Change for better or worse

Ovid Vickers
The Newton Record

NEWTON July 30, 2008 04:21 pm

— Isn’t it interesting that things which are considered to be wrong in one generation are considered quite acceptable by next generation? Do you remember when it was unacceptable for a woman to wear pants to church? I do, and it probably shows my age. When I was growing up, women only wore dresses to church, and if a woman dared to wear slacks, she was some kind of “loose woman,” and older members of the church would send a delegation to speak to her about her brazen ways.
Even as late as the 1960s, a directive came down from the President of East Central Community (then “Junior”) College stating that women wearing slacks to school would not be tolerated.
My uncle and aunt came in for some criticism during the 1940s because my aunt did not hesitate to express her opinions in church meetings. In those days, women were not supposed to express an opinion during church business sessions. Some of the church “big wigs” called my uncle aside and told him he should control his wife. “Control her if you can,” he said,” I sure can’t.” And he didn’t try.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, female schoolteachers were not allowed to be married. I remember Mrs. Gerry Fick telling me that she and her husband, long time East Central band director Bob Fick, had to keep their marriage a secret for a year in order for her to keep her job as a teacher in the state of Illinois.
“All great truths begin as blasphemies,” the British writer George Bernard Shaw wrote. Time moves on; one generation gives way to another, and the public’s perception of right and wrong evolves with the times.
For a long time, men did not think that women should drive automobiles. Before that, women were not allowed to vote. The battle to give women the right to vote is now a part of America’s history.
Do you remember the days of what were called “blue laws?” Blue laws forbade stores to open Sunday. If you went to the store on Sunday, the owner of the store was doing wrong by being open, and you were breaking the law by attempting to make a purchase on the Sabbath.
Drums and guitars have now become a part of the service in many churches. When I was growing up, someone played the organ or the piano unless you were attending the Church of Christ where no instrument was used.
We sang the old standard hymns. A congregation, no matter what the denomination, would not have sung a 7 – 11 song. (For t hose who are not familiar with these songs, they consist of about seven words which are repeated eleven times). I well remember when two young girls were permitted to pick guitars during a church service I attended. The next week, the community was in an uproar and one would have though the church had been desecrated. Times do change.
Do you remember the controversy when police officers began wearing American flags on their uniforms? It was considered disrespectful back in the early 1960s to wear a flag on the clothing. Now a policeman might be criticcized if he doesn’t wear a flag pin on his lapel.
During my growing up years, women were supposed to be subservient and “in their place” in marriages, in church, in politics, and in social situations. However, that has changed, and many of the changes have been for the better. Look what happened in Texas recently with the cults of polygamy and in the societies of the Middle East where women must stay veiled and in the background at all times.
Does anyone remember the Hayes Office? That office sensored motion pictures. As late as the 1940s, the Hayes Office did no permit a man and a woman to be shown in the same bed. Two people could not kiss on the screen if they were wearing bathing suits, and no form of profanity was allowed on screen.
A great uproar occurred when Rhett butler was permitted to say to Scarlet O’Hara in the final scenes of Gone with the Wind, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!” Today, the most vulgar and obscene language is permitted in films and no one seems to care.
The Hayes Office also kept check on violence in films. Today violence is an accepted part of what is known as the “popular culture.” Why do we hide nudity from our children and at the same time let them watch horrible, bloody violence in films and on television? Hacking, cutting, shooting, stabbing, and cannibalizing have become commonplace in the entertainment industry. Times do change.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle have urged Hollywood to make voluntary decisions to curb some of the language and violence in today’s films. However, the moviemakers insist hat they must have artistic freedom. Since when does “artistic freedom” require killing, maiming, cursing, and vulgarity in a great number of today’s film offerings?
And what kind of change does the future hold? Who knows wonders what the next generation will witness?

Ovid Vickers, a retired East Central Community College professor, writes a weekly column for The Newton Record.