Jo Ellen Oliver

Then and Now Jo Ellen Oliver

Sexual mores have changed drastically in my 84 years of life, as well as attitudes about family life, race and religion. I hope to explore

changes in attitudes over my life span. This is not a research paper. I taught freshman English in two universities, where the students were required to document carefully. I don't want to do that anymore. I may get a date or a name wrong. Some names I changed on purpose, to avoid embarrassing the children or grandchildren of people who behaved badly. Instead of factual research, I want to explore emotions and attitudes as they changed over the years. Why are emotions so important? We have just held a very divisive election. We are divided by politics and social mores. Yes, it is better if our emotions are grounded in actual facts; our recent election proved how dangerous feelings are when fed by lies, so I have tried to be as factual as my memory allows, but in the end, our behavior is shaped by how we feel.