The Mature Disciplinarian: WA4
I remember growing up as a child, working on the ranch in Texas with my dad during school breaks. It was somewhat of a family tradition that my dad and I (not to mention the countless other cousins, aunts, and uncles) would travel down to Talco and shape up J’O’s ranch. Rewiring fences, feeding the cows, mowing the pastures, organizing fishing sheds, and cleaning and killing animals for future meals down the line seemed like never-ending tasks. It was not uncommon that during these intervals, Dad would most likely bust out in some non-condescending lecture about the ‘kids these days…’ “Kids these days don’t know how to behave…no morals…don’t know the meaning of the word work,’ were just some of my dad’s age-old wisdom he would give me. It was only until I got to college that I began to ask myself what were his reasonings behind it. Why does there seem to be generational differences that seem to lead to conflict? How does one generation differ from another, and can those differences be explained as to how certain people’s views about economics and lessons change? I know that my dad was a dedicated and organized person, but what caused him to be that way? Was it the lack of revenue and economic opportunities of being a farmer in rural Texas which sprouted his independence and fascination with manual labor? Did the cultural era he grow up nurture in him the idea of what work and relationships should be like? How does he differ from me?
I must admit, the questions I’m asking weren’t easy to find answers for. I am of a person living in what most people would call the Millenial Generation (people with birthdates ranging from the late 70’s to the 90’s). I can only interpret what other people say and think about the past. It’s hard to find a culture on campus consisting of whole communities of Veterans, Baby-Boomers, or Generation X’s. However, one oral history within the Texas A&M Commerce’s library proved to be of some great insight. The oral history was that of W.A. Jackson, a white male of the Mature Era (people born before the 1940’s) who specialized in education and was a former student of what used to be East Texas Normal College.
No offical date of birth is given in the interview, but based up certain inferences in when he attended college, J.W. Jackson had to have been born well within the range of 1888-1889. The interview was taken on March 5, 1974; this implies that Jackson was around the age of 80 during that time. Jackson was a resident of the small Hunt-Hopkins County area who came to East Texas after high school in the year of 1909. Before his education, he lived on a farm with his dad who specialized in cotton picking. Through the hard work of his father, his education was paid for in full, which only ammounted in 125 dollars (inflation wasn’t as rampant as it is now). Coming from an agriculture background, he soon went off a journey of self-education at the private college in Commerce. Of course, the college was a lot smaller than it is now, which came complete with two separate dorm buildings for boys and girls. The population of the school was about 2,000. He pursued subjects in various academic forums, including but not limited to physics, algebra, geometry, and general history. He completed 2 to 3 summer semesters before actually jumping right into the teaching profession. He actually didn’t get his Ph.D before going back to East Texas and graduating in 1949.
This was an oral history that the class had listened too very briefly through Dr. Carter’s record. Now knowing that I wanted to explore the economic and cultural situations of various generations, it seemed appropriate as a character and good representative of the past school’s education methods, J.W. Jackson’s interview would be of consequential use to my report. He functioned as a link into the mindset of older antebellum America, which is not very easy to specifically find even with modern communication and flow of information.
One thing I could say about J.W. Jackson is that he is a man of very few words. While most other interviews consist of explanations of various topics and even ruminations of past habits, Jackson seemed very direct and very short. Very often, the interviewer would give pause to give the recipient time to answer, and even then it was only one very short sentence. Repeat questions had to be asked, especially when being asked of current generation problems and solutions (the current generation during the interview was that of Generation X, people born in 1965-1980). Though limited in words, the point was usually given. He seemed to be of a man who didn’t have time for chit-chat. He was there to answer specific questions, and he answered them as simply as he could.
Another thing about him was his idolization of Professor W.L. Mayo, a person that English 102 has become acquainted with as a strict disciplinarian. This is actually one section of the conversation that Jackson took time to reflect upon. He portrayed the man as very formidable and very strict on discipline and hard work. “If a boy or girl didn’t do the right thing, he’d just make them skedaddle,” J.W. said in response to how Mayo ran his school. Punishments included being fined, being sent home, and at worse, flogging. Though me and no doubt several present students would find that laudible, Jackson spoke of it with strong diction and pride in his voice. If anything, Jackson would probably say that we students don’t get enough discipline of this sort (though he was referring to the kids of the 70’s, it would seem logical that he would say the same of us). When asked how current students would view such policies, he responded with a short and curious, “That’s a mystery to me. I don’t think they have enough discipline really.” Why was he such a straight-forward person who viewed these various measures as good taste. What does he see in his generation that is apparently lacking in future ones?
