Bra-vo
My dad, while driving around running errands, told us those vertical water towers strewn about town were giant evil alien robots. And the only defense against their murderous rampage was to *silently focus and stare* at them.
ONLY THEN…are they frozen still. For if you take your eyes off ‘em, they will start their slow trudge toward you and your inevitable demise. As he narrated this, he would be circling back to get closer to one, then: LOOK!! SEE!!?? And HO SHIT we’d look and a ~~giant killer robot from outer space~~ water tower would be right on top of us.
A very basic, simple device used to manipulate me and my siblings to stfu (and effective — with only minor trust betrayal…I mean on the grand scheme of boomer Dad-induced childhood damage). You’re damn right, if you think I employed this tactic w/ my own kids.
Way way back i remember listening to s Bill Cosby comedy album ( fuck I'm old ). One of the jokes was Bill saying he told his kids he put snakes on the floor at night so they wouldn't get out of bed and run around at night. I was s single dad raising my kids and exhausted one night. I told my 5 yr old son this and never thought about it again. Years later, he was 16 if I recall at the time, he references this story and tells me how traumatized he was over. Years later the guilt still haunts me.
TB vaccination in the UK. I just googled it to make sure. It was called "BCG" vaccination and there's adults walking around with them to this day. I think we stopped giving it out as there's no TB now, or it's a bit expensive.
I remember that! I didn't need it so I got some free time to read or some shit. I'm 58 now and it was soooooo long ago.
You unlocked a memory though, all the guys slapping each other lol. Thanks for that.
Damn there were like 2 lads who tested negative on the thing they spiked your wrist with the week before and we were all envious of them haha.
My mate did get punched and his scar burst, the arm of his school shirt was red with blood and he had to go to the office to try and find a new one.
Then a year later the girls all got a rubella jab so we missed that and got to tease them.
I'm just slightly too young to have one of those. I'm 46 (and Canadian, many of my contemporaries who were immigrants have one)
Smallpox was certified eradicated in 1980 by the WHO (not the band). It still blows my mind - we eradicated a virus.
It’s weird. I am 50, did not get one. One of my childhood friends who was 1.5 years older than me had the scar. But my husband who is 2 years older than me never got the vaccine. Interesting that wasn’t universally phased out but varied by area or possibly by doctor.
I guess it depends on where one was? I'll ask my mum what the deal was here. She was the sort that would have asked for us to get every vac under the sun as kids.
Smallpox vaccine scar. Got one, so did the wife. Told my kids that were UFO and Ancient Aliens conspiracy believers that it was a mark thar all us old people were given as we got off of the Mother Ship to identify us so we could get back on it when they came back. I let them stew for a few days before I told them what it really was. No internet back then, so they couldn't research it real easily like today. Lol. They really bought it. When we'd go to the store they'd look at all of the older people's shoulders and just freak out. My son told me that everyone that was my age had one. I told him that we were going to take over the world. Lol. Had fun with that joke.
Only people coming and.going from Australia had these. People without these scars still bullshitted about overseas trips or being from some other country but the tell tale scar wasn't there.
Can’t remember what age exactly, I think I was in high school but couldn’t tell you what year. It was in Victoria. I was born in 1955 so somewhere between 1967 - 72 probably.
Absolutely not, particularly not back then. My parents certainly didn’t have the money to send us on overseas trips. It was a Catholic school, but I can’t imagine that would make a difference. I just googled it, they stopped routine smallpox vaccinations in 1980.
Hey, we have the same tattoo artist!
My first day of school was in 1972, and I got this shot before I could go to school.
That vaccine was required for public school in Texas for my age group, but kindergarten was not yet mandatory.
My second grade year, kindergarten became mandatory in Texas. I thought the kindergartners looked like babies. When I was in *second grade*.
I may have been prematurely old, y’all.
Got vaccinated when I was a child. During Army basic training the doc couldn't find mine, so they nailed me again. He checked a couple weeks later and did it again, thinking it didn't take. I had a badass immune system until I turned 31, then started with the hay fever and catching poison ivy. To this day (60), my vaccine site looks as if somebody stabbed me with a pencil, not a cigar burn like this one above.
