Old Timers. How does 2020 compare to the 60s?

agip wrote:

coach wrote:

Regarding income: as others have stated, most young couples today can not afford to but houses; in the 60s with just a father working most families were able to buy a house.

yes, because houses are something like 30% larger now.

if a family wants to live in a 1960s or 1970s size home, it will be much cheaper, especially at today's ultra-low mortgage rates. Much more affordable.

But people want the 30% more square footage, so it gets very expensive.

For the property itself perhaps but older homes require more maintenance which can add up too.

runpr2 wrote:

The big difference from today's wars and Vietnam is that back then, young men were drafted through a lottery system where your birthday was put in with all the other dates of the year. Those young men whose birth dates were drawn in the top half were going to be drafted into the army and made to go fight in Vietnam and maybe die. It did not matter if you were a student or married with kids in the last years of the war. Anyone whose date was pulled, went. No exceptions (unless you had a rich dad who paid a doctor to say you had bad feet).

The lottery was not implemented until 1969, in part to address the socioeconomic inequities. Prior to then you could avoid being drafted with an education deferment (Clinton, Biden, Cheney). Even after the draft was started there were still ways to get deferments, such as medical (Trump), be homosexual, conscientious objector, have dependent children (there was no marriage deferment). By joining the National Guard (George W Bush) you could also usually avoid Vietnam.

The main thing the lottery did was put an end to middle and upper class kids avoiding the draft by enrolling in college.

"I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen

And I always carry a purse

I got eyes like a bat,

And my feet are flat, and my

Asthma getting worse"

Draft Dodger Rag by Phil Ochs

I'm wondering how many posters on this thread were actually born in the 50s and were of draft age between 1969 and 1972 to remember.

I was born in 1954 and received my draft letter on my 18th birthday November 1972. I recall I pulled a #5 so I was reporting had not Nixon ended the draft shortly thereafter.

I was a freshman at Penn State on a running scholarship.

I had received a senatorial appointment to the Naval Academy because I was a HS XC and track star and an eagle scout (when that meant something) but turned it down to my father's dismay who had been a Navy enlisted man shortly after the end of WW2 right after high school.

Ironically, this would have exempted me from the draft and put me out of harm's way.

I recall my father telling me if I wanted to go to Canada he would understand. He didn't want to think of the possibility of his son being killed.

It didn't happen and worked out OK.

Aside from the discussion of the difference between social unrest in the 60s and today (the original post I think), I had a damn good childhood growing up in the 60s.

Other than the day when Kennedy was assassinated and we were sent home from school (1963 5th grade) I don't remember any of the other bad stuff.

It didn't affect me or my family in any way.

My father was a company man (maybe making about 10-12K/year I don't know for sure)

We lived in a pretty little house in suburban Phila. which my parents bought for 24K in 1956 and sold for 10x that in 1986 when they retired and moved to AZ. We had one car.

In retrospect I think America lost its innocence the day Kennedy died...

I'll throw this out... I also think it would be most hopeful for everyone on this post/site to reveal their age, background, where you went to school/if you ran in college if applicable and where you live now, family status and what you do for a living.

I think it would put a lot of these comments in perspective.

We're all different but share a common denominator: running.

Thanks for listening to the ramblings of an old man.

Life is good. Appreciate everyday day of yours and your loved ones.

I personally have known two people who have died of COVID recently. Life is short, fragile, and precious.

Let's all be kind to one another.

1958, born in a suburb of NY, currently married (2nd) and living in NYC. Retired from teaching 2 years ago. I had a few older brothers and sisters and two left leaning parents and we discussed politics nightly. I rebelled, became a WFB conservative but switched as I became tired of the "Reagan Youth" greed is good type of people in the 1980s.

Teaching in the south Bronx was eye opening. Some people are born lucky others start at a huge disadvantage