We grew up with myths and fantasy mainly ( books, TV, family lore, gossip, etc...)

Paco Dennis

Paco Dennis

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Location
Mid-Missouri
In our youthful innocence we lived mostly in a naive state of free forming imagination, unfettered by good and bad, right and wrong...so anything was possible, even that which is impossible in our "physical" world. All cultures have stories that are mythic that they tell their youngsters. Mine was filled with television. The world of fantasy. One of my favorite's was

Bewitched
I liked the original Darren the best, and loved the Grandma...."Hazel"? Genie was the cutest "adult" I had ever seen, and I loved her. :)
The interesting thing to me is that in the late 50's and early 60's people were so afraid of metaphysical phenomena and by a large cultural push embraced Christianity as the only proper myth. Yet the TV shows were filled with myth...cartoons, Mr. Rogers, Man From U.N.C.L.E., Dallas, Lamb Chop and Sherry,
Gilligan's Island, etc....Almost everything except Documentaries and "News", were myths.

I would like to hear what your favorite "Myth" you liked. A TV show...Book...Story....etc....

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I liked the idea of the Easter Bunny hopping around leaving baskets of candy for kids. Then my mom decided I was too old to believe in an Easter Bunny. After preparing our baskets, I said so what's the Easter Bunny going to bring now? She looked at me with that "you're nuts" look and said that this was all I was going to get. Blah. Take the magic away why don't you. Then why even bother? Later the Church condemned the idea of an Easter Bunny because it was pagan. Life really stunk for kids from that time forward. Now if you wave at a little kid, they are as likely to flip you the bird as not. Ya this reality-based belief system is so much better.
 

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

1). I remember very distinctly when our Sunday school teacher told us that divorcees who later married someone else were destined to burn forever in hell and that there were no amount of “Our Fathers” or “Hail Marys” that would save you. I cried my eyes out on the spot because my mother had divorced and remarried my step-father. The teacher offered me no sympathy, the bitch.

2). It was a mortal sin to eat meat on Friday. You do know what a mortal sin is, right? It means that if you’ve eaten meat on a Friday and were unfortunate enough to die before you could confess your sin, you’d go to hell and burn forever. I discovered, by and by, that the ruling had been changed and it is no longer a mortal sin to eat meat on a Friday. Perhaps it’s not even a venial sin today? Funny, isn’t it. I was under the impression that only God could decide who would go to hell, purgatory, or heaven. I must have been asleep when He had a change of heart.
 
Verisure said:
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

1). I remember very distinctly when our Sunday school teacher told us that divorcees who later married someone else were destined to burn forever in hell and that there were no amount of “Our Fathers” or “Hail Marys” that would save you. I cried my eyes out on the spot because my mother had divorced and remarried my step-father. The teacher offered me no sympathy, the bitch.

2). It was a mortal sin to eat meat on Friday. You do know what a mortal sin is, right? It means that if you’ve eaten meat on a Friday and were unfortunate enough to die before you could confess your sin, you’d go to hell and burn forever. I discovered, by and by, that the ruling had been changed and it is no longer a mortal sin to eat meat on a Friday. Perhaps it’s not even a venial sin today? Funny, isn’t it. I was under the impression that only God could decide who would go to hell, purgatory, or heaven. I must have been asleep when He had a change of heart.
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That, Verisure, is, or was, the lot of every child raised in the catholic church. Venial sin, mortal sin, for those unfamiliar with catholic doctrine, mortal sin is your ticket to Hell, in a hand cart. The sheer hypocrisy of their teaching, when the current Pope was ordained, in his speech he said, Martin Luther was right, the church needs to constantly reform. Saying that at my catholic school back in the 1950's would have gotten me expelled.

The fictional myths that I remember all came from books, my favourite being, The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe:

"Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie are four siblings sent to live in the country with the eccentric Professor Kirke during World War II. The children explore the house on a rainy day and Lucy, the youngest, finds an enormous wardrobe. Lucy steps inside and finds herself in a strange, snowy wood. Lucy encounters the Faun Tumnus, who is surprised to meet a human girl. Tumnus tells Lucy that she has entered Narnia, a different world. Tumnus invites Lucy to tea, and she accepts. Lucy and Tumnus have a wonderful tea, but the faun bursts into tears and confesses that he is a servant of the evil White Witch. The Witch has enchanted Narnia so that it is always winter and never Christmas. Tumnus explains that he has been enlisted to capture human beings. Lucy implores Tumnus to release her, and he agrees."
 
