A question for the youngsters

I'm curious. For those of you that have been through Hi School during the current war, what's it like? As in, is the war part of the curriculum? Do the majority of kids in school care about the war and are knowledgeable about the war? Is it a topic of conversation among classmates? Are there arguments among classmates? Are kids politicized over this?

I was in Hi School during the first gulf war, but that was a pre 9/11 environment, and a "war" that lasted like a week.

I'm just interested in the effects the current war/political climate has on teenage culture and teachings within the schooling system.

 

I graduated in 07, and I can't remember us ever really talking about the current war. I'm trying real hard to think about atime we did and I can't come up with one. I think we got as late as Vietnam war, but we never really talked about the Gulf War. In fact I know we didn't. Civil war, WW1, WW2, Vietnam, Cold War. That's it I believe.

 

I also graduated in '07 and I'd say no on all counts.

 

From an older person's perspective, school has always been much too selective and secretive about "war education".

I entered kindergarten around the time we were simply advising South Vietnamese how to kill their neighbors, and tragically we were still there somewhat when I exited high school. While many wars in the distant past were served up as lessons of sorts, 2 of my history teachers nearly got fired for teaching the truth about the Vietnam war.

As for the Korean war, it was never mentioned in class that I can recall. I learned what little I know of it at the public library, and from private conversations with teachers and relatives who served in Korea.

Most of what you get from school is biased, censored, incomplete, or simply untrue.

I encourage today's students to think of school as a lightweight supplement to their education, and to make use of their libraries, the internet, and real people who can share personal experiences, for the meat of their learning.

 

When I was in High School, Vietnam was going on. Some older brothers of my classmates were killed. We had been watching it on the nightly news since Junior High. There was a draft in progress...................we definitely talked about that war.

Just tonight my 18 year old asked me about the draft, as he had registered. He couldn't relate, as there is no draft now, and he is not exposed to older brothers, being killed.

 

I graduated in 02 and can remember watching 911 happen while at school. I don't remember talking about the gulf war in school really, although I think a history teacher mentioned it a little bit.

 

i was in 7th grade during the gulf war. they told us about mustard gas and i was freaked the fuck out.

 

"you mean like at the end of indiana jones and the holy grail where his face melts off!? It does that!? "

 

I was 16 on 9/11 and turned 18 2 months after we invaded Iraq. It freaked my shit out, thought there was gonna be a draft for sure.

But growing up in a strange community of artists and weirdos in Portland, Oregon, we were all pretty much universally against the war.

 

I graduated last year and I remember the war being quite a big part of school.

We used to get quite a lot of recruiting officers in our school looking for Seniors to enlist and terrorism was quite a big part of our curriculum in our History and Geography classes. I can't think of any specific times, though.

 

Stop lying.

 

Growing up in the 80s, I always assumed I would die in a Soviet nuclear blast. In fact, I had discussions with my parents about it. My position was that if war was declared, I'd rather drive to downtown Portland and end our lives quickly than die slowly from nuclear winter or radiation exposure.

 

Do you laugh about it now or are you still super serious?

 

The Cold War was no joke, especially after Reagan upped the temperature. History proved the tactic right, but it was terrifying for years.

It's a strange thing to expect to die, plan for it and then come through okay. It's even stranger when you come to terms with the fact you're likely going to die before you graduate high school. No kid should have those thoughts.

 

In grade school we had the "duck and cover drill". There were supplies stored in the schools with the Civil Defense sticker on them. The guy that lived behind us built a bomb shelter. We were 75 miles from an air base, and 6 miles from a missile comand center.

I remember being terrified of the Russians nuking us. This was in the late 50's early 60's. In high school it was a good excuse for sex, drugs, and rock and roll........Vietnam was waiting for us.

 

I had a history teacher who grew up pretty close to a military base in MA. He had a similar out take, that atleast he would die quickly. It is pretty depressing indeed. I know I got a little nervous about the y2k stuff.

 

Just curious, do you have different standards for your kids than you let yourself live by at that age? Obviously everyone will, but just curious since you mentioned it.