Did you grow up in 70s/80s?

[WomanBornNotWorn]

I was born in 63 so have no memory of the Beatles / hippies etc. But at around ten years old I started to become aware of and adored glam rock, Marc Bolan, Freddie Mercury, the guys from Sweet - long hair, Spandex, tons of makeup, platform heels and all. That morphed into disco - flares, more makeup, more platforms - and punk - leather, short hair, even more makeup - and New Romantics - lace, frilly shirts, still more makeup ... it all went on like fireworks over only about ten years or so.

I feel sorry for kids & teens now, there just doesn't seem to be the flamboyance and fun and freedom to dress up, without a heavy drag and gender identity boxing-up and labelling.

Maybe I'm misreading and it was there all along. But it does seem that there is less freedom, more narrow definitions now.

Anyone here young enough or have kids and able to say if there's anything similar happening, now that isn't all about gender?

Again from the perspective of someone slightly older, from mid way thought the 60s and the 70s (which did get really grim) there was a sense that somehow things could change. But for me the 80s were when things started to clamp down and there was a big swing back to a more conformist way of life, through highly promoted advertising that endless consumerism was the purpose and aim of life.

Young people now talk as though every thing is only going to get worse. And I dont know why as obviously I dont receive the external messages in the same way as they do.

I dont blame them for being pessimistic but do wonder if somehow even the media whipping up the climate catastrophe isn't a control mechanism.

Because when you look back and remember / think about the generation who survived WWI and then had to live through a depression. Or those who lived through WWII, rationing and so on.

Just by changing their consumerist life style and persuading family to do the same would be a sort of rebellion. Instead we have this need to get people to totally accept what they say whether its about climate change or sex and gender being the same thing. No sense of positive proactivism. Everthing is reduced down to individual feelings, not a collective purpose.

Seems like divide and rule to me.

I dont blame them for being pessimistic but do wonder if somehow even the media whipping up the climate catastrophe isn't a control mechanism.

There's always been catastrophe on the horizon. We were all about to be vapourised in a nuclear war at any second when I was growing up. I'm not sure that younger people seeing conditions worsening as inevitable is so much whipped up by the mainstream media as a consequence of social media where people tend to sit in their little echo chambers egging each other on to more and more extreme positions.

I don't think it is possible to speak of generational divides while ignoring the single greatest difference between our childhood and that of people who grew up with the internet.

Clearly it's in governments interests to have n.electorat3 who.dont question and who have lost the ability to think.for themselves.

Absolutely agree with this. Thankfully it's slightly less the case in Scotland for now

Bernays rules now. Consumerism has taken over, and there is no hope with the person we've just elected. He may surprise me, but I doubt it. Glad to hear Scotland is still less easy to fool, I'm looking into moving up there.

You'd be very welcome. I've had a lot of discussions with people about the differences between the English and Scots school systems as I've experience of both which not everyone does.

A lot of Scots are saying the Scots system is deteriorating in quality and they're not necessarily wrong BUT as it was much better than the English system previously anyway it's still better than the English system in my opinion.

And I say that as someone educated in England.

But I had parents who were educated under the Scots system and who were frequently shocked at how behind the English system was and there are many family anecdotes of things like English system teachers complaining because my siblings and I were often ahead on things - eg we could all read at a basic level before starting school for my parents this was the norm and they were very shocked at being "told off" for having taught us to read - and count and do simple arithmetic - so young.

We weren't "hothoused" it was entirely normal as far as they were concerned to read with us, practice alphabet and letter sounds, so counting and adding and subtracting songs and games before starting school, because in their experiencat that time and previously it was how it worked. You prepared your children for starting school.

Then later at high school stage we ended up in trouble for questioning, not blindly accepting England centric info as fact.

Their manner with us was "nobody knows everything not even teachers, there's nothing wrong with admitting a lack of knowledge. But if you don't know something you don't remain ignorant you make the effort to find out"

So even when we were little and asking those annoying things kids do like "why is the sky blue?" Or "why does the sea have waves?" Whichever parent we asked if they didn't know they'd take the time with us going through reference books, going to the library and finding the answers together.

What was particularly insulting and frustrating was history as taught in english schools - especially as catholic Scots of Irish descent!

There's STILL appallingly discriminatory and plain inaccurate nonsense being taught regarding the colonisation of Ireland, the division of Ireland, how Scots have been treated by the English... it's disgusting really. And I suspect under this govt things like that will get worse!

It's also very interesting that there's NO equivalent subject to modern studies taught in England and wales.
I think something similar is taught in Northern Ireland.

It's an interesting and unusual subject for those used to the English school system.

Within that subject pupils are taught things like how our govt works from our voting system to how legislation is made, also elements of sociology, criminology, citizenship, rights and responsibilities, international politics...
it's a fantastic subject but I can completely understand why the English govt don't want it taught in England because the electorate would be a damn site more informed than they currently are!

Many of the questions I see crop up on mn on politics like "what is proportional representation?" Or "why are sentencing regulations as they are?" Are addressed and discussed as part of this subject.

During indyref when there was much discussion between English and Scots about 16 year olds being allowed to vote myself and other Scots on various online forum told the English about this subject and a lot of them said they wished it were taught in English schools.

But when even basics in subjects like history aren't being taught correctly or even arguably in simply a more balanced way - you have to wonder what the agenda is!