I was born during the Depression, was a child during World War II, and came to manhood in the aftermath. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.
Considering the state of the country today, the "best of times" prevails in my memories.
Oh, there was plenty of material for the "worst of times" scenario. The Depression and World War II don't fit anybody's idea of Paradise. We went straight from World War II to the Cold War, and several hot wars, starting with Korea. The misguided, misbegotten, cynical Cold War was savagely fought on all fronts, with McCarthyism for spice. Racism was more overt than it is today, and even officially sanctioned in most of the South. There were attempts to put women, who had made great gains during the war, when men were scarce, back into their place.
But yet, but yet...
There was still the sense that America was the "city upon a hill," in the immortal phrase of John Winthrop, governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. At the end of World War II we were almost universally admired; a beacon of light for all the world.
Rest at: http://www.swans.com/library/art12/rdeck062.html
Posted by Deck at May 7, 2006 07:29 PM