I was sad to hear that the author of one of my favorite books, “How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk” had recently passed away. Adele Faber‘s book is a must-read for anyone interested in communicating with other human beings (kids being a subset of that class).
One of the techniques that she suggests for younger children, when making crazy demands, is to help grant their needs in fantasy. Here’s an example that I used with my kids – we’re in the checkout line at the grocery store, and the checkout lane is crammed with candy bars. We’d play the game where we’d list our favorite candy bar, which would often lead to some interesting tangents.
“Grant children in fantasy
You wish you had …
Be far out fantastic in fantasy.”
Max Mednik / Notes on How to Talk So Kids Will Listen by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
When I was a kid (in the Bart / Leave-it-to-Beaver age), there were two things that I really wanted:
a railroad hand car
a hand-cranked air raid siren
My secondary list was long, and included, in part….
unlimited access to fireworks, comic books, moon pies, etc
ability to hold my breath at least 15 minutes and / or gills
just one cup of coffee – a forbidden beverage
Mad Magazine – as illegal as heroin in my family
None of these came to pass. Today we will grant in fantasy what was denied in reality (part I)
We are going to focus on the granted fantasy of a hand-held air raid siren.
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WLBOTT Wonders: What is the commercial relationship between cows and air raid sirens?
The Big Boy: Chrysler Air Raid Siren
The Chrysler Air Raid Siren is an outdoor warning siren produced during the Cold War era that has an output of 138 dB(C) at 100 feet.
It was known as the Chrysler Bell Victory Siren[1] during its first generation, which was between the end of World War II and the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is reputed to be the loudest air raid siren ever produced in the US.
Built during the Cold War era from 1952 to 1957 by Chrysler, its power plant contained a newly designed Firepower Hemi V8 engine with a displacement of 331 cubic inches (5.42 L) and producing 180 horsepower (130 kW).[1]
They are 12 feet (3.7 m) long, built atop a quarter section of a Dodge truck chassis rail, and weigh an estimated 3 short tons (2.7 t). Its six horns are each 3 feet (91 cm) long. The siren has an output of 138 dB(C) (30,000 watts), and can be heard as far as 25 miles (40 km) away.
In 1952, the cost of a Chrysler Air Raid Siren was $5,500 (equivalent to $65,076 as of May 2024).
The main purpose of the siren was to warn the public in the event of a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The operator’s job was to start the engine and bring it up to operating speed, then to pull and release the transmission handle to start the wailing signal generation. The Chrysler Air Raid Siren produced the loudest sound ever achieved by an air raid siren.
Wikipedia / Photo By User PBMI – Self-photographed, CC BY 3.0
[1] “Chrysler Bell Victory Siren” – doesn’t that sound like some MAGA BS product name? The DJT Victory Liberty Hemorrhoid Cream, etc. Perhaps a more appropriate name would be the “Chrysler Kiss Your Ass Goodbye Siren.”
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More, Please.
The meta-experience:
Dude gives some interesting history of air raid sirens, then hooks one up to a remote control. The off button won’t work.
Spousal Unit / Air Raid Siren
As I was previewing the 10-hour video (for due diligence / quality control), my Spousal Unit was not as supportive as I’d hoped. (BTW – I made it to the 27 minute mark, but it gets really, really annoying.)
What was really scary is that I kept hearing the siren after I closed Chrome – it was coming from outside.
Can’t you just go volunteer at the library or something?
Together we’ll get through this.
Why do people keep saying, “Your wife must be a saint”?
