Anyone over the age of 30 should read this..

I do understand both sides of the argument here though, just to make that clear. To me *back then* was so much simpler and friendlier, you interacted with people in real life, you worked hard for EVERYTHING you needed, we actually walked back and forth to school (for me it was a 45 min journey), we would go hiking through the woods and make *gang* huts in the tree's or in dense bushes for our hideouts, only tv time we had was an hour a day if we were lucky and lots of other *back in my day* things can be added.

. Most kids today have no idea what playing is, and i do feel that technology has overtaken our lives waaayyyy to much, alot of people have turned bone idle and lazy, hell i cant even have a convo with my own daughter by txt or even speaking with all the short txt speak and short hand lazy words lol.

was *the old way* better? more perfect? in some ways yea but as has been stated already, it wasnt without its faults, alot off improvements have been made but to me i think alot of it hasnt been so good, people forget what its like to live, to use their brains and to have fun and are ever more relying on technology to get through the day which i think will come back and bite us in the butt's < insert terminator theme tune here>

Both sides of the argument have very valid views.

In the 50's through to early 80's I agree the technology we had was bad but take driving, we didn't drive alot back then if the place we was going was within 3 miles we literally walked. As for the old television yes they were energy suckers, yet I state in your average family the television was rarely turned on, we listen to radio rarely, you have to know this about the older generation we played outside and when we was in the house it was family things, we were very close to each other and our communities. We did abuse batteries, but I shall star we didn't have many gadgets that required batteries, I thought hard on this battery issue of the past and the only gadget I can think we had which required a battery was a flash light. And maybe, I can't remember but maybe we used batteries when our family went camping. Ok so guilty as charged. Think about this young adults, when any new gadget or item is first made especially like a car its NEW and must be improved through time, had we not started with the guzzlers and batteries you youngsters would either not have what you have or you would be getting it for the first time of its existence, like the car everything evolves. Mankind of all ages need to help eachother not point fingers.

I am over 30. Oddly enough, I was first told to use canvas bags at the grocery store in the 3rd grade. It has just taken 30 years to catch on. Kids are just brainwashed into believing that purchasing so called "green" items is good for the environs, when in actuallity, consumerism can never truly be "green".

Much like my "environmentally friendly" civic hybrid that can never be conventionally scrapped because of the toxic contents of its battery. "Green consumerism" is a scam to get us to pay higher prices for inferior items that are likely to break.

kids..... so smart, yet so ignorant. Just the way public schooling made them.

And not just to pick on kids, I went through my 15 years of brainwashing. 18 years later, and much effort devoted to undoing the damage, I've probably only scratched the surface of neurosis.

reply to post by lbndhr


According to your profile you're from the USA? And you talk about "back then families rarely used TV?" Really? The USA are a nation that was raised on TV and Radio, even 40-50 years ago. If it was different, there wouldn't have been so many TV stations even in the 60's, so many TV shows that ran for years and years (or even Decades, like General Hospital, started in 1963 and is still on the air)
Compare this to Germany: Until 1983 there were only 2 nationwide TV stations and a local station for every state. They usually showed a program from 6 am until 11 pm. Here it was common to rarely use the TV, but not in the USA. I've been on several message boards for all shows and on IMDB and there are so many users talking about being kids in the 60's watching TV for hours, Batman, Star Trek, Twilight Zone and many other shows.

As for Batteries: Don't you forget all your toys? From Walkie-Talkies, Battery operated Dolls to RC Cars (around since the 1960's) even "back in the day" there were a lot of things that required batteries. Don't forget TV Remotes and at least i remember our old TV using a 9V Battery, not rechargable. Today it's 2 AAA batterys i can recharge about 1000 times and they last a lot longer.
And even back then there were Radios that ran on Batterys. We have such a old 70's thing, takes up 4 C-Batterys, lasts for about 4 hours. Don't forget Tape Recorders, the big things that were popular in the 60's and 70's most of them also had the capability of running with Batterys as are most other electrical devices, like Alarm Clock Radios.
Batterys really weren't that uncommon 30-40 years ago, they go more and more extinct today as most gadgets like MP3 Players or Cell Phones have built in rechargable batterys and i think that's a lot better, while in the late 70's your Walkman was running on normal batterys.

