The 'good Old Days'? Feeling Sick To My Stomach

[hc4361]

In the course of my work I stumbled across an article that has left me feeling very sickened and depressed.
It's a real wake up call to those of us who look at the past through rose tinted spectacles. I quote just one section:

Welfare work before the Second World War tended to categorise vulnerable children according to their perceived degree of sexual knowledge and thus culpability for eliciting abuse. Many of the victims were very young; a study produced in 1958 by a woman Police Surgeon noted that of the nearly 2000 cases she examined between 1927 and 1954, half the victims were under 7 years. Nonetheless, victims were not always portrayed as virtuous or innocent, particularly if they were from impoverished backgrounds. A Southwark home for girls who had been sexually abused acknowledged the ‘tragic experience’ of its residents, but pejoratively characterised them as ‘hopelessly ignorant’, ‘dirty in person and habits’, and suffering ‘over-wrought nerves.’

http://www.historyandpolicy.org/policy-papers/papers/child-welfare-child-protection-and-sexual-abuse-1918-1990

I once again give thanks that these horrendous offences are no longer brushed under the carpet and children and adult survivors of abuse are being listened to.

[The Builder]

Scandalous social issues are much more visible today thankfully.

I too loved my childhood, but, at the time, there were hellish outrages going on that were never spotlighted. I'm thinking particularly of such as The Magdalene Laundry scandals, which only ended well into our lifetimes.
Also, the business of the "home children" exported unwillingly to Australia, shown up in Emily Watson's terrific film "Oranges and Sunshine."

[ummmm]

The good old days seem to always harp back to when we had no responsibilities.

I know my mother would never like to relive her childhood in any shape or form. My fathers was idyllic.

[andres]

These offences are no longer brushed under the carpet . How do know that? How do we know that there aren't grooming gangs at work right at this very moment?We might have more Social workers nowadays but they can't possibly know what goes on in every house in the land.
I do wonder what the young of today will have to say about their childhood when they are reminiscing in the future
At least they will be able to talk about the numerous rapes, domestic violence , grooming gangs, paedophiles, sexual diseases, Parents murdering their own children, incest, youngsters with mental health problems, modern sexual slavery and so on and on . Because now we are aware that these things are going on right now. So on second thoughts hc , maybe you are right when you say that these horrendous offences are out in the open but sadly they have not all gone away.

[Bobbisox1]

BA for Pix if this were my thread, perfectly illustrated

[pixie374]

Thank you, bobbi x

[david small]

Those that don’t learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.

[pixie374]

I know that is a cliche, David... but I don't think it works. Things are "normalised" when they are repeated and accepted better as being usual. Rarely, do populations seem to genuinely learn from the past.

[dannyk13]

It all depends on which period you consider to be the good days, for me it was the late 40's/early 50's.

[hc4361]

andres, it IS going on today, sadly, but today's children have far more opportunity to talk and they are listened to.

[hereIam]

Don't agree Bobbi, I think I deserve BA.

[Bobbisox1]

if it had been up to me and two could be given, then it would be you and Oixue haha
anyway, i’m full of hell, i think i’ve just been scammed for £106 :0{

[Bobbisox1]

+plus this auto text is peeing me off, i mean Pixie of course

[RATTER15]

When I worked in a secure residential home for adults with learning difficulties and with phorensic issues, mostly in their 40s and 50s mostly autistic. The 9 females that lived there had all been repeatedly raped as children, some as babies. One lady had all her teeth pulled out forcibly to stop her biting and one had her baby aborted using a screwdriver by her father when she became pregnant and another that used to rip off her own toenails when became stressed Reading their past life stories made one weep and no wonder they are now so disturbed that they are no longer safe to roam our streets unsupervised!! There were vile and savage people around in the past as there still are now!!

[teacake44]

Well I hope you've not been scammed Bobbs, That's all I seem to do is checking on bank account, watching what folk are charging for this and that, looking over ones shoulder to see were the next scammer is coming from, its like a full time job. Its getting to be a big bad world out there. :0(

[Bobbisox1]

if i have, it’s entirely my own fault , i’ll open a new thread as I don’t want to hijack hc’s