Interesting to consider that, some 40 years after the passing of Roe V. Wade the abortion issue still rages. Stranger still, that the majority of the ones carrying on the argument are still Men, as was evidence by the recent hearings photo that went viral.

But in 1964 it didn't seem all that strange, but the question of abortion was very much at the forefront of peoples minds, particularly with the recent introduction of the birth control pill (an early 60's invention) and talk of all these new sexual mores as the result.

So the Public Affairs talk program The Open Mind hosted a discussion on the subject over whether or not Abortion should be legal (in 1964 it wasn't). The difference between the discussion now and the discussion then, at least in 1964,was one of the panel members was a Woman. Alice S. Rossi who was a research Professor and Sociologist at the University of Chicago was the sole Female on the panel discussing an issue solely the property of Women. Oh well.

The rest of the panel members, moderated by Eric F. Goldman were Rev. Robert H. Smith (the clergy, of course), Dr. Alan F. Guttmacher, President of Planned Parenthood and Caleb Foote. The discussion gets heated over the course of an hour, but you can't help but think they are all arguing about a subject they have no business getting involved with in the first place.

The end result is walking away feeling the argument hasn't changed because the players haven't changed. In almost 50 years (longer, but since the time of the broadcast) you would think Men would have the presence of mind to step away from the fray and leave this issue for Women to decide since after all, Women get pregnant, Men don't. As absurd as it seems, listening to this broadcast in 1964, it is more absurd now that it has become a campaign issue and one which Presidential hopes are clinging to. Can we look, just for a second at the logic?

So as a way of demonstrating that some issues won't change until the fundamental arguers change, here is a broadcast of The Open Mind from 1964 broadcast locally over WRCA in New York.

Woe is us.

(Tyranny Of Teenagers in 1963 - Forever going to hell in a handbasket)

A few months ago I ran a post about the supposed "teenage problem" in 1953, hosted by Justice William O. Douglas which included the collective shoulder shrug that "kids today are just messed up". Ten years later, in 1963, kids were still messed up.

Strange to think these perceived out-of-control hormone cases are now the parents and grandparents of the current crop of perceived malcontents. But some things just never change.

In 1963 the current events panel program The Open Mind tried, in their own mainstream media way, to examine just what was going wrong with the youth in America.

And so heading up the panel were Al Capp, creator of the Lil' Abner comic strip of the 1940's and 50s, Grace Hechinger, whose book "Teenage Tyranny" was the basis for the panel, and singer Paul Anka, who represented "the kids".

Anka confesses he knew nothing about the premise of the panel and denied he fit into the perceived mold since he was a: Canadian and b: no longer a teenager.

Rather than stop the panel dead in its tracks, they muddled on with Anka trying to maintain a respectful distance while Capp yucked it up with a stream of pithy anti-kid sayings.

Al Capp: “I must say I enjoy music for teenagers and uh . . . I don’t understand it, I don’t understand the fascination of teenagers with death, for instance. Most of their songs concern themselves with a sudden a violent death with the beloved who is 14 ½ years old and has stolen his fathers car and rammed it into a wall. Isn’t there a song that’s sort of like that?

Paul Anka: “That’s one of a million. If you go back a little further, I think it was the day of the balladeers the songs were more tragic. That’s how your music and poetry started. Your balladeer. I mean if you read, and I’m sure you have and remembered the minstrel that wandered through Sherwood Forest . . Robin Hood, which is now a commercial selling point, not due to the teenagers . . we won’t go into that either. But this guy sang about death and John Brown’s baby being swallowed by a dragon, I mean this is worse than the . . . .

Al Capp: “Yeah but the . . . you can talk about death in the words of Shakespeare or Shelley or you can talk about death in the language of Tin-Pan alley. One – the poet makes death a noble and immense event. Tin-Pan Alley makes death an incident on which to base some frivolous little lament, so the subject isn’t important, it’s the treatment of it and I think the treatment of poetry in teenage music is abysmal.”

And it slides downhill from there.

The panel is interesting and funny in its quaint way with Hechinger maintaining a position that is probably best described as archaic, even by 1963's standards. Capp epitomizes what became known as the Generation Gap and it's clear to see why the 60s were as combative as they became.