Born in the Wrong Century?

Katie M

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Ever felt that way? I think my own case is mixed-I'm very interested in a large swath of time, from the Victorian era to the 1940s (though I love history in general.) I love antiques and old media. I'm not a computer person-I didn't even buy a webcam until I had to for an online speech class (it's certainly come in handy this past year.)

On the other hand, my beliefs and morals are those of the 21st century. I believe in LGBT rights, and I deplore racism and sexism. I like being able to choose my own path in life and having control over my finances. I can't see myself living in any other time period.

How about you guys?
 

Willowy

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No. I probably went through a stage when I thought all that was cool, but there's a difference between wearing an intricate dress because you think it's pretty and being forced to wear that every single day of your life. Now you can cosplay if you want but nobody's making you do it.

I mean, I'm sure there were cultures and times that didn't totally suck for women but the last few hundred years in the US/UK/anywhere my ancestors came from? No thanks.

Heh, today's stuff is the future's antiques, I wonder if the Victorians appreciated their fancy stuff or just thought of it as boring old everyday furniture/media/etc.
 

MoochNNoodles

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I used to think I identified more with my Grandparent's generation. Over time I've come to realize that there was just a lot of people who took women's rights and turned it into "women have a rights mean do like we say" instead of choose how you want to live. It's been my choice and privledge to stay home and homeschool my kids. I don't do it becuase I feel home is a woman's place or that I'm dependant on a man. I do it becuase this is what I wanted, DH agreed and I don't owe anyone an explanation. But I've had to spell it out to a few friends in the past who hadn't thought of it that way. ;) Now I just roll my eyes. :lol:
 

Willowy

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Katie M Katie M , I think you might fit in perfectly with the Society for Creative Anachronism. You can wear the fancy clothes and engage in whatever elements of medieval culture suit you, but you don't have to give up modern sanitation and medicine, democracy, feminism, or anything else you value.

Margret
Lol, I knew a guy who was involved with the SCA, and I'm pretty sure he fully embraced medieval sanitation norms :tongue: .
 

Lari

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I think I'm glad I grew up in the time I did. I'm in the Xennial micro generation. I don't think I would have wanted to be born any later. All the early access to technology and cyber bullying makes me worry about kids these days.

No time period is perfect, though. I guess most adjust to what we have.
 

Babypinkweeb

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Sometimes I wish people had certain experiences and hardships so they can understand today's issues in a more well rounded way. My mom has some values and ideas that are pretty rare these days in where I live now (USA). Since she grew up during the cultural revolution in china and came from basically nothing, she is a very bootstrap kind of lady who is smart and knows how to play her cards. She always taught me that no matter what's happening, people should always look within for faults and ways of improvement, so that we stop feeling so powerless due to things outside out control.

I think it helped me understand how to be more grateful for my modern day life. Many people are so focused on current and future issues that they don't realize how good they got it these days. My mom would rollover in her grave if she sees how many youth in US these days wish for communism and have rose tinted glasses for Mao when she lived and survived the hell that was the cultural revolution!
 

Margret

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Lol, I knew a guy who was involved with the SCA, and I'm pretty sure he fully embraced medieval sanitation norms :tongue: .
Personal choice, but not a good one if he ever wanted to get married...

All the early access to technology and cyber bullying makes me worry about kids these days.
People have been worrying and complaining about "kids these days" since the ancient Greeks (almost certainly longer, but we have documentation going back to the ancient Greeks). In my mother's youth, young men got crew cuts and shaved their faces as a way to rebel against their fathers. In my youth, young men grew beards and wore their hair long as a way to rebel against their fathers. And in both cases the fathers complained about "these young people." In fact, my father complained to me about "these young people" once. I had to remind him that I was part of the generation he was complaining about.

Bullying has been around forever; social media just gives it another place to thrive. Don't forget that another name for a specific kind of bullying, by a specific group of people, is "hazing." And don't forget that every year we have young college freshmen who die because of a hazing ritual that forces them to drink fatal quantities of alcohol.

I happen to live in the Columbine Valley in Colorado. My church is in sight of Columbine High School, so I know people whose children were present that day in 1999. And therefore I know that one of the precipitating factors of the Columbine High School massacre was bullying. Plain old, in person, physical bullying by entitled young kids directed against those who had less money. (Note: I'm not implying that the massacre was in any way justified. I'm just saying that it might have been preventable had the administration cracked down on bullying.) After the massacre there was a plan to make bullying in high schools illegal in Colorado, under the anti-hazing statute that we already had, and the plan went nowhere, because the community, i.e. parents of high school age children, was against it! I'll never forget the letter to the editor I saw that said any attempt to make bullying illegal would interfere in the education of the children because bullying taught important lessons about the "real world." In the real world I live in, the kind of bullying that was going on at Columbine High would have gotten an adult arrested for assault and battery, reckless endangerment, and possibly attempted homicide.

So yes, I also am worried about "kids these days," but I've been worried about them since before you were a kid. We must always worry about the children; the world is a dangerous place, and children are incredibly vulnerable.