And going to Cars: Even in the early to mid-20th Century some countries tried to create efficient, fuel-saving Cars. For example the Nazis started the "KDF-Wagen" which ultimately ended in the popular VW Beetle, a very efficient, money saving vehicle. Other states like Russia or most eastern european countries also created small, fuel saving vehicles. It were only the Americans and to some extent the british people who wanted big V8 engined Muscle Cars that consumed a lot of fuel, were completely inefficient and a step backwards. The 70's and 80's were, especially in the USA completely decadent years with a population that didn't give a # about the economy, didn't care for the planet but just wanted to have excessive fun.

we has ipod now

Originally posted by Lysergic
we has ipod now

Yes made by slave labour -
Ah! Sweet progress

Originally posted by ronishia
Whilst working on my blog i come across a reblog of this article on word press, and really just wanted to share with everyone. i found it onthis blog article by gaasedal.

Anyone over the age of 35 should read this, as I copied this from a friends status ..

Checking out at the supermarket recently, the young cashier suggested I should bring my own bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. I apologized and explained, “We didn’t have this green thing back in my earlier days“.

The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations“.

She was right about one thing–our generation didn’t have the green thing in “Our” day. So what did we have back then? After some reflection and soul-searching on “Our” day, here’s what I remembered we did have….

Back then, we returned milk bottles, pop bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled. But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby’s nappies because we didn’t have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 240 volts — wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of Wales. In the kitchen, we blended & stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she’s right. We didn’t have the green thing back then.

We drank from a water fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mums into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing back then?

i found it onthis blog article by gaasedal.

edit on 16/1/12 by ronishia because: (no reason given)

Ah, youre in scotland thats why. I'm 32 and when i was a kid we had all that stuff but i'm an american. We recycled, glass, plastic and aluminum. When i was a kid i remember many a day my dad had my brother and i out picking up old aluminum cans along the highways, and mowing grass in the summer to pay bills, and this was in the early 90's.

If any of these "younger" generations try to blame me for any of that, i tell them my history and then i tell them they can take that blame and shove it because placing blame doesn't help the situation. If youre not part of the solution, then youre part of the problem. All of humanity is to blame, not one particular generation. Besides, generations span 70 years, not whenever people have kids, and those who place blame today were born in our generation so theyre practically blaming themselves too.

Wouldn't be worried about the past. Live in the NOW.

Originally posted by ShadowAngel85

Originally posted by ronishia
We drank from a water fountain when we were thirsty

Well, not a good idea with all the fluoride in the tap water of some countries.

Honestly, most of the text is once again a gloryfication of the past. "Every thing was soooo much better back then, the world was a place full of shiny happy people. no wars, everything was peaceful and we kids played till it was dark".
Nostalgia really blinds people. If you would go back in time, i bet everybody would be really surprised.

Most of the things the guy who wrote that article mentioned weren't different back then: A Bus System existed back then. Clothes Dryers have been around since at least 50 years, it's nothing new.

And some points i don't understand: Re-Usable bottles are extremely common here in Germany and have been for decades. It's pretty normal to collect the empty bottles, bring them back to the store, they deliver them back to the Breweries and they use them again.
Plastic Bags? Really? As far as i can remember, while Supermarkets also sell plastic bags, but they also sell bags made out of cotton - reusable, washable, perfect. I haven't used a plastic bag in ages.

About the TV and Radio comments: Ever seen how much energy old electronic devices use? Most are made with Valves or other ancient techniques and eat power like crazy. The electronic devices today use less and less energy. Here's a example: My old CRT monitor used 110 Watt, my new TFT only 18,5 Watt. See a difference? Is the old stuff really better?
I remember our really old TV from the early 80's (was a big thing, it's not like big TVs are a new thing) was heating up so extremely it was crazy, because it sucked up energy but only used about 30% of it, the rest went away as heat. And they hadn't any techniques to save energy. Take PCs for today, they just shut down parts of the hardware, slow down the CPU, the GPU to save energy. PCs from 20-30 years ago hadn't that, they always used 100% of the energy, even if only 50% was needed. Really great!

