Calling all Baby Boomers and Generation Xers

[Motorhead350]

I am writing a story and I do not know quite what to do with it when it's finished. Sounds like it's going to be a novel. It's going to be science fiction/comedy/action.

What I need from you guys and girls is to know the biggest conflicts you had in the late 50s and late 70s. If possible the early 30s too, but I think I will have to look that one up.

It doesn't matter if it was racism, violence, cencorship.... whatever you can think of. I need to know the conflicts.

This is a fictional story BTW, but I will need the reality of the eras too.

Anything you throw my way is appreciated.

Thanks.

[Paul T. Casey]

Late 70's had a lot of dope out there. That was a large conflict with a large potion of the baby boomers. Ruined many lives, many fortunes. I'm still burying friends who either never kicked or got sick (AIDS, Hep B & C) from this. I was real lucky.

[Mr. Man]

I spent a lot of time in Tokyo in the 50's and we were continuously attacked by a giant sea lizard that many times destroyed the city. And many times Tokyo rebuilt itself only to be destroyed again when the monster came back looking for vengeance for what man had done to it in the nuclear tests.

[UncleLar]

Dom,I remember one night as we were getting let out of our last class in school during the Missile Crisis the reality of the world being totally destroyed was brought home to me when the teacher said "Good Night to us and it had been a pleasure to know us just in case,as there may very well not be a tomorrow"! Really scary stuff when you're twelve and nobody's kidding and the possibility of it was right there.We really came that close!
The day JFK got murdered was another day that'll stand out in my memory forever along with the tremendous feeling of loss,of what could've been and would never be,it was another hard lesson in reality.

[Bluerauder]

:laugh: :laugh:


I spent a lot of time in Tokyo in the 50's and we were continuously attacked by a giant sea lizard that many times destroyed the city. And many times Tokyo rebuilt itself only to be destroyed again when the monster came back looking for vengeance for what man had done to it in the nuclear tests.

Yep, Godzilla wiped out Tokyo many times in the '50s. And Rodan did too. And the Giant Behemoth and others. And they never could figure out how to get the voices in sync with the film.

In the 50's, we had Korea, Martians, moon men, the beginning of the space race, the Cold War, Sputnik, segregation, and the beginnings of suburbia with mass exodus from the urban population centers. It was also the beginning of the scourge of all mankind .... "Rock & Roll". Civil Defense drills and air raid sirens were common. School kids were taught to get under their desks in the event someone dropped an atomic bomb.

In the 60's, there were the Kennedy assasinations -- John and Robert and Martin Luther King, riots and looting in Detroit, Baltimore & Washington, martial law and curfews, race to the Moon, the moon landing, more Cold War, Russians beating their shoes on the table at the United Nations, the Cuban Missile crisis, the beginning of the Vietnam war, school desegregation, the Draft & draft card burners, hippies, flower power, the British Invasion, long hair, Elvis movies, Free Love, LSD, Uppers & Downers, pill poppers, Psychedelic drugs, Thunderbird, Ripple and Boone's Farm Apple wine.

In the 70's, there was the end of the war in Vietnam, the gasoline crisis, Charlie's Angels, the Love Boat, disco and more drugs. Cable TV got big and so did MTV.

[Black Dynamite]

+1 on cold war. Do some research into when Francis Powers was shot down by the Ruskies. A very interesting but widely ignored story from the late 50's.

[SC Cheesehead]

There was a major cultural and social clash between Boomers and the "Establishment."

Check out the following to get a sense of some of the conflict:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_in_the_Streets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g17OT7_YzLM

Speaking of conflicts, Vietnam was a MAJOR conflict, both overseas and at home.

[Rocknthehawk]

In the 60's, there were the Kennedy assaninations -- John and Robert and Martin Luther King, riots and looting in Detroit, Baltimore & Washington, martial law and curfews, race to the Moon, the moon landing, more Cold War, Russians beating their shoes on the table at the United Nations, the Cuban Missile crisis, the beginning of the Vietnam war, school desegregation, the Draft & draft card burners, hippies, flower power, the British Invasion, long hair, Elvis movies, Free Love, LSD, Uppers & Downers, pill poppers, Psychedelic drugs, Thunderbird, Ripple and Boone's Farm Apple wine.



It's scary to think most of that wasn't too long ago.

[dakslim]

I was in Marine boot camp during the Cuban missle crises and our platoon commander said that our training would probably be cut short and we would be sent to Cuba...his quote: "Every so often the Marine Corps has to get off it's a$$ and go kick some a$$".

[dakslim]

Um, I never saw Godzilla, Mothra or Rodan while I was stationed on Okinawa however.

[Krytin]

Dom,

Pick up the latest copy of the World Almanac.
They have a concise time line of world history/events with all of the major conflicts and important players/dates. From this you can do detailed research on the topics of interest.

Good Luck,
Paul

[Motorhead350]

Thanks Paul!

[O's Fan Rich]

Nixon....
A good man, put down.


lol......

[jerrym3]

I was in Fort Dix, NJ, Advanced Infantry Training (AIT) during the Cuban missle crisis. Kennedy's speech had us all at the edge of our bunks.

Our Division's mission (USAR) was to serve as cadre in the event that a massive call up of new recruits was required. We were to set up in Virginia at a place called Camp Pickett.

But, since we were still in traing at Fort Dix, the rumor was that if things escalated immediately, we were to secure the Fort Dix power plant in the event that there was an attack within the USA aimed at disabling one of our military training establishments.

[Blackmobile]

:laugh: :laugh:



Yep, Godzilla wiped out Tokyo many times in the '50s. And Rodan did too. And the Giant Behemoth and others. And they never could figure out how to get the voices in sync with the film.



