Living Like A Luddite And Gerard Baden Clay
Without Prejudice
Luddite: one of a group of early 19th century English workmen destroying laborsaving machinery as a protest; broadly : one who is opposed to especially technological change
— Luddite adjective
Websters dictionary states broadly that a Luddite is a person opposed to change, and nowadays that is especially true of technological change.
Our kids and grand kids were brought up in a computer age. Baby Boomers were not. To me as a very young great Grand mother many times over, now, ( if only the oldest Grand son would get the snip. I mean, enough is enough. ) but then as Dr Phil says,
" No matter how flat the pancake, there are always two sides. "
Causes me to wonder why young girls " manage " to get pregnant, over and over when these days we have great birth control. Easily accessed,no shame attached. I heard a report years ago that 85% of 14 year olds are having sex. 14 year olds. At that age I didn't even know where a baby came from, cared less how it was planted there, babies, just " happened " as far as I was concerned.
At 14 I was at a Grammar School in The UK, never said the word Fuck, never mind knew what it was. I had some sort of vague idea, but hated the thought of thinking about it. As far as I was concerned, you were married and babies just came along. Talk about thick ! But then I had a Mother that avoided anything about S E X with a vicious paranoia. She had us seven kids, however. She wasn't well, poor thing. She had " Episodes " of fugue like states, she was " War Damaged "
My younger brother said, basically, down to brass tacks, she was
" Nuts "
My Sister called her a " Tartar " , meaning warrior like and fierce.
So for a sex talk you couldn't rely on Natalie Wilsher Bruckshaw. My Dad called me aside at 12 in Granny Wilshers top room and told me " The Facts Of Life " you cannot imagine how humiliating and embarrassing that was. Me, staring at the coal fire, crackling and melting and my little stout Scottish Dad telling me about periods, ( screech ) and boys. I just wanted the floor to crack open and swallow me up. Crashing down into the steamy kitchen with it's own fire and smelling of cigarettes, cabbage, and chips
I never wanted to get pregnant when I was 17. In the seventies the thought of going to a Doctor's and ask for the " pill " was verboten. One, you didn't want The Doctor to think of you in some sort of sluggish way. Two, was I legally old enough to be having sex at 17 with a 23 year old.
" No matter how flat the pancake, there are always two sides. "
Causes me to wonder why young girls " manage " to get pregnant, over and over when these days we have great birth control. Easily accessed,no shame attached. I heard a report years ago that 85% of 14 year olds are having sex. 14 year olds. At that age I didn't even know where a baby came from, cared less how it was planted there, babies, just " happened " as far as I was concerned.
At 14 I was at a Grammar School in The UK, never said the word Fuck, never mind knew what it was. I had some sort of vague idea, but hated the thought of thinking about it. As far as I was concerned, you were married and babies just came along. Talk about thick ! But then I had a Mother that avoided anything about S E X with a vicious paranoia. She had us seven kids, however. She wasn't well, poor thing. She had " Episodes " of fugue like states, she was " War Damaged "
My younger brother said, basically, down to brass tacks, she was
" Nuts "
My Sister called her a " Tartar " , meaning warrior like and fierce.
So for a sex talk you couldn't rely on Natalie Wilsher Bruckshaw. My Dad called me aside at 12 in Granny Wilshers top room and told me " The Facts Of Life " you cannot imagine how humiliating and embarrassing that was. Me, staring at the coal fire, crackling and melting and my little stout Scottish Dad telling me about periods, ( screech ) and boys. I just wanted the floor to crack open and swallow me up. Crashing down into the steamy kitchen with it's own fire and smelling of cigarettes, cabbage, and chips
I never wanted to get pregnant when I was 17. In the seventies the thought of going to a Doctor's and ask for the " pill " was verboten. One, you didn't want The Doctor to think of you in some sort of sluggish way. Two, was I legally old enough to be having sex at 17 with a 23 year old.