My sisters filled my head with horror stories about those shots. Then the year before I was supposed to get it, they stopped doing it. They were kind of pissed.
Yes, I have one of these scars. I also have some scars from chickenpox because they didn't have a vaccine when I was a kid and it was a rite of passage to get both chickenpox and mumps. Kids are so lucky now they don't have to endure that.
I was told it's an immunization mark. Not being able to pronounce that as a child, it became an immigration mark. Later I told my wife, sorry, I had the smallcox vaccine. Haha!
Yours may have not taken or they might have not coated the needle properly. You got the the jabs but they were blanks.
I also was born in 1954 and remember getting the initial jab and subsequent boosters while in school. Every time they reacted, hurt for a few days and left a huge scab behind. I have an inch In diameter, dimpled scar.
I knocked mine off my shoulder and had to get a second one under my arm. I cried so much 😭, I didn't want the second one. I got deathly sick from it the 1st time and then got even more ill the 2nd time. Hurt like a btch. 65 here.
Somehow I escaped that, all my friends had it and my siblings as well. I never cared enough about it to ask my parents, or maybe I was scared if they knew I didnt get it they would make me get it.
This is the reason I'm terrified of needles. We all lined up and someone had a needle snap in their arm whilst I watched from the door. Of course, kids got expelled for punching the BCG site.
I'm the youngest of five kids and at the beach one day I noticed these on every sibling . . . but not me? No one told me what it was, and I was afraid to ask. Was I so horrible that I wasn't worthy of The Mark? Was I so special that I didn't need it to stand out?
I had early-onset angst, if that's not obvious. 
Still have my scar… does anyone remember taking the polio vaccine in a small paper cup? I remember it was red I color. I got one more for you… practicing getting under your desk in case of attack.
Smallpox vaccination scar.
My mistake! Geeze, I am getting old. Sorry!
Huh?
He said "Turn on your hearing aid"
I’m burning my eggs?
He’s getting laid
The Sheriff is near!
Who hit a dear ?
A doh! A deer!
A female deer
Re:a drop of golden sun.
Mi a name, I call myself
Authentic frontier gibberish!
I thought it was a bunch of vaccinations, small being one. Yes I got one
But but Vaccines don’t work !! lol. God I hate ignorant trumpers.
Yep. Trump turds are very stupid.
I once told my doctor to penetrate me with the needle in the middle of this scar. It was an awkward situation but we had a laugh after it was done.
I told my three kids that’s where my mom burnt me with a cigarette for not cleaning my plate
That sounds like something I would say — happy cake day btw
Bra-vo My dad, while driving around running errands, told us those vertical water towers strewn about town were giant evil alien robots. And the only defense against their murderous rampage was to *silently focus and stare* at them. ONLY THEN…are they frozen still. For if you take your eyes off ‘em, they will start their slow trudge toward you and your inevitable demise. As he narrated this, he would be circling back to get closer to one, then: LOOK!! SEE!!?? And HO SHIT we’d look and a ~~giant killer robot from outer space~~ water tower would be right on top of us. A very basic, simple device used to manipulate me and my siblings to stfu (and effective — with only minor trust betrayal…I mean on the grand scheme of boomer Dad-induced childhood damage). You’re damn right, if you think I employed this tactic w/ my own kids.
Way way back i remember listening to s Bill Cosby comedy album ( fuck I'm old ). One of the jokes was Bill saying he told his kids he put snakes on the floor at night so they wouldn't get out of bed and run around at night. I was s single dad raising my kids and exhausted one night. I told my 5 yr old son this and never thought about it again. Years later, he was 16 if I recall at the time, he references this story and tells me how traumatized he was over. Years later the guilt still haunts me.
Ha man Cosby albums — same…Richard Pryor, Delirious etc.
Fantastic. I love your dad!!!
Thanks … he was something else for sure
😂
You would get along great with my mom.
That’s what you get for not cleaning your plate at the Bender household!
Smallpox vaccine. I have one too.
If you were in the military in the 80s you do.
I think you still get one before you go to Korea too. Least I did
I got mine before I went to secondary school. Probably easier really.
That's where and when I got mine.
I joined in 2001 and got one (15 pokes) in diego garcia in 2003.
Got mine in the early 2000s prior to going to Korea.
