New Tricks for This Old Dog

The other day, I was standing outside my office, which is close to the corner of Hillsborough and 22nd Street.

On the sidewalk on 22nd, a couple of young girls were walking slowly, chatting in low tones, and giggling as teenagers will do.

Suddenly, one yelled , “Oh f__k! The other girl laughed and said, “Wa you did?” The other, “I dropped my f_ _ _ ing cell phone.”

The world is changing and this old dog was shocked! Shocked I tell you! Well, maybe almost shocked and full of awe.

I look back when I was in high school, and of course, we didn’t have cell phones, we had transistor radios. We listened to WABC-AM in New York. The Temptations and Four Seasons were big, and the Rolling Stones got banned for singing “I can’t get no girly action.” As a junior, I was suspended for one day for saying “hell” in class.

During my high school days, there to two types of students: the rah-rahs and the greasers. The rah-rahs mostly wore madras shirts or button-down oxfords with chinos. The greasers wore dark dress pants or skirts, silky-type shirts, and in the winter, black leather jackets. Their black leather gloves always smelled of cigarette smoke.

Since these days were between the beatniks and the hippie generation, we said things like “cool,” or “neat.” Never would we say “pissed,” or “that sucks” in any open forum where an adult could hear, particularly parents or those in a school setting. Once, a greaser girl loudly called a girlfriend “bitch” during lunch. I think she ended up in some Catholic school where the German Sisters of GrosseSchticks enjoyed reforming juvenile delinquents.

Two points to finish: First, in my days in school, teachers were respected, a school’s principal was very well respected, and parents supported teachers and principals, never their own kids when push came to shove.

Second, I truly believe parents have changed…as have teachers. Too many parents are not preparing their kids for school, then blame the school for any discipline or academic problem…and teachers are burning out.

I say, more mandatory vouchers for Catholic schools. The Nuns of Nunchuck are lonely.

posted by admin @ 7:21 PM