologist that

she remembers being abused herself and their Dad goes to prison. Billy's

mom has affair with psychologist.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Scenario:

Mark gets a headache and takes some headache medicine to school.

1973 - Mark shares headache medicine with Principal out on the smoking dock.

2006 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car

searched for drugs and weapons.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Scenario:

Mary turns up pregnant.

1973 - 5 High School Boys leave town. Mary does her senior year at a

special school for expectant mothers.

2006 - Middle School Counselor calls Planned Parenthood, who notifies

the ACLU. Mary is driven to the next state over and gets an abortion

without her parent's consent or knowledge. Mary given condoms and told

to be more careful next time.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Scenario:

Pedro fails high school English.

1973: Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.

2006: Pedro's cause is taken up by state democratic party. Newspaper

articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a

requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit

against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned

from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing

lawns for a living because he can't speak English.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Scenario:

Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the 4th of July,

puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.

1973 - Ants die.

2006 - BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic

terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home,

computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is

never allowed to fly again.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Scenario:

Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee.

He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary, hugs him to comfort him.

1973 - In a short time Johnny feels better and goes on playing.

2006 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She

faces 3 years in State Prison.

[jessie k.]

Makes me really glad I was raised by old-fashioned parents. That's just all too true.

[CrazyCholeBlack]

Scenario:

Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the 4th of July,

puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.

Switch firecrackers for ground up bottle rocket engines and that was me as a kid!

[Ransom]

Yeah, and just think, we all went to schools loaded with asbestos and lead paint. Had playground supervisors, not playground police, and if ya got in trouble, your parents would kill ya, instead of trying to kill the teacher who reported ya.

Crazy old world, aint it?

[Sealegs Constance]

All to true. I have seen some of it happen. Makes me glad I grew up in the good old days, when kids could be kids and worry about nothing but being a kid.

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

The "rise before the fall." It's just history repeating again. only the dates and names have been changed to perpetuate the failures of society.

Bo

[Caraccioli]

On a Richard Linklater tear, I was watching the movie Dazed and Confused recently which sort of reminds me of this. It's about a bunch of high school students on the last day of school in 1976.

(It was a really vapid movie, IMO, especially in comparison to some of Linklater's other, superior movies. Still, I sort of remember such goings on although I was still pretty far from high school in 1976. So perhaps it's factually accurate...but it's not much of a testament to the wisdom and intelligence of the 70's.)

[lady snow]

yeah - i'm glad i grew up in the 'old days' when you mwere respectful of authority, knew not to cross your parents, and were allowed top be a kid. if we did something, our parents knew about it before we got home and if it wasn't good - we were in trouble! we fell and skinned out knees, went through windows backwards and sliced our backs wide open - true story - i did it when i wasd 5. to this day i cannot sit on the back of a couch. and the police weren't called in to investigate child abuse. i'm bringing up my kids pretty much the same way i was brought up and they're doing quite well!