# 8 Reasons Children of the 1970s Should All Be Dead



## SENC (Nov 15, 2014)

*8 Reasons Children of the 1970s Should All Be Dead*
By Yeoman Lowbrow on 9 June 2014 | comments 735
The way things are going, every kid is going to go to school wearing bubble wrap and a helmet. Back in the 1970s (and earlier), parents didn’t stress about our health and safety as much as they do today. It’s not that they cared less – they just didn’t worry compulsively about it.

Parents of 2014 need to be reminded of how less restricted, less supervised, less obsessively safety-conscious things were… and it was just fine.



*1. JARTS: IMPALING ARROWS OF DEATH*










Can your mind comprehend a more deadly toy than a weighted spear that kids hurl through the air like a missile? No one ever obeyed the actual manufacturer’s rules, we just flung these damn things everywhere. We threw them. They stuck where they landed. If they happened to land in your skull, well, then you should have moved.

After roughly 6,700 emergency-room visits and the deaths of three children between 1978 and 1988, they finally outlawed Jarts on December 19, 1988. I suppose it needed to be banned, but a part of me is sad that kids today won’t have the battle scars and Jart survival stories we had. Goodbye Jart – you were an impaling arrow of death, but I loved you anyway.



*2. LOST AND NOT FOUND: SEAT BELTS*









Cars came with seat belts in the 1970s, but no one used them except maybe out of curiosity to see what it was like to wear one. Of course, you’d have to fish them out of the deep crevice of the backseat cushion where they often came to rest, unwanted and ignored.

The only “click” heard in the 1970s automobile was your dad’s Bic lighting up a smoke with the windows rolled up. (cough!)

I should also mention that, not only were there no seat belts, child seats were nowhere to be found. Whether it was the front seat of your mom’s station wagon or her bicycle, chances are, you were entirely untethered.



*3. SEMI-LETHAL PLAYGROUNDS OF HOT METAL*









Remember when playgrounds were fun? Sure, there was a pretty good chance you’d be scalded by a hot metal slide, or walk away with tetanus, but that’s what memories are made of.

The ground wasn’t coated with soft recycled rubber or sand as most are today – they were asphalt. Remember being hurled from a spinning merry-go-round, then skidding across the gravel at full speed? Good times.

I remember my school playground had a metal ladder “wall” that I swear went up three stories – it didn’t connect to a slide or anything. It was literally a ladder to the sky. I remember fully believing the oxygen was thinner at the top. One false move and I’d have been a flesh colored stain on the asphalt.

According to the New York Times we are making playgrounds so safe that they actually stunt our kids’ development. So, while blood was spilt and concussions were dealt on the playgrounds of the 1970s, we were at least in a developmentally rich environment – and we had the bruises and scabs to prove it.

*4. PRECIOUS LITTLE SUN PROTECTION*







“Tanfastic lets the sunshine in. It’s not loaded up with sunburn protection like old folks and kids want. Tanfastic’s for you 15-to-25 year olds who can take the sun. Especially if you want to get superdark. Superfast.”

Back in the 70s, your goal was to get as brown as your skin would permit. Sun BLOCK or sun SCREEN was basically nonexistent. You wanted to AMPLIFY your rays, so women typically lathered on Crisco and baby oil to get that deep baked look.

For the kids, SPF numbers hovered around 2, 4 and 8. The idea that you would spray an SPF of 50 or even 30 wasn’t even an option, except perhaps from medical ointments prescribed for albinos.





*5. HELMETS: FOR THOSE WITH MEDICAL CONDITIONS ONLY*







Whether you were riding a bike, roller skating, or skateboarding, one thing was for certain: you were not wearing a head protection. You would have been looked at as a sideshow freak by other kids, and parents would assume you had some kind of medical condition.



*6. IGNORED AND UNATTENDED ON THE REGULAR*







Hey, who’s watching the kid in the stroller? YOU MUST HAVE YOUR EYES ON THE KID AT ALL TIMES OR ELSE HE WILL DIE!

My mother routinely left me alone in the car at a young age while she ran errands. Today, this will literally get you arrested. You see, once upon a time it was okay to leave your kids for long periods without supervision (remember the so-called “latch-key kids” of the 70s?), or let them free roam without constant surveillance. Today, parents won’t let their kids go out to get the mail alone, and any fun with friends has to be scheduled, closely monitored “play dates”.

On summer break or weekends in the 1970s, parents kicked their kids out the front door and didn’t let them back in until the sun went down. “Go play,” were their only words, and you were left to your own devices for hours upon hours. Neighborhoods looked like Lord of the Flies.





