List of rules to follow from 1959
I recently came across a photo album my father gave me prior to his death. He was born during WWII in Greenville, South Carolina, and a list fell out of it that included rules that aim to make life better for the world around him. While we should hold today’s pundits and leaders to a higher standard, our forefathers mustn’t always be cancelled for their exclusionary sentiments provided they demonstrated overwhelming earnestness to improve their times. He dated the list near the same day he turned 21 years old. So, here goes:
List of rules to follow from 1959
- 1. Always believe in Santa Claus
- 2. Never offer to handshake first
- 3. When writing an angry letter, wait a week before sending it
- 4. Pets are only allowed in the kitchen when inside the house
- 5. Always hire the black man because he’s had a harder time at it
- 6. Make friends with the mailman and gift them money for Christmas
- 7. Always ask for water in your scotch and bourbon. The drive home will be safer
- 8. Never put less than five dollars in your gas tank
- 9. Always write your teachers after graduation
- 10. Always list your favorite teacher as a work reference
- 11. Never turn down help from a neighbor
- 12. Say “Thanks for the advice” but don’t always follow it
- 13. Talk to God the way you talk to your grandmother
- 14. Ask your parents about their failures
- 15. Never enter a church without two handkerchiefs
- 16. Always sing Christmas carols
- 17. Never kiss the girl on the first date
- 18. Stop dating the girl who won’t kiss you on the second
- 19. Never ask a girl to go steady unless she brings it up first
- 20. Eat lunch at the counters with blacks because both the food and conversation will be better
- 21. Open doors for blacks and pick them up if hitching
Thanks again.
Good luck!
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The photo album detail gives the 1959 list a meaningful personal context, especially alongside the reminder to judge its exclusionary sentiments within the earnest effort to improve its time. The emphasis on holding today’s leaders to a higher standard also makes the piece feel relevant beyond its historical setting.
The story of the handwritten list falling from your father’s photo album gives these 1959 rules a meaningful personal context. I also appreciate the distinction between examining exclusionary views honestly and recognizing a genuine effort to improve one’s time.
The detail about the list falling out of your father’s photo album, dated around his twenty-first birthday, gives these rules a personal weight beyond ordinary advice. I also appreciated the balanced point that historical figures should be judged honestly without ignoring sincere efforts to improve their time.
The detail about the list falling out of your father’s photo album makes these 1959 rules feel especially personal. I also appreciate the distinction between understanding historical context and excusing exclusionary views—earnest intentions still deserve scrutiny.
The detail about the list falling out of your father’s photo album, dated around his 21st birthday, gives these 1959 rules a particularly personal sense of history. I also appreciate the thoughtful distinction between understanding the limits of the past and still examining whether the writer was sincerely trying to improve his world.