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Thursday, May 30, 2013

IN MY DAY


IN MY DAY
 
As I get older, I often wonder, “What the hell is it with this new generation?” They don’t listen to our wisdom, they have new ideas about everything, and they want to change how we do everything.  Almost nothing is sacred.

In my day, we never worried about how our babies slept.  On their back, on their side, on their stomach…either way was just fine.  Today’s parents…crazy.

In my day, we didn’t worry about our kids every minute.  They played outside, they rode bicycles and skateboards without silly helmets and when it got dark they would come home.

In my day we didn’t have cell phones.  If we did have them, we certainly would not give them to our children.  We didn’t spoil our children like they do today.

In my day music was music, and lyrics did not have filthy words.  Our children did not wear revealing clothes and they did not have to hear all about sex in school “sex education” classes.  Sex was dirty and not discussed in public.

In my day, gay people were “confirmed bachelors” or “spinsters” and there was no gay marriage nonsense.

In my day people did not divorce; married couples stayed together through thick and thin.

Yes, as you age you realize just how crazy the world has become.  Children are spoiled, and coddled from the cradle till they leave home which is now around 26 not 18.  People want it all, and are unable to accept societies rules.

Of course:

In my day some babies died unexpectedly from this thing called SIDS.

In my day, some kids crashed their bikes and were severely brain damaged.

In my day some kids never came home after dark. 

In my day, we worried ourselves sick when sometimes we did not know where our children were…would have been nice if we could have just called. 

In my day, girls got pregnant because they didn’t know they could.  Some of these pregnant girls died undergoing abortions by quack doctors in unsanitary rooms.  Some of these girls just killed themselves because their condition was so unaccepted in my society. 

In my day, people had to hide their sexuality and were shamed into lying about who they really were.  Some could not live like this and they took their own lives. 

In my day many married couples lived together hating each other in a sexless, loveless, miserable but acceptable partnership.  Sometimes one partner was constantly verbally or physically abused on a daily basis, but they would not leave, they would not divorce. 

In my day we knew how to endure abuse. We behaved the way we were taught we should behave, we did what we were expected to do and we believed what our leaders and experts told us to believe.  We were suspicious of new things when the old ways seemed to work just fine.

In my day we were ignorant. 

27 comments:

  1. Great post Cranky
    Somewhere between what was and what is lies the what is best, but it does seem to me that our evolution has led to increases in bad stuff as well as good stuff - but maybe that in itself is a farce because maybe we just hear about it more!
    Who knows - it's one of life's conundrums...Really great post :-D

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  2. I share Lou's sentiment. Also her sentiment about this being a great post.

    S

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  3. This is why I keep coming back.

    Pearl

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  4. What everyone up above said.

    Well said Joe.

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  5. I agree with all the top comments. Fabulous post Cranky!

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  6. Those posts on Facebook,
    "Were you a child from the " have annoyed me for ages.
    I'd read "when we were kids, we'd spend all day out at the playground and come home safely." And I'd think, "In grade 6, Dean had an asthma attack at the playground and died. Beth got beaten up when we were 14 and spent a month in hospital."

    Awesome post, you've highlighted exactly why the changes happened.

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  7. Glad you posted the second part.. I was about to come out of my recliner ... ~!^

    Fun post ~

    drives me insane when I read about folk saying they want America back...

    my response is back to what? where?

    We've all come such a loooooooong way in my ol lifetime... I'm 70... do I need to outline what all has happened since 1943? mind boggling

    Women were still expected to say Obey in the marriage vows and gave up being a 'girl much less a woman while her husband was declared a man … man and wife … still amazes me when I still hear that… I now pronounce you MAN and wife. jumping freaking jeeez

    We've gone from telegraphs and ham radios to a computer I can hold in my hand that will answer questions I verbally ask plus make a phone call from the woods.

    What I would like to witness once again is people who think a bit ... like back in the old days of being able to read an article and chew on it a bit before sending it out to a bazillion people as gospel...

    makes me tired … well, this was a nice exercise this morning, Mr. Cranky… got a rant out and it's not even noon… ha!

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  8. Much has changed for the better. I did read an article recently about a farm entering into a land conservancy. The owner reminisced about the local boy scouts, in the fifties, I believe, chopping down pines and building a log cabin on the property. She opined she and her husband would be held accountable today for issuing hatchets. The point is, children were also better taught responsibility back then. The operative word here is "taught".

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  9. This is one of your best posts, and that's really saying a lot. It would be difficult going back in time and witnessing life the way it was without the benefit of rose-colored glasses.

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  10. I agree with Stephen!!

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  11. Very well written post Cranky. It is tough to embrace change while holding onto the past.

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  12. In my day it would have been considered scandalous if an old broad ran up and threw her arms around some Cranky Old Man she hadn't actually met and hugged him breathless.


    Were it not for the little problem of 3000 miles, I would do that in a heartbeat nowadays and not even blush.

    Grand post, Joe.

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  13. I would hug you right back Lo!!

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  14. I miss the days of kids being able to have a sleepover outside on chaise lounges on the patio without fear of being molested or kidnapped. Of course, some kid somewhere might have caught encephalitis from a mosquito if her mom didn't douse her with DEET.

    So I guess there are benefits of making your kids hold their sleepovers inside nowadays. Thanks for making me see the other side.

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  15. Interesting observations. Sad but true.

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  16. Super post. As I was reading all your "in my day" stuff, I was all but sputtering (in my head anyway) but-but-but... And then you came back with the rebuttals. (Do you debate yourself often?)

    Seriously, a great post. We may reminisce about the "good old days" but they weren't all good.

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  17. Awesome piece!! Loved your tongue-in-cheek style at the first part!

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  18. A fine post, Joeh. Well said.

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  19. Great post, Cranky. It's all about perception and an acceptance of what the reality actually was.

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  20. What a great post - LOVE IT - and you are right we don't listen to the older generations enough, we have much to learn from them, even if we don't believe them I think we need to listen!! Emily

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  21. That's pretty accurate yet despite all we still moan and groan about the youth of today. Funny thing is I remember my parents saying much the same and...

    “Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”
    ― Socrates 399 BCE

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  22. Excellent post - and comments!
    I hate selective nostalgia. Things generally improve over time and if any of us could really go back in time, I doubt anyone would really choose to do it.

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  23. smiles...i like how you can see the reality through the glare we oft put on the past...very effective...great post...and congrats on the POTW

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  24. Wasn't sure where you were going but you had my attention. I swear I sighed loudly when I got your drift.
    Great post..Really.

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  25. Ditto, ditto, ditto to what everyone else said. This was terrific.

    Congrats on your POTW from Hilary. She's the best.

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