Watched Hellboy II last night, and the theme tune brought back memories…

George Washington Elementary School – school shows, rehearsals… a medley of Barry Manilow hits, the Mickey Mouse song (with Diane Wannabee-Cheerleader prancing across the stage in a Mickey costume) and…

Good Morning Starshine from Hair?

And the theme tune from M*A*S*H? “Suicide is Painless?” – I remember singing that, aged ~8. I can probably still do the whole song.

I’ve previously written:

I look back with some horror to my post-1950s formerly-McCarthyite American Elementary education, not least for the picture-books I remember being available in the library. These detailed all manner of war machines: different kinds of grenade (fragmentation or otherwise) and tanks and rifles, and stories about West Point and other military training academies.
I am unconvinced that such propaganda has a place in schools, although I am not against the knowledge being available. It’s a hard call.

Now thirtysomething years later I’m beginning to wonder that although the resources may have been conservative, perhaps the staff may have been – gasp! – liberal?

I wonder if modern kids still get dumped-on with stuff they can’t understand for 20+ years? Maybe they’re insulated from that, now – by health and safety and “won’t somebody think of the children?”