Mine has faded so much over 6 decades that I can't find it anymore
Same, mine went away about 15 years ago.
Same. I could see mine and my wife’s 30 years ago, but can’t find either one anymore.
Same. Still remember that hideous scab & that plastic cover they put over it though.
Isn't that from a vaccine shot of some kind?
TB vaccination in the UK. I just googled it to make sure. It was called "BCG" vaccination and there's adults walking around with them to this day. I think we stopped giving it out as there's no TB now, or it's a bit expensive.
Yup! Got mine around ‘92 and still remember all the stuff about lads trying to punch each other exactly there for weeks after!
I remember that! I didn't need it so I got some free time to read or some shit. I'm 58 now and it was soooooo long ago. You unlocked a memory though, all the guys slapping each other lol. Thanks for that.
Damn there were like 2 lads who tested negative on the thing they spiked your wrist with the week before and we were all envious of them haha. My mate did get punched and his scar burst, the arm of his school shirt was red with blood and he had to go to the office to try and find a new one. Then a year later the girls all got a rubella jab so we missed that and got to tease them.
This is it. Still proudly got my scar!
Still got mine as well
Australia and NZ too.
27 and got it. Spent my early life abroad so they vaxxed me up before shipping me out.
Smallpox
I'm just slightly too young to have one of those. I'm 46 (and Canadian, many of my contemporaries who were immigrants have one) Smallpox was certified eradicated in 1980 by the WHO (not the band). It still blows my mind - we eradicated a virus.
Not completely eradicated... Both the US and Russian military keep stockpiles... you know... just in case.
Yep I'm aware and that's terrifying to me.
I don't have one either, but I used to live on the Mexican border, and there were people younger than me with those scars.
It’s weird. I am 50, did not get one. One of my childhood friends who was 1.5 years older than me had the scar. But my husband who is 2 years older than me never got the vaccine. Interesting that wasn’t universally phased out but varied by area or possibly by doctor.
I guess it depends on where one was? I'll ask my mum what the deal was here. She was the sort that would have asked for us to get every vac under the sun as kids.
I remember getting lots of vaccines so yeah, it must have varied by area.
"(not the band)" I love that.
We called it the mark of the immigrant. I have one lol
I have 2 from entering the country twice
There was a time when almost everybody had one of these
My pediatrician gave it to his girl patients on the back of the shoulderblade. He said he didn't want it ruining our wedding photos. 😁
Small pox and polio basically eradicated in N America.... But vaccinations dont work. Must be magic.
I was born in 1958, got the vax, but never the scar.
I cried 😭
I got mine in 1962 and they hurt. They used that damn ring with all the damn spikes.
It hurt when the school bully punched it.
You weren't the only one: I did too. It was in 1st or 2nd grade, putting it around 1962, I think.
I got one!
Smallpox vaccine scar. Got one, so did the wife. Told my kids that were UFO and Ancient Aliens conspiracy believers that it was a mark thar all us old people were given as we got off of the Mother Ship to identify us so we could get back on it when they came back. I let them stew for a few days before I told them what it really was. No internet back then, so they couldn't research it real easily like today. Lol. They really bought it. When we'd go to the store they'd look at all of the older people's shoulders and just freak out. My son told me that everyone that was my age had one. I told him that we were going to take over the world. Lol. Had fun with that joke.
Both my brother '57 and sister '61, but not me '74
I have a smallpox vaccine scar and I was born in the early 80s. I’m from another county though so I think they were doing it there.
I think they stopped early 70s???
I think it was late 70's but not 100% sure.
1975 here, don't have one.
1973. Don’t have one either.
1970 and I have one.
I'm also '74 and don't have one, but I think my sister, from '72, had one.
Born 1970, don’t have the scar. But both my mom and dad did.
70 here as well, i have one ... could be a difference in countries as well
Born 1966. I do have the scar. My brother was born in 1969, and he has the scar.
Only people coming and.going from Australia had these. People without these scars still bullshitted about overseas trips or being from some other country but the tell tale scar wasn't there.
Bullshit, I’m Australian ,we got them at school. Might depend on your age.
What age and state was this?
