For some reason** I just now noticed two firm social patterns in the 1950s. The first is universal and easily explained. The second is highly particular and unexplained.
= = = = =
1. Males always called males by last name. Females called everyone by first name. This applied between teachers and students, and among students. Male teachers addressed us by last name, female teachers called us by first name. Of course students called ALL adults Mr or Miss or Mrs, regardless of which gender was the nominative and vocative case. Practically speaking, using last names was a lot less redundant. Male names were repetitive then. My sixth grade class had three Davids, three Stevens, and three Michaels.
Explanation: Army habits. At that time all adult males had been in the military.
= = = = =
2. Particular and peculiar. Most of us kids played outside most of the time. When we were inside, I was ALWAYS in some other house. NOBODY ever visited our house or spent time there.
Explanation unknown. Most of the obvious variables don’t work. The houses were identical. My mother wasn’t the best or the worst housekeeper, probably median. My father’s income and status were median; most of the men were also K-state profs or schoolteachers. Nothing obviously out of line in those areas. Was it a difference in ‘helicoptering’? This makes a little sense. One of my friends had parents who firmly restricted what he could do outside the house. Other parents seemed to enjoy having kids around. My mother was happy to have me elsewhere for as long as possible, preferably always.
= = = = =
** Well, the reason for noticing isn’t mysterious. I’ve been doing courseware on brain networks, constantly thinking about two-way vector fields between nouns and names and social positions.
Polistra's Mill 