Love American Style

Who remembers that show? I remember I was in grade school, maybe sixth grade, when it came on TV. It was pretty racy for its time.

I remember one skit where a young woman wakes up in bed with a young man. The woman says, "My mother said I'd hate myself in the morning. But I don't."
The guy moves in for a kiss.
Then the girl says:
"I hate YOU."
 And starts pummeling him with pillows.

It's hard for me to describe the place I grew up. We were in the 1970s but not of them. Maybe 20 years behind in attitude and awareness. We lived in a valley--the Wyoming Valley.

The Valley with a Heart. (Coming back better than ever)...best thing to happen to the Valley was the Flood of 1972. Agnes. The whole city was underwater to second stories at least. Generous federal aid allowed Wilkes-Barre to have a mini-renaissance. It looked prettier but the attitudes couldn't be changed so easily.

In class the teacher, OMG Miss Robbie--straight out of Little House on the Prairie schoolmarm from the days when teachers were not allowed to be married because they might leak information about s-e-x to their tiny charges. I'm not kidding. In ways the Wyoming Valley was centuries behind the times.

Anyway, Miss Robbie asked the class to name a few good educational TV programs. And one girl (a new girl, not from here) raised her hand and said, "Love American Style."

Shocked. But titillated. Exactly NOT the reaction they wanted us young ones to have.

For all her experience as a teacher for an unfathomable number of years, Miss Robbie was very naive in the ways of the 1970s. The year I graduated 6th grade and moved on to Junior high, Miss Robbie and the three other elderly teachers all retired. I may have the dates off...but they were on their ways out. Miss Panuski? Mrs. Andruchek? Mrs Golden the kindergarten teacher who held children on her lap (you could do that back then...i'm not sure how it is now) and sang to us.

Younger teachers came in. They were different. Not so grandmotherly. We even had a male teacher in 5th grade...quite a novelty. Yes, Mr. Rydzy. He taught math. He used to curse saying, "Jemondeans" or something so as not to utter real curse words. He was funny but not very kind.

Demerits were a new punishment. (No more whacks with a ruler). Today I'm proud to say I got the very first demerits issued at Ben Franklin Grade School. Then I was mortified. I got them for laughing out loud in class. No surprise there.

Oh lordy down memory lane I go...

It was a weird place to be from. My more sophisticated cousins from Maryland were quick to point out the many ways that we were backwards and not cool.

We did watch Love, American Style, but it didn't affect us much. Cocooned in the valley, we had our own ways and saw no reason for change. Some of the stuff was good, i suppose. But much was destructive. I suffered as a result of their backward ways in ways I'm only now beginning to understand. Cuz I was taught to take responsibility for my own actions. Not to lay blame.

But sometimes, blame needs to be laid. When it's on your own shoulders and crushing you and keeping you from opening your wings to fly. Just to get it off your own shoulders. Not to burden anyone else with it. It's too old. This baggage.

Tired too tired from carrying it.