Assassination Anniversary today --- Where were YOU in 1963? AND?

Question

. . . Do you feel that we, as a society are
more or less BARBARIC today, than we appeared to be - then?


RIP JFK

Answerer #7?
Your 'additional' entry (after legit answer) is clear manifestation of 'today's society's amazingly insensitive, barbaric energy . . . you insult the memory of a man murdered.

Please delete the trashy input part of your entry - as you have been 'reported' for it. . . And thanx for allowing 'us' at YA to watch and see if, and how effective the reporting/screening process works at this site!

Unfortunately - "Trenton" was reported for the voluminous, inappropriate 'answer' (#7) more than 8 hours ago . . . and the entry is still present. I am reporting this entry again - at sunset, 11/22, and shall keep checking this page to see if/when action is taken by YA Team. . .

Thanx to the other participants for sharing your memories and insights of this painful day in our past history. . .

As I choose a 'best answer' - the offensive entry by #7 is STILL present - not yet deleted by YA - after I have filed numerous 'reports' ,. . . so much for the 'reporting' system here , , , AND? My spam mailbox at Yahoo is filling up with unsolicited dirty mail offers - for the first time in many years of having this address - go figure, YA - - - time to close/cancel business with Yahoo?

Answer 1

I was in junior high at the time, and on my way to a home economics class at the local high school when this happened. I remember it like it was yesterday. I can remember what I was wearing and how I had done my hair that day. Even though I am a Canadian, we still felt the loss of this great man.

Barbaric?...just look at the headlines. Will man never learn to live in peace?

Answer 2

I was just 4 years old, but I remember it. I was watching tv when Walter Cronkite came on with the news. I ran into the other room and told Mom that the presedent had been shot. She didn't believe me at first.

Something that I don't remember but was told later is that Dad came home from work late that night. He worked for the phone company and ran the switching equipment that connected callers with the right phone that they had dialed. The equipment went bananas that day, as very many people picked up the phone to call someone all at the same time. Imagine folks in areas where the equipment couldn't handle the load, so soon after the Cuban Missle Crisis, first the presedent is shot, then they can't get a dial tone! My father was very tired when he got home, he and his group had struggled all day to keep the phone system running. He knew that something must have happened, but didn't find out what until he got home and Mom told him.

I don't know how to measure barbarism, to say that one time has more than another time. There have been wars and murders for a very long time, with no end in sight.

Answer 3

That day remains etched in memory.
Then I worked as a general assignment reporter for a coastal California daily newspaper and I had the noon hour watch that day. Suddenly the main news wire teletype began ringing furiously. I was busy with something at the moment but thought it might be wise to take a look. And Omigod, Kennedy shot!
The first bulletins did not say assassinated because at that juncture, those reporting for United Press International (our wire service) did not know.
I told the managing editior as soon as he stuck his nose back into the newsroom & soon, with successive bulletins, we learned that Kennedy was dead.
We were an afternoon newspaper, so there was not much time. As I recall, the editor extended press time, we remade much of page one, used whatever we could find for sidebars, including some fast man-in-the-the street reaction copy.
For the first time, I learned about "turning the rules," reversing the lead rules on page one so that ther column lines were thick and dark. This old tradition in newspapers marked the death of a very important person, usually the president.
We also used a big black banner headline --2 1/2 inch maybe, the biggest available on the Ludlow.
We had little time for sorrow--that came after deadline and press run.

Answer 4

November 22 1963......... I had been elected chairman of the 6th grade at that time. I had made a delivery of some papers from my teacher to the 5th grade teacher and stopped into the restroom on the way back to my classroom. There was a 4th grader in the restroom swinging on a bar that was over one of the stalls. I asked him what he was doing in the restroom playing. ( Part of my responsibilities was sort of an assistant teacher.) He told me everyone in the office was crying and they had sent him out of the office. I went to the office to see what the trouble was and was told by the principal that the president had been killed. When I returned to my classroom, I called my teacher out of the room and told her what had happened. She asked me not to say anything to the other kids about it and to have a seat. I sat down and all of the kids around me kept asking me what was wrong. I couldn't tell them. About 10 minutes later the teacher was called out of the room and when she came back inside she told the class that the president had been killed. We had 2 minutes of silence and then school was dismissed. My father was on his way to work and saw the school letting out early. I told him what had happened. I remember the frozen look on his face as he drove away.

I can't say positively that we are "MORE" barbaric today then we were then. It seemed to change the way I looked at our country and it's people. I had already witnessed several people killed in the city where I lived by that time. The first one I saw killed was a man shot by police when he was robbing a liquor store when I was six. I think in general that people became more insensitive to seeing and accepting barbaric acts after that day. At least those generations of people who lived at that time. The "Myth" was gone.

Answer 5

I think we are more so--then we couldn't fathom that the president could be assassinated here in our own country. I was only 6 months old at the time. A photographer had been to our trailer earlier in the day, so I have a portrait of myself then. My mom was doing the ironing and watching the soaps when Walter Cronkite broke in with the news.

Answer 6

I wasn't even a twinkle in my Daddy's eye in 1963. I had another 3 years to go.

But today ?? We are more Barbaric and ruthless than ever before and we as a Society don't even realize that we are so.

Answer 7

I was too young to remember.
But I'm glad to see others do.
I don't feel (as a society) we are more or less barbaric now than we have been throughout the entire history of man.
Sad but it's historical fact.

Answer 8

I remember watching the funeral on TV, and I remember many grown men and women weeping...including my own parents, who were Republicans.

Are we more barbaric, now? Possibly. No decent person celebrated the death of JFK in 1963. But, it's now acceptable to slander the President, accuse him of unimaginable depravity and wish him dead.

Draw your own conclusions on that.

Answer 9

I was in 4th grade gym class. I think we are becomming more jaded toward society, as violence, random and otherwise, is getting to be a common occurance. You watch and see so much violence that it becomes the norm,and as such seems to be normal. If that makes any sense?