In the late 50's TV really became big business. Corporations were merging and the public was getting swamped with products. The baby boomers grew up with a lot of goodies...except for the marginalized. I was raised to immolate the "Dennis the Menace" narrative. My nick name was that shows title!! Mischief was my middle name.

 
I was too busy with other "stuff" to watch much TV as a kid. Saturdays were different with Flash Gordon, Captain Midnight, the Three Stooges and other super hero shows and cartoons.
 
Come to think of it, I guess I am wondering about the role of fiction that we accept as "reality". I like both "non-fiction" and fiction but I tend towards fiction for fun and entertainment. Fiction is filled with imagination and impossible adventures and romance...or are they?
 
horseless carriage said:
That, Verisure, is, or was, the lot of every child raised in the catholic church ........
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Indeed. Pure superstition it is too. Catholic Church.gif
horseless carriage said:
The fictional myths that I remember all came from books, my favourite being, The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe:

"Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie are four siblings sent to live in the country with the eccentric Professor Kirke during World War II. The children explore the house on a rainy day and Lucy, the youngest, finds an enormous wardrobe. Lucy steps inside and finds herself in a strange, snowy wood. Lucy encounters the Faun Tumnus, who is surprised to meet a human girl. Tumnus tells Lucy that she has entered Narnia, a different world. Tumnus invites Lucy to tea, and she accepts. Lucy and Tumnus have a wonderful tea, but the faun bursts into tears and confesses that he is a servant of the evil White Witch. The Witch has enchanted Narnia so that it is always winter and never Christmas. Tumnus explains that he has been enlisted to capture human beings. Lucy implores Tumnus to release her, and he agrees."
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How nice! I love happy endings. :)
 
Lee said:
The biggest fantasy both back then and still today is Santa Clause, how disappointed we were to find out who Santa really was.
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My Mom and Sisters tried to foster a belief in Santa Claus in me. Dad did not openly contradict them but never said anything in support of the myth either. Having come from a poor family i suspect his adult view of was what mine came to be: It's story like hundreds of others with some fun elements and perhaps some kind of 'moral' or lesson in it, but all too often it gets twisted to control/manipulate kids. In ways similar to how religions are used to control/manipulate adults. Think of the message it sends to kids living in poverty: No matter how good you are it is rarely if ever going to be 'good enough' to get what you really want.

When i was raising my three kids, Santa, the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy had to be addressed--because the first 2 were way too pervasive in our culture to be ignored and the third while it doesn't pop up in movies and tv as often---it does get some coverage and kids talk to each other. So i approached it the same way i approached the subject of religions with them: Some people believe (insert details of myth); i consider it a mostly fun story, folklore/myth that sometimes gets distorted; You can decide for yourself, but remember it is not your place to tell to try and influence what other kids believe.
 
Paco Dennis said:
Come to think of it, I guess I am wondering about the role of fiction that we accept as "reality". I like both "non-fiction" and fiction but I tend towards fiction for fun and entertainment. Fiction is filled with imagination and impossible adventures and romance...or are they?
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There is no doubt that the sort of romance I was taught as a child was mostly fiction. The number of women proposing marriage to mass-murdering death-row inmates makes that very clear.
 
feywon said:
My Mom and Sisters tried to foster a belief in Santa Claus in me. Dad did not openly contradict them but never said anything in support of the myth either. Having come from a poor family i suspect his adult view of was what mine came to be: It's story like hundreds of others with some fun elements and perhaps some kind of 'moral' or lesson in it, but all too often it gets twisted to control/manipulate kids. In ways similar to how religions are used to control/manipulate adults. Think of the message it sends to kids living in poverty: No matter how good you are it is rarely if ever going to be 'good enough' to get what you really want.

