Different Generations.. Different lives and worlds..

I was just discussing this with my oldest son the other day.
The world is not safe (especially in big cities) to allow a younger child to ride their bike, skates, etc to the park
without an adult with them. Some can't even play on the streets.
They pretty much have to get their children involved in activities they have to pay for after school to get healthy exercise.
You can't send them to the store alone as I was able to do.

I have given prayers of gratitude thousands of time for the nudge to leave L.A. back in 1979 and get my kids to the
country where they could roam, explore and neighbors knew them.

I will stop on that note so others can name all the other reasons, as there are many. I am so thankful I was able to
see my boys come in for dinner totally wiped out and safe and not in trouble and were proud to share their exciting
finds and discoveries of the day.

Exploring outdoors where they learn cause/effect, prediction, more/less. life circles, nature signs develops common
sense. So I don't have to wonder why so many young ones really don't show signs of this much needed intelligence.
 
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We babyboomers came of age during a violent period in history, but Gen X had it the worst, with peak violent crime occurring in the early '90s. Crime rate is way down since then.
violent-crime-rate.jpg
 
I asked AI why the violent crime rate spiked during the '90s and this is what it gave me...

The violent crime spike of the early 1990s—which saw the U.S. murder rate reach its highest recorded level in 1991–1993—is attributed to a combination of socioeconomic, environmental, and market-driven factors.
The primary causes cited by researchers include:
  • The Crack Cocaine Epidemic: The emergence and rapid expansion of crack cocaine markets in the late 1980s and early 1990s is considered a leading driver. Street gangs engaged in violent turf wars for control of lucrative distribution networks, and users frequently turned to crime to fund their addictions.
  • Expansion of Handgun Availability: Economists highlight a "supply shock" of cheap handguns during this period. Increased access to firearms turned drug-related disputes and robberies significantly more lethal, particularly among young black males.
  • Demographic Shifts: The 1990s represented a peak for the "Baby Boomer" echo, resulting in a large population of young men aged 15–24, the demographic most statistically likely to commit or be victims of violent crime.
  • The Lead-Crime Hypothesis: A major environmental theory suggests that peak exposure to lead (from leaded gasoline and paint) in the 1960s and 70s caused neurological damage in children that manifested as increased impulsivity and aggression when that generation reached young adulthood in the 1990s.
  • Deindustrialization and Economic Disparity: The decline of stable, blue-collar manufacturing jobs in urban areas left many young men with few economic opportunities, making the illegal drug trade more attractive.
  • Systemic Instability: High levels of social unrest, political instability following the 1960s/70s, and the disappearance of social welfare programs (such as mental health institutions) contributed to a volatile environment in many major cities.
 
I think every generation has heard the, when I was your age sagas. Growing up in a society where opportunity was there to be had, we faced problems just like our parents, and their's before them. They might have looked different and may have evolved from a different set of new things, but being new was the challenge. My grandchildren ask me lots of questions about how things were as I grew up or what my parents and grandparents experienced. I've tried to show them the parallels to their world. I'm not sure they always get it but I feel like it bridges some of the gaps so they understand my dreams as well as concerns for their life.
 
Yoy see all this is said..... but the kids where I live can play out in the local park by themselves, they can ride their bikes and scooters, as they do regularly up and down the road...and stay unharmed...... altho' some parents do accompany their children to the park... but so far all children here have played out safely and continue to do so....conversely...

I was abducted when I was just 2 years old from the streets... when parents thought it was safe to allow their kids to play...and that was back in 1957 :cautious:
 
Then, there is the elephant in the room that all want to overlook. Growing up in a slum, I saw this first hand. Sorry if facts offend people.

Empirical data from FBI/BJS show the early-1990s violent crime peak was disproportionately driven by elevated rates among Black Americans (especially young males in urban areas), who comprised a majority of homicide and robbery offenders despite being a small share of the population.
 
I see another thing they missed. It began in the 80's I think and really hit a high point for
families not having a Father in the home. I know if you were in need of Family Services help and
you had a male living in the home you pretty much were not going to receive aid even if you were married.
Many families had to have the father move out to get aid for the children. They don't seem to talk about that
type of push they gave families. I know this for a fact then the encouragement for abortions began to rise.
 
squatting dog said:
Then, there is the elephant in the room that all want to overlook. Growing up in a slum, I saw this first hand. Sorry if facts offend people.

Empirical data from FBI/BJS show the early-1990s violent crime peak was disproportionately driven by elevated rates among Black Americans (especially young males in urban areas), who comprised a majority of homicide and robbery offenders despite being a small share of the population.
Click to expand...
Well I didn't grow up in a slum..just the opposite actually, but my father did.. and my grandparents lived in the slums all their lives and some of my aunts and cousins . When we visitied most weekends we played in the slum back courts, with the stink of rotten food from the middens all pervading..

