Pledge of Allegiance every morning, followed by "My Country tis of Thee," followed by real school work. California schools were no joke in the 70's, they were number 1 out of the 50 states. Getting into UCLA or USC was pretty much automatic, and even Stanford wasn’t hard to get into if you had stayed awake in high school (I didn’t). Disneyland was in our school district, and donated movies like "Johnny Tremain," and "Pollyanna." (You probably won't find these movies on "Disney Plus" nowadays.) We also got a free school trip to the park every year. We could play in what was left of the old Anaheim train station, or ride our bikes to the Santa Ana riverbed. Nowadays these places are big homeless encampments. Times have changed, and not for the better.
Going To School In 1977
- Thread starter micpoc
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58Bassman
Tele-Holic
Mine were Green, Green & Green- dirtbags kept stealing them from me.
resignation is often confused for commitment!
later students sometimes confused patience for approval
In those days my school had PE 5 days a week, no one used phones or sat home in front of a computer. Kids played outside until dark, and in my teen years I was always out fooling around with my friends, working on our cars, and talking about girls. We played capture the flag every week, hiked, fished, and hunted in the hills, and were otherwise busy.
Today I live in Japan, which has all the same fast food places as America (and more), and most food is in the form of carbohydrates and sugar, and often deep-fried on top of that. But obesity is quite rare here, and the diabetes rate is one-fifth that in America. Kids in Japan have PE 5 days a week, are required to have at least one after school activity, and (no kidding) are required to walk to and from school. Your average Japanese nerd student does as much physical activity as a kid on an American track team. Physical fitness is taken seriously, Japan believes you can’t have a healthy mind without a healthy body.
When I was 17, my friend Tony's mom managed the local Shakey’s, my would-be girlfriend worked at Burger King, my friend Frank worked at Carl’s Junior (usually making obscene deep fried figures from the french fry mix), Mike worked at Chuck E Cheese, my friend Tom worked at the drive through window at the KFC, and I worked at the Pick-Your-Part junk yard. I never lacked for food, my friends never lacked for parts for their clunkers. I was pretty thin in those days, I wore Wrangler slim-fit jeans with a 28" waist. I wish I could fit into them today.
did you go to savanna?
"Dazed and Confused" is EXACTLY like it was in HS for me and my buds from '74-'78...
I was between a geek and a burnout but not a jock. I went into the USAF during the last semester of my senior year at 17 because I was 2 credits short of graduating and didn't want to endure summer school to graduate. Ironically, I obtained my GED before the graduation. Also, those were the days when you didn't have to take a piss test before entering the service otherwise...I would've gone to summer school!
https://ok.ru/video/235860658706?fromTime=3
Check it out. The music is perfect for the era and exactly what we listened to and it's one of my favorite movies.
I was between a geek and a burnout but not a jock. I went into the USAF during the last semester of my senior year at 17 because I was 2 credits short of graduating and didn't want to endure summer school to graduate. Ironically, I obtained my GED before the graduation. Also, those were the days when you didn't have to take a piss test before entering the service otherwise...I would've gone to summer school!
https://ok.ru/video/235860658706?fromTime=3
Check it out. The music is perfect for the era and exactly what we listened to and it's one of my favorite movies.
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tubedude
Tele-Afflicted
The weapons are the same, the kids are different.
That is what my little brother's Junior year looked like.
I was away studying Military Science, History, Russian, and German. A bit to busy to play around.
I was away studying Military Science, History, Russian, and German. A bit to busy to play around.
imwjl
Doctor of Teleocity
The data set or scope is always important for statements like those.
On schools. Our 3 kids are in same good "public ivy" their parents graduated from. It's not impossible but harder to get in because of much more competition. At same time the state university system plus many others still have excellent institutions for kids who don't bet into the best. They all still achieve important measures such as passing the CPA or PE certifications. The top students keep us competitive with the whole planet. Another tremendous aspect of the post high schooling now is how votech (2 year, trade, tech) campuses have improved and remain good.
One part of the homeless problem is people go to areas that are prosperous and where it is easier to live. We have a lot of rural problems and it in part shows up in prosperous cities.
The good news since 1977 is on the whole - our planet - we have had tremendous progress against against health and poverty matters and more experience to know isolation doesn't work well for most societies. We are long past being able to live in older ways without huge amounts of collapse or chaos. Just do the math on how much ammonia (fertilizer) we make from the petroleum industry to understand that.
