My childhood was the best time ever to have been a kid, past, present or future. Those of us who grew up in the original new age 70's and matured in the 80's were lucky... we had something kids before us and kids after us never had and likely never will again.
Freedom to be kids, explore, learn and imagine!!!!!!!
Kids before us were bound by the culture of the day, if not down the mines or in servitude, then governed by ridiculous Victorian values or sadly, grew up in war or post war eras. Kids after us? Fear and technology has changed it for them, in an increasingly dangerous world, kids are encouraged to turn to modern technology for entertainment.
Freedom to be kids, explore, learn and imagine!!!!!!!
Kids before us were bound by the culture of the day, if not down the mines or in servitude, then governed by ridiculous Victorian values or sadly, grew up in war or post war eras. Kids after us? Fear and technology has changed it for them, in an increasingly dangerous world, kids are encouraged to turn to modern technology for entertainment.
 |
| photo credit: ocad123 cc |
Born at the tail end of '64, a leap year and a time for the history books. I rocked up 6 months after they imprisoned Nelson Mandela, just over a month before our fearless wartime leader Winston Churchill passed on to a higher plane.... A few days after Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer first aired on TV.... Cilla Black was riding high in the charts, 'I feel Fine' was Number One and Beatlemania was at screaming pitch. Just a year after Brad Pitt came into the world, the year of the American Civil Rights Act and the same year Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It was also the year of the last ever executions in Britain and how lucky were we to be a part of defining today's interpretation of Generation X!!
As 1970 dawned bright and clear I had just turned 5 and as we waved farewell to the 70's and welcomed that brave new world of the 1980's.... I turned 15, a magical age fraught with teenage angst, acne and iconic pop stars like Adam Ant asking us to Stand and Deliver,
Madonna performing Like a Virgin at the start of an illustrious career, Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders had Brass in Pocket .... and what about Bob?
Mr Geldof certainly gave us something to remember with Live Aid even if we all knew he never had a hope of solving world hunger! It was one hell of a concert! 1980 was also the year John Lennon was so cruelly and unjustly murdered , just three years after another influential megastar met his untimely end.... Elvis! (Did he really die on the toilet? Another injustice perhaps?)
Mr Geldof certainly gave us something to remember with Live Aid even if we all knew he never had a hope of solving world hunger! It was one hell of a concert! 1980 was also the year John Lennon was so cruelly and unjustly murdered , just three years after another influential megastar met his untimely end.... Elvis! (Did he really die on the toilet? Another injustice perhaps?)
 |
| photo credit: Ramiro Garcia S cc |
Bob's BFF Mr Midge Ure and Ultravox can claim a major injustice as they celebrated Vienna, the best single that never made it to number one!! Pipped to the post initially by John Lennon's Woman, acceptable you might agree, but to be kept from the top spot by Joe Dolce's Shaddup You Face??
Seriously? Judge for yourself....
It is devastating to hear of childhood role models, people who set themselves up as influences on our lives being denounced in the media today, but this does not change what was the best time to grow up!
The Boss may have sung of the Summer of '69, but as any British school kid of that era will tell you, the summer of 76 will live in our minds forever - remember the ladybird invasion? To be 12, faced with 6 weeks of summer holidays and the hottest, driest summer forever .... bliss! We didn't worry about the worst drought of the century, standpipes, crops or forest fires, we were 12, we built our make-shift tents from blankets on the back lawn, ready for sleep-outs and agonised over major decisions.... where to go tomorrow....???
As kids of the day, we didn't have air con or XBoxes.... No smart phones, no iPads, no mobiles.... No PCs, no Macs, no apps, no video, no computer games... we breathed fresh air, we talked to each other... face to face! We learned to understand the boundaries and acceptable social behaviour, but above all we used our imaginations!!
...... We had our imagination and our bikes!
As kids of the day, we didn't have air con or XBoxes.... No smart phones, no iPads, no mobiles.... No PCs, no Macs, no apps, no video, no computer games... we breathed fresh air, we talked to each other... face to face! We learned to understand the boundaries and acceptable social behaviour, but above all we used our imaginations!!
...... We had our imagination and our bikes!
 |
| photo credit: moriza cc |
We set off daily, our jam buttes (jelly sandwiches) in our bags... And off we went exploring, swimming... fishing... whatever .... Our parents didn't worry so long as we were home for tea.... They didn't need to, perception of crime was less evident... We had fun....
...... And this is why I was born of the lucky generation....
...... And this is why I was born of the lucky generation....
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.