Sorry. I'll climb down off my soapbox now.

Margret
 
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artiemom

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I used to feel that I should have lived during the 30’s and 40’s....
Just had a very strong connection to the 1940’s, for some strange reason.

When I was younger the feeling was so strong. I never felt that I fit in with my generation. Still kind of feel that way, but not as strong.
 

Lari

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Margret Margret I think what worries me most, because I dealt with bullying and teasing in school is that at least I could come home and it could be my safe place. With the cyber bullying, the bullies have access near 24/7. But you're right, every generation worries and complains about the next.
 

Margret

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My mom would rollover in her grave if she sees how many youth in US these days wish for communism and have rose tinted glasses for Mao when she lived and survived the hell that was the cultural revolution!
And my mom would roll over in her grave to see how many people in the U.S. long for a fascist state after she lived through WWII.

Dictatorships are dictatorships, and it doesn't matter whether their basic ideology is left or right; they're still horror shows, all of them. And, incidentally, I've been accused of being a communist for saying exactly that.

Margret
 

Babypinkweeb

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And my mom would roll over in her grave to see how many people in the U.S. long for a fascist state after she lived through WWII.

Dictatorships are dictatorships, and it doesn't matter whether their basic ideology is left or right; they're still horror shows, all of them. And, incidentally, I've been accused of being a communist for saying exactly that.

Margret
If only we can spread critical thinking and common sense more, but I think part of it depends on a person's age (more life experience) and exposure to different ideas. Some people learn about the mistakes in history and know to not repeat in the future, while others think the mistakes were great and we should bring them back... 😔 Without living thru it, many people just will not grasp the full extent of many past problems, hence the cycle of repeating the same mistakes.

I know for sure when I was young and stupid, I saw the world in a very black and white, me vs them kind of way. There's definitely no perfect system in this world, as evident by how varied different places responded and fared during this pandemic!
 

Margret

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Margret Margret I think what worries me most, because I dealt with bullying and teasing in school is that at least I could come home and it could be my safe place. With the cyber bullying, the bullies have access near 24/7. But you're right, every generation worries and complains about the next.
Yes, I understand. I think this is one of those things where parents need to be more involved. At the very least, kids need an adult they can talk to about the difficult issues that come up in their lives, and frequently that means someone other than a parent. I know parents who have sat their kids down and discussed exactly this with them -- that they have multiple adults in their lives they can talk with, and that they should think, in advance, about who they would want to talk with about a problem they don't want to share with their parents. Then the parents talk with the adult/s the children choose and verify that any such conversations are to remain confidential, even from the parents, so the child can feel completely safe talking with this trusted adult. It seems to work. That kind of security can result in a child thriving, and developing resilience.

Margret
 

MoochNNoodles

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If only we can spread critical thinking and common sense more, but I think part of it depends on a person's age (more life experience) and exposure to different ideas. Some people learn about the mistakes in history and know to not repeat in the future, while others think the mistakes were great and we should bring them back... 😔 Without living thru it, many people just will not grasp the full extent of many past problems, hence the cycle of repeating the same mistakes.
This is one big goal of mine in homeschooling. We use history to discuss the good, the bad and the ugly. I want my kids to know people could have done some good things while being totally wrong about others. I try to emphasize learning from other peoples mistakes. And considering things from multiple perspectives. We try to talk about why people might have thought things were a good idea. Its complex and difficult at times but I hope its setting them up for a better future.
I think this is one of those things where parents need to be more involved.
This is probably the most intimidating thing about parenting today. I’ve found some online courses and things for kids about internet/technology safety; but things change so fast. Every time you blink theres new things to look out for. And in the back of your mind you know that it’s because someone else’s kid got hurt that you know about it being a danger. I have a friend whose teenage daughter had a cyber stalker. I know another teen girl who was being sexually extorted by a classmate who had already broken her arm at school. And her dad was a cop... Its like the boogeyman actually could be real and he could be anywhere.
 

strider rose

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Katie M Katie M , I think you might fit in perfectly with the Society for Creative Anachronism. You can wear the fancy clothes and engage in whatever elements of medieval culture suit you, but you don't have to give up modern sanitation and medicine, democracy, feminism, or anything else you value.

Margret
Margret Margret this is right up my alley as well! i think that i am from the victorian era myself
 

DreamerRose

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I have no desire to live in another century because both my parents were born in the wrong century. Dad belonged in the late 19th Century, and his rules and regulations were from that era. Spare the rod and spoil the child. Instant obedience. Outdated, embarrassing manners, way too formal. Mother, on the other hand grew up in the 1920s, and didn't change much after that. She dressed in clothes from the '30s and '40s, and made me wear the same kind, even as a teenager. I had to wear the same dress to school two days in a row because I only had three dresses when everyone else wore fresh, clean clothes everyday. Constant lectures about the evils of premarital sex.

No thank you. I like it just fine in the here and now.
 
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