I was young during the Cuban missile crisis. Scared me rigid...that was when I made a resolution to try to switch off and avoid news when things get really bad. Not easy...doesn’t always work, but helps you to keep sane. Stopped watching Covid news a month ago.
I remember world events. But they weren't thick and fast like now. I remember terrorism, when they'd phone through the threat, and that was still scary as hell. Now they'll just chop you up with a machete. Glad I'm not young.
So what were you thoughts as a ten year old seeing planes fly into buildings? How does a childs mind process that? Makes me shudder.
As a child at the time, I didn't really understand the seriousness of what happened. Seeing the pictures on the TV, I just thought it was a horrific accident.
That sounds like a rather good self protection mechanism. I hope that is a common feature in today's climate.
Another memorable horror film was Fallen...the chase sequences accompanied by the song Time Is On My Side still sends shivers down my spine. Anyone else remember it.
Also it was the 45 year anniversary yesterday of when Jaws was released,the haunting music is unforgettable.
I actually found the film disappointing, when I watched it many years ago, mainly because I thought it would be based on the book, also called The Fog, written by James Herbert in 1975. The book is infinitely scarier and also mentions local areas such as Wiltshire, Bournemouth and Winchester before the fog moves on to London. I used to have James Herbert’s entire collection in hard back, and if you like reading books that give you a chill down the spine, give them a go. I preferred him to Stephen King and Dean Koontz, in this genre.
Actually don’t like horror (books or films)....though don’t mind the occasional ghost story. It’s just that I watched a greater variety of films when younger...now, at my age, I only find the time for things I really like...usually something that makes me feel good.
It seems that slavery, in the USA, continued until 1940, under the name “peonage”, and was actively supported by the government. Some black history interesting facts : In 1866, one year after the 13 Amendment was ratified (the amendment that ended slavery), Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina began to lease out convicts for labor (peonage). This made the business of arresting Blacks very lucrative, which is why hundreds of White men were hired by these states as police officers. Their primary responsibility was to search out and arrest Blacks who were in violation of Black Codes. Once arrested, these men, women and children would be leased to plantations where they would harvest cotton, tobacco, sugar cane. Or they would be leased to work at coal mines, or railroad companies. The owners of these businesses would pay the state for every prisoner who worked for them; prison labor. It is believed that after the passing of the 13th Amendment, more than 800,000 Blacks were part of the system of peonage, or re-enslavement through the prison system. Peonage didn’t end until after World War II began, around 1940. This is how it happened. The 13th Amendment declared that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." (Ratified in 1865) Did you catch that? It says, “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude could occur except as a punishment for a crime". Lawmakers used this phrase to make petty offenses crimes. When Blacks were found guilty of committing these crimes, they were imprisoned and then leased out to the same businesses that lost slaves after the passing of the 13th Amendment. This system of convict labor is called peonage. The majority of White Southern farmers and business owners hated the 13th Amendment because it took away slave labor. As a way to appease them, the federal government turned a blind eye when southern states used this clause in the 13th Amendment to establish laws called Black Codes. Here are some examples of Black Codes: In Louisiana, it was illegal for a Black man to preach to Black congregations without special permission in writing from the president of the police. If caught, he could be arrested and fined. If he could not pay the fines, which were unbelievably high, he would be forced to work for an individual, or go to jail or prison where he would work until his debt was paid off. If a Black person did not have a job, he or she could be arrested and imprisoned on the charge of vagrancy or loitering. This next Black Code will make you cringe. In South Carolina, if the parent of a Black child was considered vagrant, the judicial system allowed the police and/or other government agencies to “apprentice” the child to an "employer". Males could be held until the age of 21, and females could be held until they were 18. Their owner had the legal right to inflict punishment on the child for disobedience, and to recapture them if they ran away. This (peonage) is an example of systemic racism - Racism established and perpetuated by government systems. Slavery was made legal by the U.S. Government. Segregation, Black Codes, Jim Crow and peonage were all made legal by the government, and upheld by the judicial system. *These acts of racism were built into the system, which is where the term “Systemic Racism” is derived*. *This is the part of "Black History" that most of us were never told about*.
I’ve always argued with my “Merkun” friends that slavery existed until recently and that the USA is one of the most racist countries, if not THE most. They’ve always said that was rubbish, but, thanks to this, StB, I can now back it up. This is appalling and many white “Merkuns” would have that back in a heartbeat to keep them uppity n*****s in their place (to quote “Blazing Saddles”) The USA has a shameful history and is not a lot better now sadly ....
