In the 70s, as teenagers we did this to the girls we partied with.

[shockey80]

We protected them. I grew up in a tough blue collar neighborhood. We drank heavy, did drugs, got into fights. We got into trouble but we had a code of respect. We protected each other. If one of the girls got wasted we would protect her, take her some place safe.

If one of us got drunk and started acting like an asshole we would all do something about it. We hated spoiled rich kids and jocks. If Brent Kavanaugh and his friends came to one of our parties and abused one of the girls we would have beaten the fucking shit out of them. What a bunch of punks.

There is no way I want that asshole on the supreme court.

The neighborhood I grew up in was unique. It was surrounded by woods. It was like our own little world. Outsiders had to be careful if they came into the neighborhood.

If you bought a house in our neighborhood we would test you. One day you may look out your front door and see a couple of teenage girls sitting on your front porch. Out in the street there would be a large group of teenagers watching.

The girls would ask you, do you want us to leave? If you said no you passed the test. If you said, get the hell off my porch you failed the test. We would not like you. You could have problems. It was our neighborhood, we wanted cool people living there , not assholes.

[libdem4life]

1. In the rural South during the 60s

We didn't have parties. Everyone lived too far away and nobody had a car to drive. Women and girls were respected and protected, if necessary. And the only "beer joint" for miles around had low lives and alkies therein. Underage meant underage.

[raccoon]

32. I was in the rural South during the 60s. IME women and girls weren't respected and protected,

at least not by all boys/men, that's for sure.

[libdem4life]

36. Guess I got lucky.

Maybe it's because my Dad was a preacher? But I never heard anything from the others, either.

Also, girls were equal in sports. We didn't have enough money for football, so basketball was everything. We had a grade school girl's basketball team starting at 4th grade (Half court, in those days) and the entire area showed up for our games and cheered us on. Four games...girls and boys grade school teams during the week...with bus transportation to other towns for out-of-town games, and girls and boys high school teams at nights.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

2. Sounds like a delightful neighborhood.

[Tipperary]

14. I know, right?

I would not strangers sitting on my porch without invitation. Perhaps the op is unaware that is trespassing.

[CharleyDog]

51. if uninvited people sat on my porch and challenged me, that would not engender any

friendship from me. Better to bring a pie, ring the doorbell, and say "welcome to the neighborhood."

Sitting on my porch and telling me to like it or else is being a jerk.

[libdem4life]

55. It wasn't "a neighborhood" it was a farm every few miles. People helped each other.

Just for clarity...the dirt road I lived on was the LAST paved road in Southeastern Oklahoma. Girls got the eggs from the chicken house. Girls milked cows. Girls slopped the hogs. Girls went fishing for catfish to fry. Any other questions? But as "backwoods" as we were, no one EVER dissed the girls. Goes to show...

[Gidney N Cloyd]

63. My comment was directed at the OP.

[shockey80]

3. It was a tough neighborhood, not criminal. We did not rob houses, etc.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

31. No, but apparently you were OK with trespassing on other people's property

and harassing homeowners who objected to the trespassing - which, by the way, is a crime, although a minor one.

[lindysalsagal]

48. Not sure how a new homeowner could be sure of that, with teenagers being so pushy. How about leaving

cookies and a note: "Welcome to the neighborhood? Come on over sat night for lemonaid?"

[malchickiwick]

4. Did you ever stop to consider that maybe you and your pals were the assholes??

"If you bought a house in our neighborhood we would test you." -- sounds like something a bunch of entitled little pricks would do.

[bitterross]

16. We are tribal, pack animals. We're all assholes to the outsiders.

While you are absolutely correct to point out that they were probably the "assholes" it really is just a part of who evolution has made us. We circle the wagons around our tribe. It is damn difficult to get accepted into the pack if you are not born into it.

I don't begrudge the poster for their actions at the time. I'm sure we've all done similar things.

Our higher brains are becoming more used over time but we're still generally ruled by the lizard brain.

[Codeine]

23. We've all done similar things?

I’m sorry, but no. I leave my neighbors alone. They do their thing, I do mine. There’s no tribe here, no outsiders, no belonging or not belonging, just a collection of boxes where we sleep and eat and raise our families. Move in, be happy, don’t touch my stuff and all is well.

Some people are weird.

