Well, a week.
Life as a journalism student at the University of Missouri is rarely boring, or uneventful. In fact occasionally one finds themselves wishing there weren't so many events. Still, this week has been eventful. I have gotten kudos from a Professor on the article I wrote last Friday, I made the Spirit band for MU's Women's Basketball team,I attended the U.S. Senate Debate in Columbia College, I bought a pink dress for my roomate, I shook the hand of Jean Carnahan, and most importantly, I got paid this week.
Life has been good.
I promise I will recount some of my impressions and observations of the debate, and believe me I have lots of details I'd like to mention that were never mentioned in C-Span's coverage of the event. First, however, I'd like to take some time to dwell on a thought prompted by the debate: The Good Ol' Days.
Things ALWAYS were better in the past. When comparing generations or decades, it often is the firm belief of the elder in the coversation that THEY had it better. The music, clothing styles, kids, neighborhoods, or people in general were always better "in my day."
I've heard the statement made that children are more stressed today than they were in the past. My first inclination is to trust this statement, but as I think about it, I find myself hesistating.
Let's compare the children born in 2002 and 1952.
I'll cut to the chase. Children in 2002 have memories of September 11. They may not understand what they see, and some parents my shield them from some of the more gruesome images, but they have been exposed to it. They can feel the fear some people have around them. Many wonder if America will be attacked again by foreign forces.
Children in 1952 also worry about attack from a evil foreign empire: the USSR.
At this time, children were hearing about the "Red Scare." For two years Senator Joe McCarthy was warning of the dangers of subversive Communists lurking in our midst.
Can we say "Worry about sleeper cells?"
Fifty years ago, American troops were attempting to combat a very familiar "axis of evil" on foriegn soil too. In 1952, American soldiers were locked in a virtual standoff in the Korean War. Since President Eisenhower deployed troops to the area June 27, 1950, a coalition of forces (many part of a newly formed UN) had made little progress in pushing into China-supported North Korea. No declaration of war was made, yet soldiers were still at work trying to save a nation from oppression.
Farther away from Capitol or Bunker hill, children were still being expossed to frequent reminders of the dangers of the world. Can you imagine how children must have felt doing Nuclear Attack drills. Granted, their understanding may also be limited (and no offense, I don't believe diving beneath your desk is going to do a world of good against an atomic fireball), but fears wouldn't be unfounded.
The names of the players may have changed and loyalties are occasionally swapped, but it seems not much has changed in 50 years. Violence and sex in the media are on the rise, yes, but that is countered by the continued desenatization of the masses. If you don't believe me, check out a horror flick from the "Golden Age" of Hollywood and try to stay awake. There may be more scary things out there, but it's an unfortunate truth that it take more to scare people, especially children.
A child from 1952 may have difficulty adjusting to the 21st century, but children who lived through the OJ Simpson Trial, the Okalahoma City Bombing, and the dreaded Y2K bug may not be as stressed as some people think.
Please excuse me now. There's a "I Love Lucy Marathon" on.
I wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to escape into the Good Old Days for a few hours; even if the reality is never as good as the recollection.
TV calling, I must go...
