The Way Things Were, 1950 to 1980
The “remember when...” stories that circulate on the Internet always seem to have a reactionary bent. It's as though the authors miss the days when women, children and minorities “knew their place.” I have rectified this problem by listing the truly good things of life that existed before greed, corruption and megalomania came to predominate in the 1980s.
Remember when:
It was normal to get a good paying union job just out of high school.
That same job would last until you got your pension.
It was normal for working people to expect a higher living standard each decade.
Mail was delivered to your door, the post office was open on Saturday and it cost four cents to mail a letter.
Most shops were down town and were owned by local people who you knew as friends and neighbors.
Manpower Canada actually found you a job.
Rent was only 20% of your income and that was at minimum wage.
You could camp in provincial camp sites for free.
Museums and art galleries were free.
The government provided hundreds of maps and publications for dirt cheap or free.
Sales tax was only three percent and it went to pay for our hospitals.
Most consumer goods came from Canada and were well made,
Most common food items were grown in your region.
Children walked to school.
Obesity in children was very unusual.
Children would be away all afternoon, who knows where, and no parents worried because there was still a community.
Corporations and the privileged minority paid their share in taxes.
Governments still believed in service.
posted by Larry Gambone at
8:53 PM
5 Comments:
It seems like one million years ago - I am 44 years of age. What has happened?
Thirty years of corporations and the governments that front for them trying to turn the clock back to 1890, also known as neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism.
And a fine job they are doing too. There is wide philosophical divide between me and 1890 or bust crew. That is all fine and dandy but there is something else that sets us apart that is becoming more and more clear in this century of discontent. That something is their total lack of competence when it comes to ordering our world.
In the 60s. At ten years old I would leave for the whole day(fishing,hiking etc)and my only directive was that I should be back before dark.Also I wore a Rambo type knife on my belt,owned a bow/arrow and a 22 caliber rifle(age 14) and nobody called child services.3 or 4 friends would share the same bottle of Coca cola(drinking from the bottle)
I really like this post, Larry. So much so that I've linked to it in my User Profile on Twitter - @brian_north
To add one more item to your wonderful list of "Remember whens": Remember when CBC television and CBC radio were commercial free?
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