[Downtown Hound]

27. I can honestly say I grew up in both upper middle class and "tough blue collar" neighborhoods

and never once put my neighbors through any kind of test, much less one that involved me trespassing on their property and making an ass of myself just to see how they react. And I drank, smoked weed, dropped acid, and got into fights. Still never harassed my neighbors with any of it.

As a kid, I tried to minimize any involvement I had with adults. That to me is the most healthy thing a kid can do.

[olegramps]

54. Who wanted adults around. If some adult wants to hang out with kids, they are suspect.

[wcmagumba]

53. I grew up in a poor small town neighborhood...

wrong side of the tracks and next to an oil refinery...we never, ever harassed
the neighbors, new or old...

[obamanut2012]

22. +1

[Nictuku]

5. I was reflecting on that very thing this morning

The 'gang' I hung out with, equal guys and girls (though the guys tended to be a little older than us girls) definitely spent most of our time trying to figure out how to get hammered. But no one was raping anyone.

In fact, when I was attacked by a neighbor kid (recently turned 18) who lived at the other end of Kahala, (rich kid), I was 15, my mom was out at the movies and I was alone in the house. I had just gotten out of the shower and heard the front screen door open (it creaked).

To my horror, there was a guy, with a knife, with a shirt over his head walking towards me. I remember saying as loudly as I can "Please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me" in hopes that my neighbor would hear. I backed up into my mom's room (closest neighbor house)

He kept coming, and I was up against the bed. He told me to shut up and take my towel off. I remember looking at my hand and almost doing it. Then he said: "Go to your room" (How did he know which was my room?).

Mom's room and mine were connected with the bathroom. I made my brave move and slammed the door between us and ran around to the front door. I had a longer distance to go, but I was faster and beat him out of the house. He was right behind me. I slammed through (and broke) the gate at the yard and was screaming as loud as I could, running for our other neighbors house. His name was Dick, so I was literally screaming "Dick! Dick!" as I ran. (yes, I have regained a sense of humor)

Back to the point of the OP: It turned out that my boyfriend and other friends were down the street at another friends house, and they heard the screaming. They came running and saw this guy running through the bushes with a shirt over his head. There had been reports in the neighborhood of a peeping tom, and they thought that they caught the guy. They didn't know I was involved until later. The caught the guy and beat the shit out of him.

The cops came, and even though my boyfriend was somewhat infamous with them, they turned their back and didn't arrest him for assault (for beating the guy). That was the only justice I got. You see, even though the guy was over 18, his parents must have paid someone off because it never came to trial. Even though I definitely wanted to press charges. What I heard was that he was not yet 18, and we all knew that was a lie.

I wouldn't go anywhere without carrying a stick (small bat) for a year. The next time I saw that asshole he was in a grammar school playground.

But what you said is true, we protected each other, we looked out for each other, and rapists were scum.

If one of us got too wasted, we were protected. These are people who I am still friends with today, 40 years later.

[renate]

58. How absolutely terrifying

I’m so sorry that happened and so glad you survived.

[Nictuku]

62. Thank you for taking the time to respond

I thought I had gotten over it, but a lot of emotion came boiling up as I was typing my story today. It makes me feel better to know that someone cared, even after all this time.

[Codeine]

6. That sounds horrible.

“We would test you.”

“You could have problems.”

I’m very glad I don’t have neighbors like that.

[shockey80]

7. Dd you ever consider you were an asshole?

[Codeine]

9. To whom are you responding? nt

[obamanut2012]

24. Are you signed into another account or something???

Since you are responding to your own OP by calling yourself out.

[JonLP24]

25. No see post #2 and #3

The poster isn't directly replying to posts

[Codeine]

26. I suspect the OP doesn't understand

how to respond to a threaded conversation.

[Codeine]

28. I take that back.

He’s been here over a decade. Clearly there’s some sock-puppetry going on.

[Tipperary]

61. Yes. Outed himself, it seems.

Oops.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

8. Cool story bro! 😏

[Floyd R. Turbo]

64. In summary, you and a group of shitbags hated those of different social status and/or who were

athletes. You and the aforementioned shitbags trespassed on private property to intimidate those in lawful occupancy of said property. You and the shitbags took revenge on those who did not kneel to or accept your shitbaggery.