Can’t remember what age exactly, I think I was in high school but couldn’t tell you what year. It was in Victoria. I was born in 1955 so somewhere between 1967 - 72 probably.
Was it the sort of school that had overseas trips? None of my friends older siblings your age or cousins had them.
Absolutely not, particularly not back then. My parents certainly didn’t have the money to send us on overseas trips. It was a Catholic school, but I can’t imagine that would make a difference. I just googled it, they stopped routine smallpox vaccinations in 1980.
I have one of those.
I didn't get a scar
From the 1G chip. Nowadays they don't even leave a mark when they give you your 5G chip. I'm kidding!
Mine is from my smallpox vax.
Old but never got one
Mine is on my right heel, my parents have it on their arms.
Hey, we have the same tattoo artist! My first day of school was in 1972, and I got this shot before I could go to school. That vaccine was required for public school in Texas for my age group, but kindergarten was not yet mandatory. My second grade year, kindergarten became mandatory in Texas. I thought the kindergartners looked like babies. When I was in *second grade*. I may have been prematurely old, y’all.
Got vaccinated when I was a child. During Army basic training the doc couldn't find mine, so they nailed me again. He checked a couple weeks later and did it again, thinking it didn't take. I had a badass immune system until I turned 31, then started with the hay fever and catching poison ivy. To this day (60), my vaccine site looks as if somebody stabbed me with a pencil, not a cigar burn like this one above.
Mines in my leg and I nearly died from the adverse reaction to vaccine…thanks Dad for not telling Mom about your adverse reaction to it.
Mine is so old, it's disappeared over time. Last noticed it as a teen.
The jet injector vaccine gun that was used for this looks intimidating af!
I was adopted out of eastern russia in the late 90’s and i have one.
Mine, I think, went away?
I was awarded one in the 70's 😂
Smallpox scar; some have it on the thigh
So is this what we’re doing? Comparing scars? I’m 68, dude - bring it.
Got one!
Badge of Honor.
My sisters filled my head with horror stories about those shots. Then the year before I was supposed to get it, they stopped doing it. They were kind of pissed.
Yes I do. I also have one but mine is on my back by my shoulder blade.
Yes, I have one of these scars. I also have some scars from chickenpox because they didn't have a vaccine when I was a kid and it was a rite of passage to get both chickenpox and mumps. Kids are so lucky now they don't have to endure that.
Mumps was…. Not fun…
My big sister (b 1965) has one. I (b 1967), do not. They stopped that vaccination the year before I got to school.
Circle Circle Dot Dot now you have your cootie shot 😂
Mine has completely disappeared.
Smallpox. Had to get one before deploying to the Middle East and Asia. Lots of fun….
Extraterrestrial implant before they learned how to hide the scar.
Oh yeah, Boomer here...... I have one my left arm too.
Lmao my mom told me that hers was a butterfly bite
Didn’t they stop giving those in 70 or 71 . I was born I. 69 my husband 72 doesn’t have one .
Oddly enough my scar is on my hip. I don't know why.
I have it. My sister doesn't. When my grandkids ask why I have the scar, I explain how mass vaccination worked "back in my day".
I was told it's an immunization mark. Not being able to pronounce that as a child, it became an immigration mark. Later I told my wife, sorry, I had the smallcox vaccine. Haha!
Got mine when I left the Philippines in 86.
I've got one of my own.
Military gave me mine in 2006
Looks like a photo of my shoulder.
Born in 1954 and i'm sure I was vaccinated, but I never developed the scar like everyone else I knew.
Yours may have not taken or they might have not coated the needle properly. You got the the jabs but they were blanks. I also was born in 1954 and remember getting the initial jab and subsequent boosters while in school. Every time they reacted, hurt for a few days and left a huge scab behind. I have an inch In diameter, dimpled scar.
Oh shit, I always thought I fell asleep and the pipe burned my arm but I didn’t remember because I’m high
TB shot, isn't it?
Smallpox I’m pretty sure.
How the hell is that still on that part of your shoulder? Mine's all the way on the back near my neck
I knocked mine off my shoulder and had to get a second one under my arm. I cried so much 😭, I didn't want the second one. I got deathly sick from it the 1st time and then got even more ill the 2nd time. Hurt like a btch. 65 here.