When i was raising my three kids, Santa, the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy had to be addressed--because the first 2 were way too pervasive in our culture to be ignored and the third while it doesn't pop up in movies and tv as often---it does get some coverage and kids talk to each other. So i approached it the same way i approached the subject of religions with them: Some people believe (insert details of myth); i consider it a mostly fun story, folklore/myth that sometimes gets distorted; You can decide for yourself, but remember it is not your place to tell to try and influence what other kids believe.
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I don't know anyone here in Sweden (including myself) who tries to fluff off the Santa Claus story as true to their children. We know the story but we treat it as a fairy tale. The Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy are unknown.
 
Didn't have TV in our home till i was like 11yrs old. So for me it came mostly from books, tho i listened to 'Inner Sanctum' on the radio with my older sisters.
It is interesting to see the wide variety of things that are being referenced, and the wide variety of feelings about them--some focused on the 'fun' in suspending disbelief and some focused on the sense of betrayal when the truth came out, and on the oppressive nature of many religions.
 
feywon said:
Didn't have TV in our home till i was like 11yrs old. So for me it came mostly from books, tho i listened to 'Inner Sanctum' on the radio with my older sisters.
It is interesting to see the wide variety of things that are being referenced, and the wide variety of feelings about them--some focused on the 'fun' in suspending disbelief and some focused on the sense of betrayal when the truth came out, and on the oppressive nature of many religions.
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Fill in the blank: "The ______ knows!"
 
Like you Paco, I loved Bewitched and the original Darren. Samantha's mother was Endora, not Hazel. I thought Elizabeth Montgomery was so cute and played her part so well. I also loved The Twilight Zone @Liberty. I think Rod Serling was brilliant. Through the magic of streaming, I occasionally watch episodes. Like every child, I loved the idea of Santa Claus until I found out he wasn't real (I forgot how).

I've always loved shows and movies about paranormal events, UFOs and people with powers. So to this day, those are among my favorite genres to watch. I must say however, that being psychic myself and having experienced paranormal events first hand, some of events similar to those portrayed in movies and films are not myths and fantasy. @feywon knows what I'm talking about.
 
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feywon said:
My Mom and Sisters tried to foster a belief in Santa Claus in me. Dad did not openly contradict them but never said anything in support of the myth either. Having come from a poor family i suspect his adult view of was what mine came to be: It's story like hundreds of others with some fun elements and perhaps some kind of 'moral' or lesson in it, but all too often it gets twisted to control/manipulate kids. In ways similar to how religions are used to control/manipulate adults. Think of the message it sends to kids living in poverty: No matter how good you are it is rarely if ever going to be 'good enough' to get what you really want.

When i was raising my three kids, Santa, the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy had to be addressed--because the first 2 were way too pervasive in our culture to be ignored and the third while it doesn't pop up in movies and tv as often---it does get some coverage and kids talk to each other. So i approached it the same way i approached the subject of religions with them: Some people believe (insert details of myth); i consider it a mostly fun story, folklore/myth that sometimes gets distorted; You can decide for yourself, but remember it is not your place to tell to try and influence what other kids believe.
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I used to tell my kids pretty much the same thing.
 
feywon said:
Didn't have TV in our home till i was like 11yrs old. So for me it came mostly from books, tho i listened to 'Inner Sanctum' on the radio with my older sisters.
It is interesting to see the wide variety of things that are being referenced, and the wide variety of feelings about them--some focused on the 'fun' in suspending disbelief and some focused on the sense of betrayal when the truth came out, and on the oppressive nature of many religions.
Click to expand...

There is a line in the movie "Emerald Forest"..."When dreams become reality, trouble is not far away." In my experience it has gone both ways. Some I became elated with joy, others faded into disaster. Now, in my senior years it doesn't make much difference. My imagination is harmless and spontaneous ( without effort ), and I am enjoying the the stories I have accumulated throughout my life...all of them. Just think of all the material we contain to let our imaginations be free to see our world as fulfilling as possible.

This was another of my favorites.

 
Paco Dennis said:
There is a line in the movie "Emerald Forest"..."When dreams become reality, trouble is not far away." In my experience it has gone both ways. Some I became elated with joy, others faded into disaster. Now, in my senior years it doesn't make much difference. My imagination is harmless and spontaneous ( without effort ), and I am enjoying the the stories I have accumulated throughout my life...all of them. Just think of all the material we contain to let our imaginations be free to see our world as fulfilling as possible.

This was another of my favorites.

Click to expand...

I loved the absurdity of Get Smart.
 
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