I don't think they would believe it nowadays?

[alz]

I was just thinking of some of the things from when I was younger that people would have difficulty believing today, but it's not really all that long ago. First one was when some people from the military came to school and told us what to do in the event of a nuclear bomb being dropped. The best advice they offered was to get down as flat as possible on the ground bury your face in the ground, hands over the top,

Second one, my wife reminded me a couple of days ago...'Remember when there were two mail deliveries a day?'

 

[alz]

Speaking of schooldays, I remember my daughters being horrified when I told them of corporal punishment.
Up here in Scotland, boys at primary were taught knitting in P5. But the woman teacher had an awful habit of hitting you hard over the knuckles with a wooden ruler when you dropped a stitch.
At secondary every teacher carried a forked leather strap , a thick long "tawse" hanging over their right shoulder under their gown. Recall being given a stinging wallop with one for having drawn a double line in geometry and having rubbed out the original mistaken angle.

 

[Sandyn]

awful habit of hitting you hard over the knuckles with a wooden ruler when you dropped a stitch.

I have seen it all and had many of the types of punishment, except caning. That was for posh schools

 

[Droogs]

I remember all the boys in my class being lined up and given1 of the belt on the very last day of school before the summer holidays just before school ended at lunch time, so we would remember it, even those who had never had it before (not me obvs). We were all a little baffled as no one had told us that when we came back after the holidays it wouldn't be allowed anymore, that was 1983.

 

[Rorschach]

I remember hearing an old fart at a family gathering (not my family), I was a teen, he is now long gone. Had a few drinks and was giving a speech (rant) and said something along the lines of "When I was in school they used to use the birch if we caused trouble, nothing wrong with beating kids now and then, does them good, made me the man I am" (you know the type). His wife butted in and said "probably good they stopped it, it made you an a**hole". He didn't find that funny, but everyone else did.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I have seen it all and had many of the types of punishment, except caning. That was for posh schools

I was caned. Someone had a pop at beating me up and I beat seven bells out of him. Six of the best - I had twelve stripes across my right forearm, twelve across the right cheek, twelve across the left, twelve across the left arm and twelve down the inside of the left thigth where the end curled around. I swear to this day it was a piece of electic flex not a cane.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

We used to be given three four figure "squares" in the first form. We had to pick four numbers and work out the square, the rearrange them and square that, the another. So e.g. I could pick 1234, then 2341 and 3412.
This rose to five "squares" in the second year, and then three five figure "cubes" in the third. Five five figure cubes in the fourth year and eight five figure cubes in the fifth.

 

[Sandyn]

I had twelve stripes across my right forearm, twelve across the right cheek, twelve across the left, twelve across the left arm and twelve down the inside of the left thigth where the end curled around.

Character building!!! ..Pretty brutal really. There were teachers at school, I would make sure I didn't do anything to get the belt, it was brutally painful, but others couldn't belt properly, so they were fair game for some fun. One lady art teacher was very short, so you put your hands up high, she couldn't get a good swing, but you would pull your hands away at the last moment. She would then make you sit on the desk with your hands on your thighs, so if you pulled your hands away, the thighs got it. Some teachers could use the belt like a whip, perfect timing, perfect accuracy, they could draw blood on your wrist.
I never got the belt when I didn't deserve it and there were many times I deserved it and didn't get it. My teachers, especially the technical ones were very good and much of what I still use today, I learnt from them. I owe them a great deal...sorry teachers!!

 

[Phil Russell]

Memories. In the late 50s / early 60s: My all boys school in B'ham allowed corporal punishment. By due diligence I escaped it. Not all teachers used it, indeed very few. A maths master used no implement but did lift you out of your seat by gripping your sideburn and lifting. A French master threw blackboard wipers around with gay abandon. Others threw the chalk at you. The music master used a slipper (pump / plimsol) and had various sizes in his cupboard. He let the unfortunate boy select which size pump he wanted to be hit with. Caning was only done by the headmaster ... in his office normally but for very serious offences, in front of the whole school.
Cheers, Phil

 

[Jacob]

....
Quote from the paper, people do not want their history rewritten.

History is what it is. People are deluded if they think they have a choice.