MarkieMark
Friend of Leo's
Was there for many concerts, sports and various things. I remember when it was built, and when it was demolished.
RFK stadium too.
There was a trick when leaving the Cap center, if you knew the spot- where you could cut through a field and avoid the choked exit road.
20k people leaving a vast parking lot that surrounded the stadium via one little two lane driveway...
Great planning there.
imwjl
Doctor of Teleocity
That really contradicts my having a whole lot of management experience with both and over decades.
My understanding comes from many years of shooting range plus youth program and volunteering management. It is stuff where we have to keep records and have a lot beyond what is required The kids are not much or any different than when I did same and similar teaching decades ago. The shooting range management absolutely shows stats beyond ours about the market and product mix being much changed.
Don't stress or break the rules here. If you have same or similar experience managing a shooting range facility and youth outreach you could send me a private message.
CCK1
Tele-Afflicted
I graduated in 1975, and the parking lot was full of Road Runners, Chevrolet SS 396, and Mach 1’s. And more than a few F-150’s with gun racks and hunting rifles or shotguns depending on what game was in season.
I was playing a Conrad Stratocaster copy through a Vox Super Beatle, later through a blue sparkle Kustom K200, with a Electro-Harmonix Big Muff for distortion.
It was a good time.
I was playing a Conrad Stratocaster copy through a Vox Super Beatle, later through a blue sparkle Kustom K200, with a Electro-Harmonix Big Muff for distortion.
It was a good time.
lammie200
Friend of Leo's
Most houses on our block had basketball hoops in their driveways including ours. We played basketball constantly when we were home. Prior to HS before I got a summer and after school job we went fishing every day in the summers. I also played organized baseball for 8-9 years straight before I graduated from high school. 7th & 8th grade football and basketball, too. There was while when I wore 29" & 30" waist jeans. Now I am at 32" which is OK with me. I won't say that I am old now but the era that we are talking about is when I graduated from HS. That was a long time ago and punk/new wave was fresh on the scene.
String Tree
Doctor of Teleocity
A lot of people did have CB Radios.
It gave people with Nothing to say, a way to prove it.
YEP!!!
Brent Hutto
Tele-Afflicted
It's an early form of social media.
String Tree
Doctor of Teleocity
10-4 Good Buddy!
MarkieMark
Friend of Leo's
The OP's video example is clearly a far more affluent region than where I went to high school. Which is funny, seeing as the county I grew up in statistically scores near the top nationally when comparing wealth, real estate values and so-forth.
But wise men understand "averages" require regions well under and over the mean.
And my personal experience may be far from typical for many other reasons.
Since some are interested in comparing notes on disparities and variations in our experiences from the time, I'll tell some of my story. Long post, skip it unless you are one of the few who are into comparing notes...
I grew up in an outer edge suburb, edge of the country kind of setting. Went to private parochial schools and though I blended in the neighborhood/community some, I recognize there was some degree of "sheltered" occurring.
But the level of freedom was very high. We didn't lock our home, keys were in the family cars, etc. There were hunting firearms unsecured, etc. That did all change somewhere soon during/after that period. I would blame some of that on the growth of suburban sprawl I think. Some on other social aspects too.
I started my high school phase at a parochial boarding academy. By my own choice. For some reason I just felt the need to explore something different. I think there was perhaps less than 250 students total there. 2/3 female. An environment had recently evolved out of a strictly separated status, where they even had separate walkways for the boys and girls and they only blended under strictly supervised situations.
The first year was OK, but by midway through the second, I had become restless and longed for home and my freedoms back.
I finished that year living back at home, but at yet another parochial school across county. similar size.
No bus service- we did carpool before I had a car. After which came skipping, etc. I wasn't very focused on anything scholastically at that point.
But I knew I had to graduate, if only barely at minimum. Built in guilt trip?
My junior year I switched to the local public school system. A large school where the population had outgrown the building so 9th grade was moved to the local middle school. 10-12th had over 950 students. I felt lost. I had bad dreams about being unable to remember where my next class was. It was crowded. At the time that was big. A local school has an annual enrollment three times that now.
I do remember the shock of the "smoking lounge" Everyone smoked there. Underage, staff, everyone. And the cafeteria- oh man, I tried that ONCE and was appalled. I guess it failed to meet my standards.
I did not eat there.
Cars:
The local public high was 8 or 10 miles+ from home. So, it often meant cars.