Today we have recharable batteries, back then people bought batteries and threw them in the trash once they were empty. Awesome.

Also the "1 TV thing"...yeah that was maybe true in 1950. It's not like the "2 TVs" is a thing that has been around for only 5 years. We had 3 TVs in our house even 20 years back.

And Recycling hasn't been around back then. Reuse of plastic, packaging, paper...back then everything was either dumped on trash sites or burned to create energy (awesome for the environment and it gave the air such a nice odor!)

What about Cars? Cars back then used a #load of fuel, had no Catalysis...really awesome. You know, a 70's muscle car like a Dodge Charger that drank up 25 liters on 100 kilometers is so much better than a modern car that only needs 8 liters

As said the whole text is nothing more than the glorification of the past with wrong facts and a 'everything was better back then because i wasn't old" thinking.

edit on 16/1/2012 by ShadowAngel85 because: Don't want to bash the OP who didn't wrote that stupid article

wow, one thing the new generation doesnt have, and you are a shining example of it is no respect. you little snot nosed punks have it so good these days its sick. back off the OP, he's trying to make a point without being a sarcastic jerk like you are being. and this goes for any of you other little fresh faced punks out there, just remember your roots in life, think of where you all would be today if our "older" generations hadnt have done some of the things we did. its because of us you learn, and hopefully when our new generation grows up a bit they will realize they are the ones who will take what they have learned and make a better tomorrow. So don't sit there and tell me how our older generations caused grief for you all today, you guys need to take your thumbs out of your mouths and quit twirling your hair, and quit pointing your over righteous fingers...... AND THE FACTS ARENT WRONG IN THE TEXT BOY.

Great post but I have one problem with it. I am over 35 yo (just) and I do not remember doing any of those things as mentioned above. We always had a TV in every room (not five star energy rated either), bought our milk in cartons from the store and we never had the option of recycling beer bottles at the bottle-o. We drove our car everywhere (not the bus) and even drove four wheel drives. Maybe the post should have been titled "everybody over the age of 55 should read this"?

Either way, there is good and bad in all generations and I just love the new generations coming through and all of their new and innovative ways of thinking. May the younger generation finally fix all the problems of the world!

reply to post by ronishia


I think the cashier's point is valid. Sure we did not consume as much, but I don't remember anyone being consciencious of preparing for the growth and advances that technology has brought us. I remember people used to throw garbage out of car windows without giving it a thought. No one had a separate recycle bin. It is unfair to blame our generation for not thinking in today's terms though. Perhaps in a couple generations a cashier will refuse to sell cotton clothes because today's kids didn't care enough to not use the genetically altered cotton seeds that caused the great cotton eating locusts of 2025.

reply to post by gunshooter


Hey do you want to tell me how you think kids have it so good these days?
Is it the dead economy? the lack of jobs? the never ending wars?
Give me a few examples of how kids today are better off than previous generations
Besides not having to "walk 15 miles to school in a blizzard uphill both ways"

reply to post by Australiana


Maybe you are right as I am just over the 55 age limit and I remember all that the op said.
You had a tv in every room? We had a B&W tv and reception was terrible and only the wealthy drove 4 wheel cars.
Money was tight then and a weeks wages was approx £30 in those days!
We were happy and played outside with the doors unlocked and played board games etc.
OP was correct in all that he said and I agree 100% with it, good post.

Originally posted by LongbottomLeaf
reply to post by gunshooter

 

Hey do you want to tell me how you think kids have it so good these days?
Is it the dead economy? the lack of jobs? the never ending wars?
Give me a few examples of how kids today are better off than previous generations
Besides not having to "walk 15 miles to school in a blizzard uphill both ways"

pretty valid, in alot of ways they don't have it better which is kinda the point i was trying to make, with all the new technology etc they are more interested in there games consoles, ipods, ipads, phones etc etc than they are actually going outside and using their imaginations. flip side, economy in the 70's - 80;s etc wasn't exactly booming either, with many a civil unrest etc etc. The tecno generation fooked up the future generation etc etc etc

good and bad on both sides

one way to think about it though - imagine in 30 yrs time what THAT generation will be saying......"when i was a lad/lass we had ipods, and consoles with disks etc" would be quite a tale

reply to post by Australiana


Well im 30, and we had 1 tv, and i only ever watched it for mayb an hour a day if i was lucky. we had an old record player for music. i walked everywere, we had a coal fire, which had to be cleaned and restocked every day. we went regular day trips into the woods for wood gathering and fishing etc lol. if somethign broke it got stuck back together with sticky tape...hole in clothes or even shoes?? stich it back together again i could go on.