[Maeve]

10. While that was kind of a jerk thing to do, I can see the point

I can see going out and asking the girls if they wanted something. And maybe sitting down and chatting with them, offering some lemonade and asking if those were their friends out there. Are they thirsty, too?
Just like I don't chide the teens who come trick or treating without costumes for Halloween--it costs little to be nice.
But it would intimidate some.

As for protecting the girls who had a drink or more too much, there is a line in "High Society" where Frank Sinatra (Mike) explains that he did nothing more than kiss Grace Kelly(Tracy) the night before:

Mike Connor: That's all.

Tracy Lord: Why? Was I so cold? So forbidding?

Mike Connor: Not at all. On the contrary but you were somewhat the worse or the better for the wine and there are rules about such things.

[NatBurner]

11. this started off so strong

kinda fizzled towards the end tho lol
cuz i'd wld mosdef want y'all off my porch

[oberliner]

12. Why would anyone not ask them to leave?

I'm not understanding this at all.

[Codeine]

19. I guess you're not cool, man. nt

[Downtown Hound]

13. Um, yeah, whatever. Get the fuck off my porch.

I want cool, nice neighbors too. Not assholes that are going to make themselves at home on my porch.

No, this isn't your neighborhood. I belong here too, and I don't have to pass any of your bullshit tests to prove I belong here.

[LuckyStrykes]

15. I grew up in Detroit in the seventies

I went to a lot of high school parties. But I went to show off my dance skills. Our parties were like discos but they were house and backyard parties. We didn't go to drink. We went for the music and the DJ. I don't remember alcohol, weed yes, but not alcohol.

[Soxfan58]

17. I remember

We had two girls in our group, not girlfriends but girl friends. If anyone, had touched those girls they had six big brothers ready to protect them. If only we could have been there for Dr. Ford.

[cannabis_flower]

18. I don't get your "test"

You're asking a homeowner (or renter) if they're ok with teenage girls sitting on their porch? What does that prove?

[Codeine]

21. Exactly.

I can’t even stand people knocking on my damned door, but unknown teenagers standing on my porch to “test” me? And if I “fail” I “could have problems”?

Yeah, that’s not going to end well.

This neighborhood sounds like it’s from Deliverance.

[LisaL]

44. My feelings exactly.

I don't think most people want teenagers they don't know sitting on their porches uninvited.

[LisaL]

43. ITA. Teenagers sitting on porches in order to test homeowners doesn't sound like fun to me.

Not sure what this test was going to prove.

[obamanut2012]

20. Yeah, teh kids were jerks for trespassing

And all of you were bigger jerks for calling new residents assholes for not wanting strangers on their property.

I feel sorry for folks forced to move into such a neighborhood.

[ecstatic]

29. Lol! You had me until the last part

I'm trying to think of how I'd handle something like that.

I think I'd be kind of amused and curious the first time. I'd tell them that I saw them on my surveillance camera (whether true or not) and just wanted to make sure the girls were safe/OK. I'd introduce myself and ask all of their names and where they lived. I would NOT invite them inside, because unfortunately teens these days might try to return uninvited, when I'm not home.

Once their safety and options for hangout spots were confirmed, I would not want to see them on my property again unless it was an emergency. I'm just not the friendly teen counselor type.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

30. What? That "test" was kind of assholish.

If someone's hanging out on my front porch uninvited they're trespassing and I will ask them to leave, as I have every right to do. If I'm harassed by a gang of teenagers just because I didn't want someone trespassing on my property, they're the assholes, not me.

[pintobean]

33. It might help if you gave us your

definitions of 'cool' and 'asshole'. They must be "unique", as well.

[SkipG]

34. It's called entitlement

Apparently you're not entitled.

[ooky]

35. We never engaged in the kind of behaviors that were reported

by Dr. Ford or other Kavanaugh accusers. We partied wherever we were, drank alcohol, got high (smoked a lot of pot) and gathered and hung out in places where it was okay for us to do so. We were just your standard "long hair hippy" culture. I never saw anyone gang raping girls or even suggesting we should disrespect them in any way. I think if we had seen that it wouldn't have gone over well. All the people who I hung with were respectful of the girls so I can't identify with the Kavanaugh issues. But I went to regular public schools, not prep schools for the rich, and didn't really know anyone who did. Based on what I'm hearing about the prep school environment now I'm glad I didn't know any of them.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

39. My experience was like yours, but I think things might have changed

by the '80s, when the cultural emphasis among teenagers wasn't on pot-smoking, anti-war activism and anti-establishment hippiedom, but wealth, greed, hedonism and conspicuous consumption. Those were the Reagan years, after all, when greed was good.