*7. ROUTINELY ALLOWED TO GET SERIOUSLY HURT*







This poor kid is about to get rammed in the nuts by a goat, and the nearby adult isn’t the least bit concerned. In fact, he finds this all incredibly amusing! As hard as this is to believe, but when kids got hurt back then, adults didn’t come running with first-aid kits. More than likely you’d be left alone with your pain, with no alternative but to get over it.

In the 70s, parents watched their offspring fall from trees and fall off bikes with a smile.



*8. SECONDHAND SMOKE EVERYWHERE*







From airplanes to your family car, it seemed the world of the 70s was shrouded in a haze of cigarette smoke. It wasn’t just the fact that many more people smoked, it was the absolute 100% lack of concern for those that didn’t, including children. Teachers smoked, doctors smoked, your parents smoked…. and they didn’t take it to a secluded smoking area, they did it right in your face.

Please don’t interpret this as condoning it. There’s no question that engulfing your child in a thick carcinogenic cloud isn’t a good idea. I’m just stating facts – this is the world we lived in. It was full of adults who didn’t seem to have anxiety attacks over our safety, and we turned out just fine…. _right?_

*Like this:*

Reactions: Like 13 | Funny 3


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## Kevin (Nov 15, 2014)

I miss a lot from the 70s, but nothing more than all those neurons I lost. 

I also miss what can be seen in image #5 - wiminz running around in panties. Why did that go out of style? That was a major component to my healthy sexual development . . . . .

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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## ripjack13 (Nov 15, 2014)

The nair commercials.....who wears short shorts?
Yeah baby.....bring it on.

I remember playing outside till the street lights came on....then it was time to go....

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Schroedc (Nov 15, 2014)

I have two sets of Jarts, We played with them all the time as a kid. I do remember one going through the windshield of grandpas car.....


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## Tony (Nov 15, 2014)

Kevin said:


> wiminz running around in panties.



That is my number one argument for living Down South where it's hot 90% of the time. Yankee women wear too many clothes. Can't touch what we have down here.....

I remember leaving the house shortly after sunup and having to be home before dark, but that was about the only rule. The Good Old Days!

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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## Johnturner (Nov 15, 2014)

I remember having to be home when the street lights came on. Then we could only play around the house until bed time. Hide and seek and flashlight tag were favorites for the dark.
PS Is #5 supposed to be a Mom???

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Tony (Nov 15, 2014)

Johnturner said:


> PS Is #5 supposed to be a Mom???



I believe this is when the term MILF was coined.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 1


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## Tony (Nov 15, 2014)

My favorite is the kid dressed like Bert about to get pounded in the nards. TA

Reactions: Agree 1


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## HomeBody (Nov 16, 2014)

I still ride bicycles. I don't wear a helmet. I don't like it looking like an alien mating with my head. If you think the 70's were "safety free" you should have been around in the 50's and 60's. Gary

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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## Brink (Nov 16, 2014)

Tony said:


> That is my number one argument for living Down South where it's hot 90% of the time. Yankee women wear too many clothes. Can't touch what we have down here.....
> 
> I remember leaving the house shortly after sunup and having to be home before dark, but that was about the only rule. The Good Old Days!



Find a northern woman who's not affected by cold.


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## Blueglass (Nov 16, 2014)

Funny the legs in #5 stuck in my mind better than anything. I have enjoyed seeing very short, shorts make a come back this year. Mmmmmh, I love the way nice legs go all the way up and make an ass of themselves.

Reactions: Agree 3 | Funny 2


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## Brink (Nov 16, 2014)

My sister had a jart thru her foot, shouldn't have been wearing flip flops...
Numerous bike crashes, head stitches...see below.
Brink Sr. made me a car seat. It was a wooden cage with padded seat that sat on front seat. Kept me from climbing all over the Electra 225 on long drives. Sat on seat, wasn't belted in. 
Truck t-boned our Matador, sent me flying across car ( previous references to reading at 2nd grade level, that's why)
Knocker balls? Great fun until they shattered sending shards of plastic into the eyes.


 

Raleigh Chopper bicycle. Most unstable bike EVER!


 

Surprised I survived with limited brain damage.

Reactions: Like 2 | Funny 3


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## Mike1950 (Nov 16, 2014)

HomeBody said:


> I still ride bicycles. I don't wear a helmet. I don't like it looking like an alien mating with my head. If you think the 70's were "safety free" you should have been around in the 50's and 60's. Gary



I have to second Gary's statement. Pre OSHA- nadar - safety was unknown.


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## Schroedc (Nov 16, 2014)

Brink said:


> Find a northern woman who's not affected by cold.