Although i have noticed, alot of peoples opinions vary greatly depending on were they were raised, i.e USA, europe whatever(i was live here in scotland), and what side of the social "spectrum" you were on, i.e working class, well off, poor etc. So i guess everyone has a different take on how things were. Hell i bet ur grandparents had a whole new tale to tell back in the days......

Did anyone make a bow and arrows from wood or use old bus tickets with slings made of rubber bands?
We did and had a great time, my dad used to make cricket bats out of wood also for us.
My first bike cost him £16.96 brand new out of the cycle shop and that was a lot in tose days! Had it until it fell apart which was a long time as they made them to last in those days,not like the rubbish they sell today for a fortune....

Originally posted by scotsdavy1
Did anyone make a bow and arrows from wood or use old bus tickets with slings made of rubber bands?
We did and had a great time, my dad used to make cricket bats out of wood also for us.
My first bike cost him £16.96 brand new out of the cycle shop and that was a lot in tose days! Had it until it fell apart which was a long time as they made them to last in those days,not like the rubbish they sell today for a fortune....

god yes and that was awesome lol, we used to tie bedsheets together to make tents , marbles were all the rage as were playing conkers, jumprop, brittish bulldog, whats the time mr wolf - skipping (using rubber bands tied to gether). or a simple piece of stone that you could write all over the paths with lol

Originally posted by scotsdavy1
Did anyone make a bow and arrows from wood or use old bus tickets with slings made of rubber bands?
We did and had a great time, my dad used to make cricket bats out of wood also for us.
My first bike cost him £16.96 brand new out of the cycle shop and that was a lot in tose days! Had it until it fell apart which was a long time as they made them to last in those days,not like the rubbish they sell today for a fortune....

Yes as kids we made our own bow and arrows - Unfortunately my bro shot me in the eye - I lost my sight in it for many months and today in bright sunlight I see a little black speck where I was shot.
Needless to say my Father confiscated our weaponary - He was a pacifist

reply to post by ronishia


I was born in the 80's i pretty much lived outside till my mom made me come inside. Yea I had a nintendo but it wasn't on unless it was too cold or too wet out. The way I see it kids these days are kind of robbed. They dont play outside because there is hardly anywhere they can go that isnt considered trespassing. Theres a murderer or child molester hiding behind every corner. Nearly everything fun has been outlawed or so regulated it's no longer fun. When I was a boy I could play outside, go fishing, camping, hiking or play with a bb gun. Nowadays everyone so freakin nosey and basically drooling at the chance to turn someone in or get them in trouble somehow.

Originally posted by LongbottomLeaf
reply to post by ronishia

 

I was born in the 80's i pretty much lived outside till my mom made me come inside. Yea I had a nintendo but it wasn't on unless it was too cold or too wet out. The way I see it kids these days are kind of robbed. They dont play outside because there is hardly anywhere they can go that isnt considered trespassing. Theres a murderer or child molester hiding behind every corner. Nearly everything fun has been outlawed or so regulated it's no longer fun. When I was a boy I could play outside, go fishing, camping, hiking or play with a bb gun. Nowadays everyone so freakin nosey and basically drooling at the chance to turn someone in or get them in trouble somehow.

agree with you there and i was the same, the street lights were our clocks, once they went on we had to go home lol, didnt have a nintendo couldnt afford one had a spectrum tho not that i played it much and at one point my big brothers old atari lol. to be honest i dont think there is "more" molesters or crimes etc per sai i think its more to do with the fact that people are more aware of it now, and its reported more. in saying that, its a nightmare to try get my kids to go outside, they dont want to because theirs nothing to do *even when i tell them all the things i did growing up, they turn there nose at it as if im mad lol, and plus all the groups of teens that hang around