We kids in our best visiting clothes playing with kids whose clothes barely held up with holes...

we didn't care, we just played... with anyone who wanted to play with us..

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this photograph below was the actual tenement block where my grandfather lived... this was the late 60's and they were just getting ready to demolish them...gtrandad moved out and was rehoused and died within 2 years ..his flat which was the only one that had an indoor toilet... was on the ground floor... All the rest of the flat had to share on toilet on each laning..some of these flats had 8 people living in 2 rooms.. and there was 3 flats on each floor.. all sharing a single toilet.. horrible..

child-playing-in-tenement-courtyard-Maryhill-Glasgow-1971-1280x842.jpg

This was not the 1900's this was the 1960's and 70's.. and some places were still like it in the 90's


This was inside a typical flat... ( not my grandads' flat, which was decent).. but the people who lived in many of them were unemployed or very poor... many turned to drink and spent much of the little money they had on alcohol, and the women were on anti-depressants.. not at all surprising... trying to scrape together enough money for food for the children, mostly without success. Flats were freezing cold, there was only one means of heating and that was a coal fire, and many people didn't have money to buy coal... so they would burn what they could find among the middens

My grandmother lived in yet a different set of slum tenements, in a different part of the city... on that side.. people altho' poor were mostly proud of the little they had and kept everything as neat as they could....

I could write a book about slum Tenements... and the people who lived in them...
 
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As a child, I can't remember being scared or worried about what was going on out in the world. My parents and grandparents were there and I thought they'd protect us from everything. No internet, not much TV and the only thing we kids were interested in in the newspaper was the comic pages.

I'm so sorry for today's young'uns, though. They KNOW what's going on out there. TV and internet makes sure of that. I know my older great-granddaughter worries a lot.
 
hollydolly said:
Yoy see all this is said..... but the kids where I live can play out in the local park by themselves, they can ride their bikes and scooters, as they do regularly up and down the road...and stay unharmed...... altho' some parents do accompany their children to the park... but so far all children here have played out safely and continue to do so....conversely...

I was abducted when I was just 2 years old from the streets... when parents thought it was safe to allow their kids to play...and that was back in 1957 :cautious:
Click to expand...
As a child I played outside from daylight till dark. My parents had to be told if l wanted to leave the neighborhood, but it was just a check in type of thing. We raised our four children on our farm in the country, but we allowed them to spend time at their grandparents in town.

On countless weekend and summer nights we had children from other families in our home. It was normal for them to check in with their parents. The grandparents expected them to keep them informed if they wanted to leave the neighborhood, and welcomed their friends into their home same as their grandchildren. It is a form of the trust but verify rule.

Depending on the environment they live in I think similar freedoms can be enjoyed but there is standard of caution that todays responsible parent has to observe. Our daughter's family have travelled abroad and had their children's friend along with them. Their expenses were paid and they maintained contact with their own parents regularly. In addition the travel itinerary as well as the activity schedule was communicated with the parents. It is a burden on the traveling parents but a common sense requirement for all.
 
squatting dog said:
Then, there is the elephant in the room that all want to overlook. Growing up in a slum, I saw this first hand. Sorry if facts offend people.

Empirical data from FBI/BJS show the early-1990s violent crime peak was disproportionately driven by elevated rates among Black Americans (especially young males in urban areas), who comprised a majority of homicide and robbery offenders despite being a small share of the population.
Click to expand...
I was born and raised in Chicago's worst ghetto. The majority of crimes by Black Americans are committed against other Black Americans.
 
My mother once tied my sister to a rope, so she could play in the garden, without going to the street, while she could clean the house. Lol but only once. She got too many comments.
 
IrishEyes said:
I see another thing they missed. It began in the 80's I think and really hit a high point for
families not having a Father in the home. I know if you were in need of Family Services help and
you had a male living in the home you pretty much were not going to receive aid even if you were married.
Many families had to have the father move out to get aid for the children. They don't seem to talk about that
type of push they gave families. I know this for a fact then the encouragement for abortions began to rise.
Click to expand...
I'm surprised AI doesn't mention any of that. In the 1950's unmarried births were at 5% by the 1980's it was 18% and now it's around 40%. Our welfare system was never set up to raise almost half the children.

A child born to an unmarried woman has a much greater chance of growing up in poverty and getting involved in crime.

A father present in the home makes a huge difference to a child's sense of security and because he brings in income the mother also gets to spend more time with her children and less time working. When we were growing up our fathers (with a few bad exceptions) taught us about honesty and hard work, they taught their sons how to treat women and many other skills. These lessons can still be taught by their single mothers, but two role models are better than one, and a lot of single mothers have very little time to spend with their children. These children are being raised by daycare workers along with 20 other kids.
 
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