my off the wall thinking is kids are not being taught to socialize these days , simple point , in the days before two cars in every driveway most folks used pubic transport which was a times crowded and children were taught from an early to give up their seat for any adult, not just a pensioner , and it was just an automatic reaction for any able bodied male to give up his seat for a woman be she old or young , these days most 'children' never use a bus until the early teenage years when the parents unwrap the cotton wool and then they act like feral animals because they haven't been taught or know any different , similar situation with teenage 'gangs' , children are never allowed out to play (socialize) in the streets or the next street because of over sensationalized reports of molesters lurking behind every streetlamp ( attention people, its not a new problem, its allways been there, but it was dealt with locally by family and neighbours) when finally they are allowed out they make the most of it.
Also extended family links are no longer there at one time at least one set of grandparents lived in the immediate area (within two or three streets) and you could be sure if you got into anything word would get back pretty quick .
Something which I have thought about is also the size of high schools (secondary schools) I think they have gotten to be to big and a child just becomes a number and not an individual , I went to school in the days when Gt.Harwood, Rishton,Clayton, and Ossy all had their own secondary schools (don't know how many Accy had) as well as Accy Grammer , High and Ossy Tech, plus the Catholic Secondary and Grammer schools (inc Paddock House) both the pupils and the teachers were part of the local community , something I think we have lost , I think I can honestly say that Johnny Shackleton the Headmaster at Gt. Harwood Secondary Modern knew the name of every child in the school , something I doubt many headmasters/school principals/directors of education can say in any local High school these days .
