My oldest living relatives (my grandparents) were all born post-world war II (between 1945 and 1950). My grandparents grew up farming, and were all relatively poor. Their experiences may not have truly reflected the time periods they lived in, but they had plenty of unique experiences nonetheless.
Most of my grandparents were in school when Kennedy was assassinated. They heard about it relatively quickly, and since Kennedy was a favorite across America, they obviously took it pretty badly.. My grandpa had the strongest reaction to it, since he’s always been very patriotic. It was as if he’d lost a family member, for such an iconic figure to die like that. My grandma had dropped out of school at that point. She heard about it a few hours after it happened, and while she still took it badly, she didn’t have quite the initial shock like my other grandparents did.
The only relative I have that has served in the military was my grandpa, who served in Vietnam. He had a very rough time during his service, so he rarely ever talks about his experiences. He doesn’t regret serving his country, but he could live without the experiences he had during his tour.
My grandparents all remember when the Beatles became popular. All of their first records were either Beatles or Elvis ones, so both of those artists had a major spot in all of my grandparent’s hearts. They remember listening to them on their records, jukeboxes, and when they were released, all of the classic tapes. They were always in the lives of my grandparents, because even as the technology evolved, they always stuck around in their lives, leaving a lasting mark in their memories.
My family has always been centered around the rural areas around Wingate and Marshville (and some are from rural Stanley County), and as a result, they’ve always been extremely traditionalist, and very religious (typically). My grandparents all rejected the countercultural movement, like their parents before them, remaining very neutral (despite their love for the artists of that era). My dad fall of the Berlin Wall, the turn of the century and the technological surge have greatly outweighed the negative impressions of the last forty years.
stayed more in that mindset, but my mom attempted to lean more towards the countercultural ideas (but her parents wouldn’t let her get into it).
My grandparents always say that the moon landing was one of the most memorable points in their lives. They all remember how the nation basically stopped to watch the transmissions, as one of humanity’s most important dreams become reality.
My grandparents all grew up in poverty, and it was into the sixties before they started to gain their footing in the world. However, they still cook on the fifties very fondly. They love the music, the people and the ideals. Even some of the bad, such as the Korean War, seems to be lost in their minds. Most of their culture, even into the present day, is shaped primarily by their experiences in the fifties. They have mixed feelings about the sixties. Once again, they didn’t support the counterculture movement. They lived in fear of Russia, with the Cold War at its peak, and they had to live through numerous political and social candles, as well as the Civil Rights movement. They still remember a time when segregation was going strong, something they all said they’d never soon forget. Most importantly ,they remember when it ended. They were introduced to ao many new things and ideas in the sixties, that they didn’t even hardly know how to react. The transition into the seventies really threw them a curve. It was the age of rebellion, as the counterculture attacked tradition at full strength. As a result, they have very low views on that time period. However, they do remember one good thing about the seventies: disco. It totally reshaped their opinions towards music, and left a little god in their minds when remembering the seventies. From the eighties forward, they tend to enjoy their memories. It’s been much calmer politically and socially since then, so they have significantly better memories from then until now. They do remember a few bad events (such as desert storm, 9/11, and a few others), but events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the turn of the century and the technological surge of the last thirty years have greatly outweighed the negative impressions of the last forty years.
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