On more than one occasion I have heard it said , you're just like your father ! That's not a bad thing and one I can take some pride in. I wonder if it was a conscious effort on my part ? I have been thinking about my school days recently and the little cliques we were part of. Surely our parents or siblings influenced our decisions as to which group we wanted to join. This joining was not a conscious decision, at least it wasn't for me, but definitely a choice.
I chose to emulate a lot of what my parents felt about things in general. I pretty much adopted their attitudes and outlook. I did listen to modern music ( rock and roll ) and my politics wasn't always in agreement with theirs. The group I hung out with wouldn't be what you would call the " in " crowd. Not nerds, that group had not been identified in my day, but not the " cool " kids either. We were the middle of the roaders you might say. We had scholars, musicians and athletes in our group. We had a few regular guys too, I fit that category.
I always did wonder about the parents of the " cool " kids. Were they cool too ? Did they wear the latest fashions and just go with the latest trends and attitudes ? If they did not, why would they allow their children to do that ? I guess they just didn't care or something. That was my thinking. I didn't always like what my parents said or did but I had to respect it, to disrespect that, was to invite disaster. Discussion, at least with my parents, wasn't always the first course of action. Justice didn't always follow judgement !
I think basically what it boils down to is conservatism vs liberalism. My parents were conservative and so am I. Always have been and I expect I always will. Those good old conservative values from the heartland of America. Those values were brought here by my ancestors. They settled on the east coast first, namely New England. It was those settlers that expanded westward that created that heartland. And the heartland was based in traditional conservative values.
There are those conservatives that wish to be portrayed as liberal. There are liberals trying to appear conservative. When we are teens in high school, we just are. That, I think, is the basis for those little cliques. Find all the " cool " kids and you find the liberals. Find the regular kids and you find the conservatives. I also think that it can change over time. Going to college may change your outlook. Failures or disappointments in the causes you champion may alter your view. Just growing up and living life can have the same effect.
I would say I'm a little more liberal than my father but I'm still conservative. At sixty I don't think that will ever change. Doesn't mean that I'm not cool though. I'm hip and know what's happening. It's all good, Dog !
I chose to emulate a lot of what my parents felt about things in general. I pretty much adopted their attitudes and outlook. I did listen to modern music ( rock and roll ) and my politics wasn't always in agreement with theirs. The group I hung out with wouldn't be what you would call the " in " crowd. Not nerds, that group had not been identified in my day, but not the " cool " kids either. We were the middle of the roaders you might say. We had scholars, musicians and athletes in our group. We had a few regular guys too, I fit that category.
I always did wonder about the parents of the " cool " kids. Were they cool too ? Did they wear the latest fashions and just go with the latest trends and attitudes ? If they did not, why would they allow their children to do that ? I guess they just didn't care or something. That was my thinking. I didn't always like what my parents said or did but I had to respect it, to disrespect that, was to invite disaster. Discussion, at least with my parents, wasn't always the first course of action. Justice didn't always follow judgement !
I think basically what it boils down to is conservatism vs liberalism. My parents were conservative and so am I. Always have been and I expect I always will. Those good old conservative values from the heartland of America. Those values were brought here by my ancestors. They settled on the east coast first, namely New England. It was those settlers that expanded westward that created that heartland. And the heartland was based in traditional conservative values.
There are those conservatives that wish to be portrayed as liberal. There are liberals trying to appear conservative. When we are teens in high school, we just are. That, I think, is the basis for those little cliques. Find all the " cool " kids and you find the liberals. Find the regular kids and you find the conservatives. I also think that it can change over time. Going to college may change your outlook. Failures or disappointments in the causes you champion may alter your view. Just growing up and living life can have the same effect.
I would say I'm a little more liberal than my father but I'm still conservative. At sixty I don't think that will ever change. Doesn't mean that I'm not cool though. I'm hip and know what's happening. It's all good, Dog !
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