Up here in the spring when it hits 50 degrees all the college girls start sunbathing! It's well worth the wait.

Reactions: EyeCandy! 1 | Agree 1


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## Kevin (Nov 16, 2014)

Born in 59 I caught the tail end of the 60s and that was a crazy decade. I still have a pair of knocker balls somewhere. The really big ones.


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## Tony (Nov 16, 2014)

I came along a decade later, but same thing. Between the knocker balls and numchucks we made from chain and broom handles, it's amazing any of us are still alive!


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## Brink (Nov 16, 2014)

Kevin said:


> Born in 59 .


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## Alan Sweet (Nov 16, 2014)

Youngster...

Reactions: +Karma 1


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## shadetree_1 (Nov 16, 2014)

Born in 48 and the 50's and 60's and 70's all had some cool stuff and sweet spots for me except the mid 60's when I was in a place that was definitely was not cool or fun other than that we had good times without all the rules of today ( no rules back then) and I think most of us came out of it reasonably well adjusted if not all together sane.

Reactions: +Karma 1


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## Mike1950 (Nov 16, 2014)

shadetree_1 said:


> Born in 48 and the 50's and 60's and 70's all had some cool stuff and sweet spots for me except the mid 60's when I was in a place that was definitely was not cool or fun other than that we had good times without all the rules of today ( no rules back then) and I think most of us came out of it reasonably well adjusted if not all together sane.




50 for me 60's and early 70's insane would be an understatement. heI had a bad stint in late sixties but all part of the game........... hell I was probably voted the least likely to succeed in my senior class but little did they know- it should have been least likely to survive!!!! Now I am just an ordinary 
There were one helluva lot less rules and more tolerance- for being the flower children advocating more tolerance and peace- we sure grew into a less tolerant and downright judgmental group.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## SENC (Nov 16, 2014)

Mike1950 said:


> 50 for me 60's and early 70's insane would be an understatement. heI had a bad stint in late sixties but all part of the game........... hell I was probably voted the least likely to succeed in my senior class but little did they know- it should have been least likely to survive!!!! Now I am just an ordinary
> There were one helluva lot less rules and more tolerance- for being the flower children advocating more tolerance and peace- we sure grew into a less tolerant and downright judgmental group.


All that peace, love and tolerance created the mad ranter we know and love today, huh?

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Mike1950 (Nov 16, 2014)

SENC said:


> All that peace, love and tolerance created the mad ranter we know and love today, huh?




Yes that damn irishman. @Kevin is a pretty good ranter..........

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Alan Sweet (Nov 16, 2014)

I miss the Mopar days sigh

Reactions: Agree 2


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## eaglea1 (Nov 17, 2014)

Alan Sweet said:


> I miss the Mopar days sigh



Mopars were go cars, but mopars couldn't go far!


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## Kevin (Nov 17, 2014)

eaglea1 said:


> Mopars were go cars, but mopars couldn't go far!



Ah yes. Another Chevy owner who never got the opportunity to learn how to wrench on his own car. One of the many drawbacks about owning bow ties back in the day. How sad.

Reactions: Like 1


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## eaglea1 (Nov 17, 2014)

No, I actually owned a 69 Dodge charger with a 383, 4 barrel,rated at 300hp, that I was wrenchin all the time, right before
grudge races, and that was just for runnin powder puffs! Bow ties ???? Come on Kevin...I'm a product just as you are of the muscle car era, and miss every day of it too...

Reactions: +Karma 1


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## NYWoodturner (Nov 17, 2014)

Did anyone else have Roman Candle fights? We used to divide up in teams - just even numbers... didn't matter if it was four or 10, get on opposite sides of a very small yard - all light up at the same time and let er rip!. Shrubs, cars, driveways, little brothers all were fair game to use as shields - whatever it took. Army jackets from your Dad or someone else's garage were the protection of choice. 
I'm pretty sure thats where I developed my ducking skills

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Mike1950 (Nov 17, 2014)

NYWoodturner said:


> Did anyone else have Roman Candle fights? We used to divide up in teams - just even numbers... didn't matter if it was four or 10, get on opposite sides of a very small yard - all light up at the same time and let er rip!. Shrubs, cars, driveways, little brothers all were fair game to use as shields - whatever it took. Army jackets from your Dad or someone else's garage were the protection of choice.
> I'm pretty sure thats where I developed my ducking skills



Our boys did that- almost drove their mother off the deep end...... Thank goodness to be done with the teenagers--- Hold it 2 grandkids are turning 13


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## NYWoodturner (Nov 17, 2014)

Must be late bloomers on the west coast. At 13 we weren't hanging around the front yard anymore... I was talking 8 to 10 ish

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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