Wall of memories and Generationals observations

We need to know where we have been to understand where we are going… Jeanavive

Participants of the January Multi-Generational Caf’e created a wall of memories and observations about their lives:

1930’s
World Events: Depression, the dustbowl, westward immigration, locusts, invasion of Europe by Germany/Emergence of Hitler, Lindbergh’s son’s kidnapping
Political Movements: Kristallnacht, WPA/Roosevelt years
Pop Culture: (Music, Cars, Slang, Film, Books)
Sonny Boy, Ford, Swing, WPA support to artists, foreign cars, Fred/Ginger movies

1940’s
World Events: WW11, Creation of the U.N., Born in a displaced person camp, Holocaust, Japanese Internment, Hiroshima/Nagasaki, Israel becomes a state.
Political Movements: New Deal, Jewish Immigration to U.S., draft, Labor unions organized, WPA, ACLU, Victory Gardens
Pop Culture: Top ten Hit parade, TV, Grapes of Wrath, “Little songs on big subjects”, Fireside chats, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Musicals,

1950’s
World Events: China invades Tibet, Hungarian revolution,
Political Movements: Montgomery bus boycott, McCarthyism, Communism, Beginning of Civil Rights Movement, Hanging of the Rosenbergs.
Pop Culture: Rock n Roll, TV, “Catcher in the Rye”, “Naked in the Dead”, Pete Seeger and the Weavers, Catch 22, Leave it to Beaver, Howdy-Doody, Our Miss Brooks, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Playhouse 90, Omnibus, Edward R. Murrow, Alistair Cooke, “On the Road”, 57 T bird.

1960’s
World Events: First computer, Assassinations of MLK, JFK, RFK, Cuban Missile Crisis, Birth control pill, Vietnam War, Woodstock, Moon Walk.
Political Movements: Free Speech, Anti-War, Feminism, United Farm Workers, Saul Alinsky organizing, Civil Rights, Peace Corps, Loss of Idealism: Nixon.
Pop Culture: Bob Dylan, Rock n Roll, Joan Baez, Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Aretha, Beatles, Stones, Betty Friedan “Feminine Mystique”, Rachel Carson ” Silent Spring”, Mary Tyler Moore, Dick van Dyke, Hippies, Flower Power, Easy Rider, Beach Boys.

1970’s
World Events: Vietnam, Cambodia,
Political Movements: Roe v. Wade, Spiritual Experimentation, Women’s Movement, Free Schools, NOW conference, Anti-War, Human Potential, Gay & Lesbian, Prop 13
Pop Culture: Apple computers, Ms. Magazine, Hippy, NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming), Holly Near, Chris Williamson, Meg Christiansen.

1980’s
World Events: U.S. engagement in Central America, SF earthquake, Fast Food, John Lennon’s assassination.
Political Movements: Nuclear Freeze, Consciousness raising groups, beyond war
Pop Culture: MTV, Nation Magazine, Computers, Wired Magazine, Bob Ross, “Love Medicine” by Louise Erdich.

1990’s
World Events: Molecular biology revolution, fall of the Berlin wall, disintegration of Soviet Union and Balkan War, fall of apartheid in South Africa
Political Movements: Rise of China, New Economy in Brazil, Birth of the World Café, Peace Movement, First Gulf War and opposition, Perot Town Halls, MoveOn. org
Pop Culture: Craig’s List, Blair Witch Project, Hip-hop, Video Games, Electronic Music, “Vagina Monologues”, Plastic Surgery

2000’s
World Events: Continuing rise of China, World Trade Center, WTC/911, Iraq Invasion and Occupation, Assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Latin America changes leaders
Political Movements: Slow Food Movement, Eco-movement,
Pop Culture: “An Inconvenient Truth”, Hybrids, I-Pod, I-Phone, Wiki, Blogging, Digital journalism, changing media, social networks – Myspace, Facebook.

Table Talk: Threads & Themes from Multi-Generational World Cafe

Table Talk: Threads & Themes from table conversations amongst Multi-Generational participants:

- “The truth is best understood from multiple perspectives”
- “Consider hope as the antidote to fear”
- “To live a good life I need the other generations”
- “Now I understand career confusion can happen at all ages!”
- “What works for everyone at Multi-Gen Cafés? Everyone is a teacher, everyone is a student = collective intelligence”
- What else could happen: More humble, End of Separation, Becoming Ageless
- “Am I ready and able to re-energize the commons in my life?”
- Theology of Space – what could that look like?
- “I’m happy to be my age”
- How can we F2F and the online/texting generations, learn from each other?
- What are the challenges of being an “I.M.P.” In the moment person; in all generations?
- How might we use YouTube to connect live Café events in a region?
- Lots of interest among generations in learning more about each other
- Children are full participants in this conversation
- We see threads, themes, running from generation to generation that weave/connect us
- Age doesn’t seem like such a big differentiator
- Notice how is some cultures generations are connected, for example people known by name of father and father’s father
- Want to get together with various age groups again — noticing similarities and differences among us
- As parents some of us make a point to parent differently than our parents did –some good parenting styles were passed along, too, although many focus more on being different than their parents were.
- Multi-Generational Gatherings balance between smaller and larger community