re: Things we could do in the 1960’s that we can’t do now.

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Use the n word in everyday conversation.

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I was born in 69. I never heard the n word. I had one uncle that would use it, but that was it. It just was not said. I hear it about 30 times a day now, all by black folks.

Buy guns at Sears. Eat Sugar Smacks for breakfast

Spout racial epithets without fear of reprisal.
—Democrats do this daily

Ride in the car with your family with no one wearing seat belts. Get tired of riding in the back so just climb over the seats to get to the front while your dad is still driving. Sometimes climb on top of the back seats to lay down against the back windshield.

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I was born in 69. I never heard the n word. I had one uncle that would use it, but that was it. It just was not said. I hear it about 30 times a day now, all by black folks.

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Then you were not born in the deep south, or esp the rural deep south.

I was born in 71 and that word was everywhere used by most white people. Stone cold fact.

Still used by a lot of them today. Not as much though.

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As far as the cost of things: Buy a whole grocery basket full of food and spend about $35 out the door. Buy a new car for the cost of a small motorcycle today. Buy a house for the cost of a mid-size car today. Fill up your gas tank with a $10 bill and get change back.

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Well relative to income-median income in 1965 was $6900.00 and minimum wage was $1.25.

I rode/slept on the back dashboard of my fathers 65 or 66 Lincoln Continental with the suicide doors and no one wore a seatbelt. He would say “put the god damn window up son. You’re letting all the smoke out.” He smoked unfiltered Lucky Strikes. Jesus.

We called the refrigerator the icebox and the water hose the hose pipe.

Ate $.25 bbq sandwiches from Pak-A-Sak which were great and had the original Icee that Mr. Peniman brought to Louisiana.

Bought wooden cases of Coca Cola (or as the country relatives said Coccola) and 7-Up in the 6.5 ounce bottles from Wade Lemoines Esso gas station in Twin Cedars Shopping Center which is now Bocage.

Mother went to the beauty parlor once a week for a hairdo and the latest gossip. We went to Broadmoor Barber Shop next to the theater once a month for a buzz cut and the new Playboy.

Ate Lumms Hot Dogs steamed in beer in the Rebel Shopping Center which is now BR Community College and real cafeteria cooking at Piccadilly in Westmoreland .

We didn’t eat boiled crawfish at home until the mid 70’s when our neighbor boiled them. Them he took us to Camp Bayou Corne and we bought the for $.10 a pound. No shite.

Had aluminum ice trays with the lever to release the cubes, froze fish in cardboard half gallon milk jugs and chipped block ice with an ice pick-which few people even own today. All bottles required an opener.

Hung clothes on the clothesline to dry then ironed them and had an old gin bottle with
the sprinkler on top to help the creases.

Drove on interstates all across the country for however many miles then would have to detour to some old state or federal highway for 50-100 miles before getting back on the interstate because many were still under construction and not yet connected.

Chris’s Bar on North Street had fishbowl beer and the window for blacks to buy package liquor. Hymel’s in Convent had the same as blacks were not allowed inside.

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Pump gas without the nozzle shutting off every 5 seconds.

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You could have the attendant pump your gas, check your oil and clean your windshield.

You could leave your windows open and let your attic fan rip.

You could ride your bike up and down Government Street looking for a the newest baseball cards.

You could go buy a big Milky Way bar at Pak a Sak for a nickel, and if you wanted also get you one of those new treats, an Icee, for a dime.

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Trust election results.

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Somewhere Mayor Daley is chuckling about ballot boxes from the 1960 Nixon/Kennedy election being at the bottom of Lake Michigan.

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collecting pop bottles and redeeming them for cash

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Amen, big money maker! my buddy and I thought we could buy gum balls, then mold smiley faces on em w tootsie rolls then sell em at school. Using the money from our bustling bottle return business.

Occasionally my Mom would buy the 6 pack of big cokes, you got a dime or quarter for the big bottles. I would steal em and sell em. She would not be happy when she looked for em to take em in

Who knew the market was so limited, not many people were interested in our goods crafted with our grimy hands.