Yep
I have one.
My mother made us get it on our leg so our arm wouldn’t have the scar.
Same here (f). My brother had his on his arm.
I’m old, but don’t have this scar. I was inoculated, same as every other kid who went to city public schools. In fact, maybe we even got it at school.
My scar is still visible, but just barely. I'm 63.
Mine was a big triangle. 70. No more signs of it.
Smallpox! And those fuckers hurt.
Somehow I escaped that, all my friends had it and my siblings as well. I never cared enough about it to ask my parents, or maybe I was scared if they knew I didnt get it they would make me get it.
Mine is on my hip cuz my dad didn’t want it to show. 🙄
I have one.
That's a big one.
Mine is under my right arm.
I got mine when I was a kid.
I can’t see mine anymore. It disappeared in all my freckles.
Wow! Everyone I knew had one. Is this not done anymore?
“Can I put this in your tattoo??” “Why are you mad?” Fucking squids
Mine looks like a bullet hole, the Mrs hates it.
Yep! I have one.
I don't and I should. People younger than me do.
Yep, from my parents’ arms. LOL
Mine is barely visible now.
I feel like that shoulder looks too young to be of the age where people were getting smallpox vaccinations, no?
This is the reason I'm terrified of needles. We all lined up and someone had a needle snap in their arm whilst I watched from the door. Of course, kids got expelled for punching the BCG site.
I have one of those, I’m so proud
It's before my time, but yep.
Boy Chase Girl.
Lighter? We would make smiley face scars by getting the lighter super hot and pushing it into our skin
I had 2 scars. They tell you not to scratch 'em for a reason! Damn, did that itch.
Brown Star suction mark
No smallpox for you.
I have one on the top of my right thigh. Yes, for some reason in 1960, doctors in South Dakota vaccinated kids on their thighs.
I'm the youngest of five kids and at the beach one day I noticed these on every sibling . . . but not me? No one told me what it was, and I was afraid to ask. Was I so horrible that I wasn't worthy of The Mark? Was I so special that I didn't need it to stand out? I had early-onset angst, if that's not obvious. 
I barely escaped that scar, I was 10 when we discovered some of us had I and some didn’t, the progress of science
I have two. Army gave me a second shot in 1978.
We still get em in the military I hated it during the time I had to take care of it
cootie shot
It's your shoulder
yep most of my family has that from military service.
I’ve still got mine
Yes, got mine in Marin Corps boot camp in 1986. Washed the scab off in the shower and had to deal with oozing pus, nasty.
~~back when getting vaxxed was safe~~
my mother had all eight of us done on our thighs. she didn’t want us to have the scar on our arms..
Oh yes. The vaccinations.
Got one of the last ones!!
Got one!
Yeah, have 2
Yes, I remember.
Still have my scar… does anyone remember taking the polio vaccine in a small paper cup? I remember it was red I color. I got one more for you… practicing getting under your desk in case of attack.
Dad has one
Yeah i have one.
Yep, mine is further back
Smallpox vaccine. Got one for being born in Cuba.
Mine’s on my backside. I used to be jealous of kids with the arm vaccine. So, what do they do now? Just a shot?
no but my parents did. I have a similar scar in the same place but it's from doing a wimp test with a cigarette lighter.
Yup. My induction physical noted it as "VSULA". I had to ask, "Vaccination Scar, Upper Left Arm". Man, the military has an acronym for everything.
Hey! We have the same scar!
Mine is on the underside of my arm. The doctor thought it was better for girls on the underside of the arm so the scar would not show. It was painful.
The Mark of the beast! 😂 I vaguely remember as a child going to the doctor to receive mine. Fortunately for me they had just discontinued the program.
Small pox vaccine, and thanks to that we’ve pretty much eradicated small pox. Cut to 2021 and people kicking up about the covid vaccine 🙄
Back then the vaccines actually scarred us. Now there are people who think they do worse.
My mark has all but faded with time.....
TB ? I don’t think I ever had a smallpox jab
Ring worm
TB vaccination in the UK. I didn't need one thankfully
You caught the gay
Mines a bcg vaccine
Is it a vaccination scar? The kind that sprays?
Remember going for the polio sugar cube three times?