[ooky]

42. Yea could be, I was in high school late 60's early 70's. nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

59. 1969 college grad. Never saw anything like the debauchery described

by Kavanaugh's accusers, though there was a whole lot of partying, drinking and pot-smoking.

[NewJeffCT]

37. I grew up in a small blue collar/middle class town in Connecticut and graduated HS in the mid 80s

wow, was your experience way different than it was in my town. I'm the same age as Dr. Ford and 2 years younger than Brett Kavanaugh...

I had posted this earlier this week:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211172299

[roamer65]

38. I was on an all male floor of a university dorm.

Last edited Sat Sep 29, 2018, 03:26 PM - Edit history (1)

We were about as close to being in a frat as one could get. We drank like fish and partied so hard they made the floor co-ed the following year. I was told I should pledge, but I did not like the frat culture. I don’t get chosen, I choose with whom I associate.

Not ONCE do I remember any thing close of a sexual nature as to what is being levied against Rapey McKavanaugh. We definitely had women and men visiting from the other floors and other dorms. Our reputation got around...lol.

I remember talking with a lot them and having a good, respectful yet intoxicated college kid time as it should be all the time.

There was a definite pre-meditation to what was going on at GP and Rapey took with him to Yale.

[lark]

40. In the early 70's, an interesting thing happened.

My boyfriend lived in a semi-rural area, low rent a little ramshackle, when a group of Hells Angels moved in to a house across the street. There were quite a few, at least 6 bikes, there most of the time. We were worried, especially me walking to my car at night since there were no street lights there. Anyway, one day this very large biker showed up not long after I had arrived after dark. I had been very nervous parking my car at the curb because there were lots of bikers hanging around, obviously a party. I don't know if they noticed me being nervous, but anyway, there he was.

He wanted to let us know they were having a party, but we shouldn't worry, it was his and his brothers' house and they would be sure to keep things cool. We'd never have to worry about any hassles from them or their friends. In fact, they couldn't stand assholes, so if we had any problems with anyone, come get them and they'd take care of it. He then gave us a case of beer and invited us to the party. We were so shocked at how very nice, respectful, welcoming and smart this guy seemed.

So from people I expected trouble, nothing but kindness. However, when I was staying with a friend, her roommate tried to rape me. Caught me totally off guard and I was very lucky he was so drunk I was able to get away. I was hit on by my boss and catcalled all the time when walking.

Taught me not to trust the people in charge, they are often just out for themselves. Taught me it's better to wait and judge someone from the content of their character and not just how they appeared. Taught me fancy suits can hide an evil heart.

[roamer65]

45. The men to beware are most often the ones in some level of power.

I am sorry to hear of what happened to you.

[lark]

46. That's what I learned.

Beware of bosses and ex's.

[roamer65]

49. Very definitely.

My sister learned that as well.

[denbot]

41. A-Fucking-men

High School Class of ‘76.

[Initech]

47. Oh if I was at a party like that...

And Kavanaugh and his friends were abusing women, they too would have got the absolute shit beat out of them and made sure they were no longer welcome at parties.

[nini]

50. Thanks for watching out for the girls

.

[AkFemDem]

52. I think a lot of men I knew as a teenager would say something similar...

And I suspect a lot of those girls you knew have other stories you may not be aware of, including some that probably involve some of the boys you believe were just protecting them.

The reason the #metoo movement is SO powerful, and so popular, is almost every woman I know relates. Believe me, someone was perpetrating those incidents. And many of them came from close friendly neighborhoods.

[sarisataka]

56. I can understand you're not wanting

Assholes to move into your neighborhood, it seems it was already full of them.

I believe Mr Kavanaugh would have fit very well into your group. He may have treated women better with a different outlet for his bullying abusive tendencies.

Would you care to share what some of the problems a person who is not approved by the neighborhood teenagers would meet?

[ffr]

57. Like this

Link to tweet

[Tipperary]

60. What problems "could" they have.?

Did you egg their cars, poison their pets, steal their newspapers...what? You sound like a great group of kids (not).