This is a tolerant and loving country.....

As long as you are not black, immigrant, asylum seeker, muslim, poor, unemployed, etc etc
Just been reading David Olusoga's book "Black and British" David Olusoga - Wikipedia fascinating stuff about the history we were NOT taught. It's our history too even if we are not black ourselves. A brilliant TV series.
Another very readable book which could challenge many: Verso
"Cancel Culture" is a popular right wing myth - if anything we have the opposite where more people are outspoken about more issues than used to be the case. Here for instance, this would have been totally unacceptable 20 years ago:

 

[Rorschach]

History is what it is. People are deluded if they think they have a choice. As long as you are not black, immigrant, asylum seeker, muslim, poor, unemployed, etc etc
Just been reading David Olusoga's book David Olusoga - Wikipedia
Fascinating stuff about the history we were NOT taught.
Another very readable book which could challenge many: Verso

You missed out Tory or Brexiteer as well

 

[Jacob]

You missed out Tory or Brexiteer as well

Neither are hard done to - Tories are in power and Brexiters have taken us to their promised land!
Sorry it's not working out BTW, but you were warned!

 

[Rorschach]

Neither are hard done to - Tories are in power and Brexiters have taken us to their promised land!
Sorry it's not working out BTW, but you were warned!

Oh I wish I could have a pair of your rose tinted spectacles, the world must look so lovely through them.

 

[BHwoodworking]

3.............2...................1 and wait for the tread to be locked due to the 'B' word

 

[gregmcateer]

Funnily enough, I have just finished reading an article in the newspaper about Lawrence Fox the actor (42) setting up an anti-woke party called Reclaim.
Quote from the paper, people do not want their history rewritten. This is a tolerant and loving country. It aspires to be and is what it is and it’s what it wants to continue to be,
And these people who walk around telling us that we’re all massive racist all the time. We need a right to reply to them. That’s what my belief is. I think it’s in the interests of democracy that everyone speaks freely"
Apparently 50% of the people in the country who were asked think they are less free to say what they think today than five years ago as cancel culture has taken root.

Laurence Fox is an incredibly privileged pr*t, who spouts whataboutery at every opportunity. Anyone in his position who fails to recognise the advantages he's enjoyed through luck of birth is deluded.

Calling out racism, sexism, etc-ism doesn't make it 'cancel culture' per se. Sure, debate is important, sure different views are important, (as shown on this forum), but to suggest he's being cancelled is patent carp.

Oh and he's a **** actor, too. Just saying

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I'm sure Jacob has someone taking side bets on how long it takes him to get threads locked.

 

[Jacob]

I'm sure Jacob has someone taking side bets on how long it takes him to get threads locked.

Moi!
Not me introducing a highly controversial political theme! Read a few posts back!
Some people do seem to be surprised to be disagreed with - all the more reason to surprise them I think.
Better out than in!

 

[artie]

I'm all for expressing different opinions, it's healthy and on the odd occasion I've changed my viewpoint because someone introduced me to a different POV.

I do think the forum has settled down a bit from recent times, so there is hope.

I have found that derogatory name calling and describing a different opinion to ones own as dung is rarely (never ) helpful.

So can we stop it please?

 

[Nigel Burden]

I was caned. Someone had a pop at beating me up and I beat seven bells out of him. Six of the best - I had twelve stripes across my right forearm, twelve across the right cheek, twelve across the left, twelve across the left arm and twelve down the inside of the left thigth where the end curled around. I swear to this day it was a piece of electic flex not a cane.

I remember my brother beat up a gypsy who'd had a go at him. He said that it dawned on him after the event that he would have the rest of the gypsies mates or family after him. Sure enough that happened. "I had to think a bit quick, so I hit the biggest one and put him on the floor, with that the others scarpered." None of them bothered him after that.

Nigel.

 

[Robinski]

Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson. Wonderful. How she wrote that at nineteen years old I'll never quite understand.

Didn't expect to see this on a woodworking forum but not complaining....Sandy was a great songwriter & singer musician, this song is my favourite by her and as i will be 65 this summer it feels very apt, been listening to it a lot this last year or so. You have good taste sir