This is an interview with my lovely grandmother.
Name: Maureen Berney
Year Born: 1942
How old were you: about 22
President: John F. Kennedy
What was people’s reactions when he was assinated: Everyone was devastated and there was a nationwide panic and a very unsettling feeling crept across America for some time.
What was it like living during Vietnam War: Fairly unsettling as well.
Did you know anyone who served: No
How were you personally affected by the Vietnam War: I was not personally affected by the war. I didn’t know anyone serving, but friends did and they had a hard time receiving constant news of deaths.
Opinions of society: Where I lived, most people didn’t support the continual use of American bodies over there, mostly because we didn’t quite know what we were fighting for anymore.
How did, in your opinion, the civil rights movement progress: Martin Luther King Jr. did a fine job of leading the African Americans and following white folks in protest of the law.
What was your opinion of the civil rights movement then: I thought it was so brave of all those men and women to stand up to the law like that. I wanted to be a freedom rider, but my mother forbade it.
What is your opinion of the civil rights movement now: Now, well, it is nice not to see that African Americans massacred on the television and in the newspapers.
So, the Beetles came, how did the British Invasion influence your life: Wow, the Beetles. My sisters and I were all huge fans, yet we were never able to get into a concert.
Did you listen to the Beetles: Yes, often.
How about the disco movement in the 70’s: Well, I certainly danced in a way that I will never dance again. I also wore clothes that I hope never to see again.
Did you go with the wide leg pants or the clean cut dresses: Most definitely the dresses. My mother was a very proper women and she raised me and my sisters the same way.
So, would you consider yourself a hippie in the 70’s: I most certainly would not have considered myself a hippie.
What did you do for fun/ favorite activities: Dancing. I loved to dance, my sisters loved to dance, so we would always go out dancing.
What do you think are society’s main differences from today and then: There seemed to be a togetherness of America that isn’t wholly present now. Also the youth of then were rebellious, yet they still respected the elders. Oh, and all those phones people are carrying around these days were not there.
Which do you like more; then or now: I prefer the present, I’m not too excited about the big hair I had back then.
A many thanks to my Nana who was interviewd for this piece.
historyischanging 