Being a teacher of 20 years, JW Jackson has seen a lot in his lifetime. He was a teacher to students during several historical events. He lived through the economic growth period of the 20’s, the Great Depression of the 30’s, and during the combat years of World War 1. Through these specific periods, Jackson commented on how students were affected, even mentioning that back in his days there was a spirit of communication and compassion between student and teacher, something that is not seen very much today. JW Jackson was very brief in his criticism of modernization, with phrases like ‘not as moral as they used to be,’ being used. What is even more curious is his lack of solutions to these supposed problems, only going as far as saying it was because ‘of changing times.’ This indirectly implies that the culture of economy itself had some influence. It resembles the structure of a nature vs nurture argument, one in which one’s environment can dictate one’s beliefs and ethics. Does it? How did the environment of the Mature’s differ from that of Generation X? And what results in the somewhat animosity presented within the interview?
I know personally that I am very different from my dad in a lot of respects. Dad, growing up in a household with a lack of monetary revenue, (which was common for farmers in that age before subsidies from the U.S. Department of Agriculture took effect.) didn’t have time to make friends or form strong relationships with those except his brother and sisters. Work, for him, was an obligation that had to be undertaken in order to get by. His parents, my grandparents, used beating as a discipline, so that could have ingrained in him the sense that work had to be done immediately without question. Because the work on a farm is continual and time-consuming, family served as his support beacons. He often stressed the importance of family because those were his sponsors in life that kept him company. Me being of the Millenial Generation, a time in which mass communication is being perfected through Facebook; cellphones, internet, and television, I am a person who has more time outside of work because of developments in technology. Because of that, I place friends on the same level as family because it is now easier for me to keep in touch across distances. Geography does not limit me in my influence as it did in Dad’s day where there was a lack of personal vehicular engines, unlike today. In my world, getting information about anything is typically easy and instantaneous. Because I am used to things being quick and easy, I often rail against my dad’s farm work because of its never-ending process that brings about no personal goal.
I can see the similarities in the interview with J.W. Jackson. I kind of picture him playing the role of my dad, the one of wisdom and experience unfamiliar with today’s methods. I see myself as the interviewer who wants to know why his views are antagonistic to mine and if they have to be? I think it can be explained by the period he was brought up and worked in. Being a mature, he grew up in the midst of war-time shortages and economic depressions. He probably worked hard and paid his dues because that was how you could survive back then. Even while technology improved and fads changed, he stuck with a strict work ethic because that is what he is used to. Generation X’s, due to the matures and Baby Boomers long hours, copied long working habits out of observation. However, the economy and individuals focused on increasing productivity and minimizing costs. This led to ways of shortening the work hours and increasing bang for buck. This often results in Mature’s accusing X’s of punching the clock. Work is an obligation to Jackson, while the 70’s viewed work as a difficult challenge one overcomes. One often did work individually on a farm, while the people of the 70’s became entrepreneurs in how to conduct business efficiently . Matures in the work environment often consorted to former memos as communication, while X’s preferred direct immediate contact. Mature’s, due to long hour work, didn’t have a balance between family and work which transcended to the Baby Boomers. The negative effects were felt by the X’s when parents were usally busy as a sense of self-worth arose from it. The term latch-key kids referred to X’s. This is probably why today there is a stress on finding a proper family/work balance. So much can be studied by looking into the behavior patterns of individuals like Jackson and corresponding them with the cultural shifts of his or her age and finding causes and effects.
J.W.’s interview proved very valuable in validating and researching how generations view and differ from each other. If anything was gained, it is my conviction that maybe generations are not as different as we think they are. Yes, technology and culture have changed within the past few decades, but our desire to be happy and well-off hasn’t. Maybe the nature of human beings haven’t changed. No generation has to be more moral than another. If anything, antagonistic feelings can be result of generations not being able to understand others and look at things from other people’s point of view. Hopefully, this paper will contribute to the Commerce’s scholarly discussion by showing how literacy and values differ from generation to generation, why, and what can be done so that all literacy views can be represented as mutually helpfuly, not mutually combative. Who says one way of learning and living is better than another? Maybe they represent different languages, different in style and composition, but similar in goal and directive. My dad is just now starting to understand why I value work and friendships different than him. And it is because of our understanding that we are getting along better than ever before. Maybe this project can help others do the same.
