Was it the "Nice Decade"?

fc123

PasturesNew wrote: »

I guess a depression if you've grown up in the last 15-20 years does seem bad. But for the older generation we've seen most of it before and been aware of it.

We were brought up with Russia threatening to nuke us in our beds. Leaflets given out to householders on what to do in the event of nucleur attack and public information films on the TV.

Black and white TV, 3 channels that ran for a few hours in the morning and again in the evening, shutting down at 11pm.

70s shortages. 3-day weeks, strikes, every house having a 6-hour planned power cut every 24 hours (some nights tea was bread toasted on the open fire), potato shortages, sugar shortages, petrol shortages.

Only the middle-classes really went to University. Less places, less Unis. The rest were manual labour/shop/factory fodder.

No minimum wage, no flexi-time, minimal annual leave, no top up benefits for families.

There was shame in living together, shame in debt, shame in being unemployed. And shame if somebody saw you doing something a bit naughty (like sitting on a wall you shouldn't) as they'd tell your mum and you'd get told off and probably a smack.

Renting rooms/houses was a grim experience. Think Rising Damp - then take away the comeraderie the show promotes and add a few draughts.

All the older people at work and around us had fought in the WW1 and WW2. Every town still had the Workhouse and you knew what it was for.

Mend and make do. Everything 2nd hand.

No central heating, few indoor bathrooms, no fitted carpets, no colour TV, no videos, no PCs, no Internet, no 24 hour multi-channel TV, no mp3 players/iPods, no mobile phones, no dish washers, no automatic washing machines, no microwaves, no foreign holidays, no credit cards, no 0% finance, no cheap goods.

Ropey, cold vehicles.

I'm sure I've left out things others can think of.

Did I live up North? No.

So when things revert, if there is a depression, we've seen a lot of it before. And we're not scared by it.

OMG my life from 0 - 18. (1963 - 1981) Written down like that it sounds so Hovis Ad.
At the time it was just as it was.
Our son cannot believe that OH had to leave school @ 16 and get a job (any job) to bring wages into the house.
He wanted to go to art college and there were grants then and no fees to pay.
He did butchery (and can still dissect the sunday chicken with annoying precision) and as the kid, was hung on a meathook in the freezer (to give the grownups 'A Larfff') and had to kill the rats in the yard with just a stick, then burn them in the brazier.
Could have bought a house from the tribunal compensation if it was nowadays.