Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Once Upon a Time In America.......


SCHOOL 1967 vs. 2007
Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1967 - Vice principal comes over to look at Jack's shotgun. He goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2007 - School goes into lock down, and FBI is called. Jack is 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 fistfight after school.
1967 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up best friends. Nobody goes to jail; nobody is arrested; nobody is expelled.
2007 - Police called. SWAT team arrives. Johnny and Mark are arrested and charged with assault. Both are expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1967 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the principal. He returns to class, sits still, and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey is diagnosed with ADD and given huge doses of ritalin. Becomes a zombie. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a learning disability.

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1967 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and be comes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is placed in foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy's sister 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 aspirin to school.
1967 - Mark shares aspirin with principal out on the smoking dock.
2007 - Police called. Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. Car is searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.
1967 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. 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 is given a diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.
Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1967 - Ants die.
2007 - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Homeland Security, and FBI called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investigates parents; siblings are 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, Heather. Heather hugs him to comfort him.
1967 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007 - Heather is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces three years in state prison. Johnny undergoes five years of therapy.

. . . and the beat goes on!



Peace

15 comments:

Patti said...

I want 1967 back!

Christy said...

Crazy isn't it, how true those scenarios are. My Mom knows a family where a 2nd grade girl bit someone in class and was arrested for assault. In Delaware! The police came in and arrested her! When I was younger someone might have gotten paddled for that...made to stand on the yellow line at recess when the other 8 year olds played. Oh what a world!

Anonymous said...

Sad, isn't it?

Schmoop said...

That sums up the entire sad state of our culture. Cheers Odat!!

Akelamalu said...

Overkill!

Anonymous said...

That was a very powerful post and though ridiculous it may sound it is closer to the truth than some folks would like to admit! Great job on this one, my friend.

Happy Sunday.

Michael C said...

This is SO sadly true...

Claudia said...

sad but true. Funny put like this though. You'd think people have more sense.

Sandee said...

Ain't it the truth. We have become so, so. Well, most of it isn't good. I too would like 1967 back. Great post Odat. Big hug honey. :)

buffalodick said...

We have to call "bull sh*t" on this stuff pretty quick, or we shall be lost! I was spanked, slapped or shaken in every grade I was in, until 11th grade.. Same year they started busing kids away from schools closer and in their neighborhoods that they were brought up in. IT DIDN'T WORK. Lowering the bar, and becoming politically correct has cost our nation far more than it gained...

The CEO said...

Welcome to politically correct. Thank you.

Monty

Mike Minzes said...

Damn liberals! Way to screw up a perfectly good world!

M@ said...

It's like, things used to just make more HORSESENSE, didn't they, ODAT!?

I like the part about Pedro not learning English b/c it's racist.

Anonymous said...

For my money there were problems in both eras. We are overly cauious today (Although, Lord, with school shootings, maybe we need to be!), and freak out at evry hug. But a "good" paddling? I don't think it's ever okay to hit children, so I think that's not the way, either. It's quite possible to run a school which respects both the teachers and the kids, and operates in peace. That's my dream.

Jeff B said...

Oh, the pain in the truth!