A smile to start your week!
My brother Homer sent this to me, too good not to pass on!
Thought I would share this with my old friends, and shock my young ones!
How Old Is grandpa?
Stay with this — the answer is at the end. It will blow you away.
One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events.
The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.
The Grandfather replied, “Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:
‘Television
‘Penicillin
‘Polio shots
‘Frozen foods
‘Xerox
‘Contact lenses
‘Frisbees and
‘The pill
There were no:
‘Credit cards
‘Laser beams or
‘Ball-point pens
Man had not invented:
‘Pantyhose
‘Air conditioners
‘Dishwashers
‘Clothes dryers
‘And the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and
‘Man hadn’t yet walked on the moon
Your Grandmother and I got married first, and then lived together…
Every family had a father and a mother.
Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, “Sir”.
And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, “Sir.”
We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy.
Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense.
We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.
Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege…
We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.
Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.
Draft dodgers were those who closed front doors as the evening breeze started.
Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends-not purchasing condominiums.
We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.
We listened to Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President’s speeches on our radios.
And I don’t ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.
If you saw anything with ‘Made in Japan ‘ on it, it was junk
The term ‘making out’ referred to how you did on your school exam…
Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, and instant coffee were unheard of.
We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.
Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.
And if you didn’t want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.
You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one?
Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.
In my day:
‘“Grass” was mowed,
‘“Coke” was a cold drink,
‘“pot” was something your mother cooked in and
‘“Rock music” was your grandmother’s lullaby.
‘“Aids” were helpers in the Principal’s office,
‘“Chip” meant a piece of wood,
‘“hardware” was found in a hardware store and
‘“Software” wasn’t even a word.
And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby.
No wonder people call us “old and confused” and say there is a generation gap. And how old do you think I am?
I bet you have this old man in mind…you are in for a shock!
Read on to see — pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.
Are you ready?????
This man would be only 59 years old.
Amazing!
Blessings,
the pilgrim (68.9 years old!)
This entry was posted on Monday, January 12th, 2015 at 1:33 pm
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Thanks a lot Bill, now I really feel old. Yep, I’m 59!!!
Sorry about that, just be glad you’re not my age I got you by 10!!!!
Nostalgia is a wonderful thing. I too am getting up there in years and love Americana and nostalgia. Every generation goes through the same process of creating a kind of myth about their past.
That being said, of course, the good ol’ days weren’t always that good. If we go back 59 years, you also had the Cold War and fear of nuclear destruction, McCarthyism, and we had recently come out of the Korean War, which left 50,000 Americans dead or MIA. Communism had yet to be discredited as a viable means of governance, and in fact was on the ascension.
If you were a minority, you really had it bad. You had Jim Crow laws, and were treated like a second class human. Racism was a very common thing. Civl rights were at a minimum, and it would be a while until the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act in 1964.
If you were a woman, and had dreams of a career, let’s say a doctor treating others, you also had it tough. Women had far less opportunity, and when they did work, got paid less than men for equal work, even worse than it is today.
While there are a few cases of extreme domestic violence going to court (usually involving murder), beating on your wife and children was considered discipline and law enforcement generally didn’t respond. In some states it was actually illegal to prosecute men for spousal abuse as it was considered a form of sexual discrimination.
Of course not having the polio vaccine or penicillin meant suffering for a huge number of people.
Smoking was rampant…a huge health risk. Drug abuse still existed, but no one talked about it. In fact, all of the sins of mankind were present as they always had been in every age…you had infidelity, bad marriages, domestic violence, etc…it’s just that people didn’t talk about it as much. Sin definitely did not take a holiday.
We’ve taken the best and forgotten the worst, which is normal in every generation. But there was a reason why we moved on from that era, and that was because there were huge problems demanding solutions and we didn’t want to remain there. Of course we moved on and encountered other problems, but that is the nature of life.
Can I have the first list and all the good things you listed and we’ve accomplished too!!!!!?????
You make some valid points Wade, but “bad behavior” in those days pales in comparison to what is accepted as the norm today. In particular to even hint that drug abuse was anything compared to what it is today is ludicrous. I would go back to those days without a second thought.
One item on the list makes “Grandpa” considerably older than 59 – penicillin. It was discovered in 1928, began to be used during the 1930’s, began to be manufactured on a large scale in the 1940’s (and was used, when available, to treat our servicemen during WW II), and became available to the general public in 1945. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penicillin I’m 64 (born in 1950), and use and availability of penicillin pre-dates my birth, so “Grandpa” is way older than me if he pre-dates penicillin. The basic point of the story is true, though. As Wade points out, that didn’t make times back then a paradise, but as Homer Fortney notes, all of our technological advancement doesn’t make the present day a paradise either.
Geeez!!! and I just wanted to make everyone smile, in the immortal words of Steve Martin,
EXCCUUUUUSE ME!!!!
Bill, I offer my thanks for posting this! I’m 70.5 and it was interesting to revisit all the things that have happened (well, except for penicillin). In terms of being off better today, I think most folks would agree that technology has vastly improved our quality and length of life and that we have moved towards becoming a much more accepting and supportive of minority and woman’s rights. However for me, as bad as memories of the Cold War were (and I was an Air Force brat at the time with a dad that was in SAC) I still would rather be living in that environment than in the one of ISIS right now. It seems that some form of evil is (and always has) been part of existing.
errr…… lets try “better off” and not “off better”
Agreed, actually on almost all of everyone’s points, just having fun with “excuuuuse me!”
Bill –
Thanks for the post. I’m 71, and remember those days well. As pointed out by some, it was not, perhaps, the great ideal, as there have been problems in every period, but it was a time when at least most people watched out for each other and someone was always there to help. As a kid, it was amazing that our parents always knew when we got into mischief while walking on the other side of town. It wasn’t uncommon to have someone else’s father or mother give us a spanking, and we knew an even worse spanking would be had when we got home. We didn’t miss the things technology has brought us as we simply didn’t have them. It was a time when at least most people showed respect for each other, for the law and for our religion. We even wore a coat and tie to church; and, for that matter, we even dressed up most anytime we went out in public. Won’t say it was a better time, but life was a lot simpler, and I think more enjoyable.
Regards,
Bill
I remember our entire family, including parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, sitting the yard on Sunday’s after church, visiting, making hand cranked Ice cream, and just playing in the yard. No TV no air conditioning, just being together! I think that is one thing I love about running workshops, the fellowship, being with people!
Thanks for the laugh “old Man”. See you in Moab.
Fred (68.7 years old)
Can’t wait my friend!
this made me smile for sure
Good!
Being 68 in two weeks it does make me think back to those days. I can remember gas at 11 cents per gallon. My brother and I cut grass during the summer and we had to keep track of our cost. Never realized that my dad was teaching us good lessons.
Latter I had a hard time getting my son to cut the grass at home. Manners are not what they were, but think about all of the advance which have been made it our lifetime! No tv to watching tv over the Internet.
Getting to old!
Bill Pritchard
Amen brother, Amen!
At 66 I can relate to all of it. I don’t feel that “old” yet.
Wish I could day that!!!!!