There were a few "cool cars" (A few of which meant little to us back then but would be worth serious money today!) but mostly families boring "second" or extra cars.
My circle was pickup trucks mostly. A few of the locals had big jacked up 4X4 stuff, but that wasn't us. Anything that ran, hauled stuff, made it in and out of field parties...
My small group all had gathered extra bench seats from the junkyard and put them in the truck bed, behind the cab, facing backwards.
Party wagons.
My senior year, I acquired a GMC long bed, Deluxe package with the tow package option. This meant a 350 4 barrel and a heavy-duty version of the T350 transmission. a little minor parts swapping from stuff lying around, and it became a bit of a sleeper/animal that would put many of the periods "muscle cars" to shame.
For example- A friend that scrimped and saved and bought a brand new '79 Z-28 was tortured and appalled to learn my beater pickup truck would out drag and out run him at speed, effortlessly.
Thats what I was about.
Cliques:
There was division, Though much different than now or even later years.
We had "jocks", "Geek/nerds" "Heads" "rednecks" and more. There was some racial division. I don't want to ruin the thread by going there but will say it was there- just different than later periods/now in my observation.
On that, I will only state that I was then, and am even more now- open minded.
This is not a hill I wish to fight over.
The interesting aspect to me was the overlap. The areas where the groups interacted and inter-related.
The people who identified "somewhere in between"
So much to assess...
So much more.
But wise men understand "averages" require regions well under and over the mean.
And my personal experience may be far from typical for many other reasons.
Since some are interested in comparing notes on disparities and variations in our experiences from the time, I'll tell some of my story. Long post, skip it unless you are one of the few who are into comparing notes...
I grew up in an outer edge suburb, edge of the country kind of setting. Went to private parochial schools and though I blended in the neighborhood/community some, I recognize there was some degree of "sheltered" occurring.
But the level of freedom was very high. We didn't lock our home, keys were in the family cars, etc. There were hunting firearms unsecured, etc. That did all change somewhere soon during/after that period. I would blame some of that on the growth of suburban sprawl I think. Some on other social aspects too.
I started my high school phase at a parochial boarding academy. By my own choice. For some reason I just felt the need to explore something different. I think there was perhaps less than 250 students total there. 2/3 female. An environment had recently evolved out of a strictly separated status, where they even had separate walkways for the boys and girls and they only blended under strictly supervised situations.
The first year was OK, but by midway through the second, I had become restless and longed for home and my freedoms back.
I finished that year living back at home, but at yet another parochial school across county. similar size.
No bus service- we did carpool before I had a car. After which came skipping, etc. I wasn't very focused on anything scholastically at that point.
But I knew I had to graduate, if only barely at minimum. Built in guilt trip?
My junior year I switched to the local public school system. A large school where the population had outgrown the building so 9th grade was moved to the local middle school. 10-12th had over 950 students. I felt lost. I had bad dreams about being unable to remember where my next class was. It was crowded. At the time that was big. A local school has an annual enrollment three times that now.
I do remember the shock of the "smoking lounge" Everyone smoked there. Underage, staff, everyone. And the cafeteria- oh man, I tried that ONCE and was appalled. I guess it failed to meet my standards.
I did not eat there.
Cars:
The local public high was 8 or 10 miles+ from home. So, it often meant cars.
There were a few "cool cars" (A few of which meant little to us back then but would be worth serious money today!) but mostly families boring "second" or extra cars.
My circle was pickup trucks mostly. A few of the locals had big jacked up 4X4 stuff, but that wasn't us. Anything that ran, hauled stuff, made it in and out of field parties...
My small group all had gathered extra bench seats from the junkyard and put them in the truck bed, behind the cab, facing backwards.
Party wagons.
My senior year, I acquired a GMC long bed, Deluxe package with the tow package option. This meant a 350 4 barrel and a heavy-duty version of the T350 transmission. a little minor parts swapping from stuff lying around, and it became a bit of a sleeper/animal that would put many of the periods "muscle cars" to shame.
For example- A friend that scrimped and saved and bought a brand new '79 Z-28 was tortured and appalled to learn my beater pickup truck would out drag and out run him at speed, effortlessly.
Thats what I was about.
Cliques:
There was division, Though much different than now or even later years.
We had "jocks", "Geek/nerds" "Heads" "rednecks" and more. There was some racial division. I don't want to ruin the thread by going there but will say it was there- just different than later periods/now in my observation.
