Priestley, J.B. (1970. The Edwardians. Harper & Row. Even my father, a very different type, intelligent, brave, public-spirited, could not altogether escape the infection of “a reputation”, simply because he too had emerged, not without self-discipline and sacrifice, from a working-class background. We had a deep affection for each other, and the only sharp resentment arrived in my middle teens when I began to strike out for myself — coming home too late, wearing odd clothes, being seen with girls, usually older than myself, and so forth. My father’s cry was “What are the neighbors going to think?”, a question that did not worry me then and has never troubled me at any time since. But my father, a schoolmaster, in spite of — perhaps because of — his advanced views, had to look respectable, getting up early on Sunday mornings to put on his frock coat for Sunday School (he was superintendent) and chapel, while many of his relatives and mine (on my mother’s side, and a feckless lot) were lying in and then going out, dressed anyhow, for beer.
Pretty wordy paragraph about teenage rebellion. It pretty well stayed intact in reference to the youth of today. The Edwardian period of history ran from 1901 with the crowning of England’s King Edward VII, through 1914, just before the start of World War I. Lots of exciting things happened early on: Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, invention of the radio, man’s first airplane flight.
Now, I grew up in the early ‘60s thru the late ‘70s. Political tensions and extremes? Yeah, we had that. What I recall most about my teen years was the music! (Sadly, my Mom wouldn’t let me go to Woodstock because I only had a driver’s permit back then.) Our music was loud, it was rebellious, and it made history. Rock? Anyone louder than The Who? Nope. Soul? Can you say Motown? Just think back to the lyrics of “The Pusher” by Steppenwolf. Written by Country star Hoyt Axton, it was really an anti-drug song. However, that’s not what it’s remembered for. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Santana, Sly & The Family Stone, and K.C. & The Sunshine Band were all segregated bands that threw off the yoke of a color barrier to make bombastic music we all danced to.
By comparison, this generation of tweens and teens can claim what? The invention of climate change? Tik-Tok? iPhone 14? 5G? And memes! We can’t forget about memes. Uhhh, keep trying. We’re all pullin’ for ya.
George Keck is an Army Retiree, a drummer, and Lawton resident, off and on, since 1964.
