I received a forwarded e-mail entitled ?HIGH SCHOOL? 1957 vs. 2007? with the observation that it should hit every mailbox to show how stupid we have become. I am reproducing the e-mail here for reasons that I will elaborate on later.

Scenario 1:

Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck?s gun rack.

1957?Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack?s shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.

2007?School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counsellors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario 2:

Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.

1957?Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.

2007?Police called and SWAT team arrives?they arrest both Johnny and Mark. They are both charged with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario 3:

Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.

1957?Jeffrey is sent to the principal?s office and given a good paddling by the principal. He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.

2007?Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD. The school gets extra money from the state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario 4:

Billy breaks a window in his neighbor?s car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.

1957?Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman

2007?Billy?s dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. The state psychologist is told by Billy?s sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy?s mom has an affair with the psychologist.

Scenario 5:

Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.

1957?Mark shares his aspirin with the principal out on the smoking dock

2007?The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario 6:

Pedro fails high school English.

1957?Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and 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 the state school system and Pedro?s English teacher. English is then banned from core curriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario 7:

Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed.

1957?Ants die.

2007?ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investigates his parents?and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Johnny?s dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario 8:

Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.

1957?In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.

2007?Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

You can just imagine how those who grew up in the 1950s are reacting. When the article was forwarded to me, the subject was ?Sad but true.? It?s just a nostalgic piece, really, and it?s easy enough to fall prey into that mentality that everything is wrong today because people don?t do things the way they were done in the past. It was probably written by someone who grew up in the 1950s or thereabouts who thinks his generation was perfect. But hypothetical situations made out as generalizations that seemingly capture the essence of two generations just don?t cut it. Had he cited real and well-documented scenarios the ins and outs of which can be scrutinized and dissected, his little essay may have carried more weight. But as it is, it?s like the whining of someone caught in a time warp. It?s the same as insisting on wearing the 1950s beehive hairstyle even when science is screaming that hairspray is not only bad for you but bad for the environment as well.

I do agree with the underlying message that today?s generation has a tendency to overreact. This is an age when persons unknown attack a city and the government retaliates by declaring war on an entire country.

But I don?t agree that we have become what we are because school principals, teachers and our own parents can no longer paddle and whip us. In fact, we could have reached this stage of paranoia precisely because the people running governments today are products of an abused and licentious generation?the very people who while growing up in the ?30s, the ?40s and the ?50s got paddled and whipped instead of getting counselling and therapy, were allowed to carry shotguns to school and pop pills as often as they popped candies into their mouths.

The author blogs at http://houseonahill.net, http://pinoycook.net and http://www.sassylawyer.com