Yeah, but without Godzilla where would have Perry Mason get his start?

Ed

[guspech750]

80's..............HIV on the rise!!

[Mike Poore]

Dom, the Cuban Missile crisis was real, and you've seen two other posts from guys who were in the military at the time. I was at Ft. Sam Houston at the Brooke Army Medical Hospital and we were packed and ready to deploy, with trains at the ready for transport. We were unaware of the politics, only that the President was serious, and we were going into a bloody war with the Russians, and that there would be many causalities. Thankfully, they blinked, and we went back to our jobs.

Then, when President Kennedy was assassinated, I was stationed at the 406th Medical General Hospital at Sagami-Ono, Japan, and there was a lot of confusion, being that no one knew who the bad guys were, or why it happened. We were locked down, and armed at the gates, expecting an attack from unknown quarters, for days, while the higher ups got it sorted out. We had many Japanese Local Employees, (We called them LN's for local nationals, and they were just as confused about the goings on as we were. Mostly, they couldn't understand why we wouldn't let them come to work; but understood that we were very nervous and ready to defend ourselves. BTW, in those days, drugs were NOT an issue, at least not that I knew of.

I can elaborate further, if you're interested.

[captain]

Why write a book on a topic you know nothing about?
How would you even know if it was fiction or non-fiction?
Who would read it? Gen Xer's?
Cause they care about someone or something not of themselves?
Write about, what you know.
Include lots of pictures cause your people won't
read more than 10 "whole" words at a time. just lol's and wtf's and omg's cuz thats how you peeps r.

[Motorhead350]

Captain, the story wouldn't be about that whole era. Part of it takes place in the past upon which I wasn't there for.

Don't jump to conclusions.

Yes I read books, but not that often.

[Mike Poore]

Another thing to consider, and that was/is the media. In those days, prior to the Johnson Administration the media was, for the most part, pro-America, and they loved the Kennedy's, even to the point of keeping presidential indiscretions under wraps. It was impolite and out of bounds to say anything in print or on the evening news that portrayed the president or this nation in a bad light. It was Huntley/Brinkley & Walter Cronkite, who were respected journalists. That all changed with the Nixon/Agnew administration and the shame and disrespect they brought upon themselves, the Presidency, and this nation. I can't find the words to express how I feel concerning the despicable estate the media has become.

[Bluerauder]

BTW, in those days, drugs were NOT an issue, at least not that I knew of.
Drugs have ALWAYS been an issue.

[Mike Poore]

Drugs have ALWAYS been an issue.

Charlie, in '63-64 when I was in Japan I never knew a single person who even smoked pot, let alone used harder stuff. There were rumors about the guys who went TDY to Viet Nam and came back, um, somewhat changed; but they were closely watched.

The big thing in those days was the innovative ways we found to get our hands on gold and have it shipped back home. Gold ownership was illegal, as was US currency. We got paid in MPC's. The Japanese wanted greenbacks and we wanted gold....it was worth $32/oz back then. :D

[Donny Carlson]

Okay, I decided to delete all the snarky posts and edit this one because of my policy to avoid instigating forum drama and keep focused on why I'm here, namely, the love of cars and the company of like minded people.

That said, Dom, if you are serious about this and this is not just exercise in attention whoring, there are far better resources to learn about the things you've asked about here than having other MM.NET members reply in posts. The city of Chicago and the State of Illinois have funded world class libraries that contain everything you need to answer these questions and these resources are more than just shelves of books. You can watch videos, slide shows, read actual newspapers and magazines from the times, even go to lectures or seminars that will only require you to listen.

But beyond this, writing is a skill that, like learning how to drag race, or play a guitar, or anything worth doing well, requires practice and training. Very few authors did it by sitting down and churning out a book the first time out. Most started with smaller projects like essays, short stories, novellas, etc. If you are serious about writing a book, then take a writing class and at least learn the basics. You can't expect someone who never picked up a guitar to be ablt to play like Hendrix, do you? How about somebody who never drove a car be able to win an NHRA event? Anything's possible, but it's highly unlikely.

I'm giving you benefit of the doubt here because people I know and respect have met you and they seem to think you aint such a bad dude.

[Motorhead350]

Thank you for the honesty Donny. I should just "get out" once in a while.

[2,4shofast]

Thank you for the honesty Donny. I should just "get out" once in a while.


Probably would not hurt.:beer:

[Mr. Man]

Okay, I decided to delete all the snarky posts and edit this one because of my policy to avoid instigating forum drama and keep focused on why I'm here, namely, the love of cars and the company of like minded people.

That said, Dom, if you are serious about this and this is not just exercise in attention whoring, there are far better resources to learn about the things you've asked about here than having other MM.NET members reply in posts. The city of Chicago and the State of Illinois have funded world class libraries that contain everything you need to answer these questions and these resources are more than just shelves of books. You can watch videos, slide shows, read actual newspapers and magazines from the times, even go to lectures or seminars that will only require you to listen.

But beyond this, writing is a skill that, like learning how to drag race, or play a guitar, or anything worth doing well, requires practice and training. Very few authors did it by sitting down and churning out a book the first time out. Most started with smaller projects like essays, short stories, novellas, etc. If you are serious about writing a book, then take a writing class and at least learn the basics. You can't expect someone who never picked up a guitar to be ablt to play like Hendrix, do you? How about somebody who never drove a car be able to win an NHRA event? Anything's possible, but it's highly unlikely.

I'm giving you benefit of the doubt here because people I know and respect have met you and they seem to think you aint such a bad dude.
Very well put.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

Just listen to We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel