I remember Sunday (afternoons as I remember like 2 or 3pm) in Memphis Tennessee in 1967 or 68. Could not wait for Uncle Walter the Incorrputable to introduce The Twenty-First Century and it was DEFINEAILTY Union Carbide. It put you in another world, which was a real pleasure for this 4-5th grader. America was still a juggernaut on a non-stop diet of simplistically cynical marketing and GOOD legal drugs (alcohol, nicotine and caffeine). JFK had been murdered in the street three years ago, our black citizens felt they did not share in the American dream....imagine that, I saw my first (singular) black student, cities were burning, the Apollo program was accelerating,Vietnam was on the news every night at 6 and was still completely winnable, my dad railed against The Long Hairs (illegal BAD drug crazed anarchists who hated America), Dr. King (and all black and white agitators who hated America) and President Johnson (and all bleeding heart liberals who hated America)in that order. Still there was ,however, this feeling in the air that Americans really COULD do anything, and for the right reasons. It was exhilarating, seeing the world at that time thru the eyes of a child. I now realize the unlimited horizon which could take the breath away from a nice white_protestant_straight_male, came at the cost of limiting everyone else's' horizons.
I remember REALLY GRAINY black and white (maybe what I now know could have been kine-scope). Mr.Cronkite's voice would matter-of-factly begin "In the Twenty First Century...and go on to transfix me on the miracles of enthusiastic technological future. I treasured each one I saw. I wish I could remember more of them. The one I remember was on robotics and how this would allow menial jobs to be done without bothering real people. Of course we now know they left out the part where real people had real jobs supporting real families doing those menial jobs. It would be a wonderful retrospective especially in schools before discussing the current miracles of a enthusiastic technological future. Maybe we could stimulate some critical thinking ...oops not one of the four R's, the only things kids need to learn...a least here in Florida. Who can we write to? I'll join.
I remember REALLY GRAINY black and white (maybe what I now know could have been kine-scope). Mr.Cronkite's voice would matter-of-factly begin "In the Twenty First Century...and go on to transfix me on the miracles of enthusiastic technological future. I treasured each one I saw. I wish I could remember more of them. The one I remember was on robotics and how this would allow menial jobs to be done without bothering real people. Of course we now know they left out the part where real people had real jobs supporting real families doing those menial jobs. It would be a wonderful retrospective especially in schools before discussing the current miracles of a enthusiastic technological future. Maybe we could stimulate some critical thinking ...oops not one of the four R's, the only things kids need to learn...a least here in Florida. Who can we write to? I'll join.