On that, I will only state that I was then, and am even more now- open minded.
This is not a hill I wish to fight over.
The interesting aspect to me was the overlap. The areas where the groups interacted and inter-related.
The people who identified "somewhere in between"
So much to assess...
So much more.
imwjl
Doctor of Teleocity
From a late start parent and leader in youth programs I 660,000ish metro area.....
The cliques still exist and the guns presence and interest you mention is not new but now one of the cliques. One important thing about the cliques now is far more parents and school staff savvy to the bad parts. My kids were in one of the state's biggest high schools in a combined school district. For our class of '22 twins vs my class of '77 it seems much like the 600+ kids from whole county and farther I teach where the institutions overall don't tolerate the bullying that occurred in my day.
Someone's post on pickup trucks in that time was interesting because they used to be more a bargain than high margin product. They were popular as a basic or second vehicle and company issue vehicle. 6 cylinder, 1 bbl carb, 3 on the tree. I recall the first round of higher gasoline prices was when the dads of two childhood pals got their "company cars" replaced as cars vs basic pickups. Now they are also a high end job benefit - see my post on the Rivian arrived.
I'm not sure where exactly you grew up but your post also made me think of visits to a family associate in the Philadelphia area. I recall really big demographics lines that seemed like bigger invisible lines than my familiarity with this video or where my cousins were in Chicago, Denver and SOCAL.
We're still the same species and it's not like lots of us have had an all of a mutation or sudden accelerated evolution more than social matters. Kids are still kids and we even have well rounded old fashioned feral kids in the year 2023. The 18 - 20 year olds who jam at our house mostly are as it was 45 years ago but the digital tools sure are nice compared to fake books and buying official sheet music. They even fix and mod cars in a modern version.
MarkieMark
Friend of Leo's
I got sidetracked writing all that and forgot the point I was headed to-
Meandering:
I worked full time every summer beginning at 13-14 years old.
In 11th grade I got a job at a local car dealership, working part time after a shortened school schedule and full time that summer. When I displayed skills (Unrelated but funny story) I moved from a position of Porter/Gopher to mechanic/trainee.
All of my peers had jobs. I don't recall anyone struggling to find a job, and this was a period people often point to as a "difficult" economy.
But not to many of those "kids" had skilled labor jobs that paid as well as mine, or had a full-time position lined up starting the Monday after graduation.
So again, my experience was non-typical.
Also, I recognize that though I was unaware of it at the time, I grew up in a region that was traditionally less effected by economic cycles and elevated unemployment rate cycles. So when people talk of those bad times in that period- I didn't really see it as that tough. Yeah, I remember a gas price spike, embargo, all that stuff- but it certainly didn't cause me much personal difficulty at the time.
So "meandering" for me was little more than a typical teenager wanting to get out of school and move on. Of course, as is common- I wish I had studied harder, had more interest in learning at that time- but I just felt "done with that."
But it wasn't like I had nothing to do or didn't know where I was headed- it was more like the world was wide open and full of opportunity.
Again, recognizably non-typical high schooler, I guess.
Or that is just my character/mentality.
Meandering:
I worked full time every summer beginning at 13-14 years old.
In 11th grade I got a job at a local car dealership, working part time after a shortened school schedule and full time that summer. When I displayed skills (Unrelated but funny story) I moved from a position of Porter/Gopher to mechanic/trainee.
All of my peers had jobs. I don't recall anyone struggling to find a job, and this was a period people often point to as a "difficult" economy.
But not to many of those "kids" had skilled labor jobs that paid as well as mine, or had a full-time position lined up starting the Monday after graduation.
So again, my experience was non-typical.
Also, I recognize that though I was unaware of it at the time, I grew up in a region that was traditionally less effected by economic cycles and elevated unemployment rate cycles. So when people talk of those bad times in that period- I didn't really see it as that tough. Yeah, I remember a gas price spike, embargo, all that stuff- but it certainly didn't cause me much personal difficulty at the time.
So "meandering" for me was little more than a typical teenager wanting to get out of school and move on. Of course, as is common- I wish I had studied harder, had more interest in learning at that time- but I just felt "done with that."
But it wasn't like I had nothing to do or didn't know where I was headed- it was more like the world was wide open and full of opportunity.
Again, recognizably non-typical high schooler, I guess.
Or that is just my character/mentality.
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