politics according to my 94 year old grandmother
Today, my grandmother, who was born in 1922, started talking to me about the Great Depression, politics and life. I thought what she said was powerful and relevant, and so I hurried to write it down, verbatim. In political discussions of all stripes at present, there’s often an idea that older people are out of touch and that various issues of importance to young people have somehow been manufactured wholesale in the past two decades, instead of being basic human concerns. My grandmother puts paid to both those assumptions, and so I think it’s important to share what she said:
“I grew up in the Great Depression. We never suffered too badly – my father was never out of work, and my grandparents, who lived in the country, would send us things to help out. Would you believe I once had to go into Central Station to collect a chook? A whole chicken, dressed, because we didn’t have chicken shops then. But it was very sad. You had children who’d come to school barefoot because they’d outgrown their shoes and their parents couldn’t afford to buy new ones, though some of the farmers would mend the shoes for free. And my grandparents would have people begging for food, or asking to work odd jobs.
People say now that young people are entitled, that they take prosperity and peace for granted. Well, why shouldn’t they? You come into the world without anything, without knowing anything, and nobody ever asked if you wanted to be there. You know that old saying, the Lord will provide? No. The world should provide. But we had people begging for food; nobody should have to do that. I think your generation is too informed to let that happen again. You’re educated, you know things – we were told that babies come from under the cabbage leaf.
There shouldn’t still be wars. We lived through the Great War; we were told it was the war to end all wars, but they’re still going on. It’s just greed. We should all be as happy as kings, so why do kings have more happiness? They don’t earn anything; it’s all just inherited.”
Empathy isn’t generational. It’s human.
This post is from May, but I’m bringing it back because it feels relevant again.
My grandmother has sadly passed away since the last time I reblogged this, but damned if it isn’t still relevant. She was an extraordinary woman.
phantasmamarie liked this
strangeapes reblogged this from fozmeadows
wrunic liked this
inkedoutprince liked this
ata-lanta liked this
i-eatcommasfor-breakfast reblogged this from oiichu
murderspoonz reblogged this from oiichu aloera liked this
murderspoonz liked this
oiichu reblogged this from fozmeadows
oiichu liked this terpsichoremix liked this
p0tat0s reblogged this from fozmeadows
p0tat0s liked this
tinyenemypaper liked this
shinsouxxx liked this
eternalfratboy reblogged this from fozmeadows
eternalfratboy liked this casual-lamp reblogged this from fozmeadows
casual-lamp liked this
professormonogoggle liked this
abyss-wolf liked this
wolf-of-the-glade reblogged this from rainofaugustsith
wolf-of-the-glade liked this
howiesizzle liked this stunt-muppet liked this
rightcat-wrongcat liked this
goingrampant liked this
foxic-toxic liked this soilrockslove liked this
shadowicepuma liked this
tigers1660 liked this
aroguexenolith liked this
one-in-a-maxi-million liked this
tappiokka liked this norsewanderlust reblogged this from fierceawakening
takeyamayuu reblogged this from fierceawakening
tasyfa reblogged this from fierceawakening
tasyfa liked this
thatonemushroom reblogged this from fierceawakening
scrawnytreedemon liked this
fierceawakening reblogged this from dr-dendritic-trees
moongoldhair liked this
offtoadventureland reblogged this from fozmeadows
offtoadventureland liked this itshappylittlethings liked this
fozmeadows posted this
- Show more notes