| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Carolynanna |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 10:12:45
Just got this email forward. Being born in '74 and having children of my own now, it does make me think. At the risk of sounding old, things did seem alot simpler...sigh.
People over 35 should be dead. Here's why:
According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 40's, 50's, 60's, or even maybe the early 70's probably shouldn't have survived.
Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets, ... and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. (Not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.)
As children, we would ride in cars with no seatbelts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors!
We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes.
After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. NO CELL PHONES!!!!! U n t h i n k a b l e !
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, DVD's, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms.
We had friends!
We went outside and found them.
We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt.
We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame but us. Remember accidents?
We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it.
We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment!
Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Horrors!
Tests were not adjusted for any reason. Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected.
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law.
Imagine that!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever.
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
__________
Godfather of nothing, ancesters of none.
Black glasses and feedback took my sense of fun.
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| 29 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| IceCream |
Posted - 02/21/2005 : 17:39:01
quote:
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.
I never realized how great it is that my friend and I do this until I read this topic. The FB forum has contibuted to my outlook on life.
And Carolyn, I think kids today still do have friends. But I don't like how friendship has evolved.
This is one of my favoaurrite topics. |
| Daisy Girl |
Posted - 02/05/2005 : 22:22:12
Umm... what's wrong about drinking from a hose?
Should I be worried about something or or have I built up an immunity? |
| VoVat |
Posted - 02/05/2005 : 10:07:09
So is Ye Olde Off-Ramp Inn!
"Reunion? Shit union!" |
| Carolynanna |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 14:27:52
Har har, maybe I just will...
Oh and we also are rat free.
__________
Godfather of nothing, ancesters of none.
Black glasses and feedback took my sense of fun.
|
| VoVat |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 14:09:07
Well, lucky you! Why don't you just lord your lack of wood ticks over the wood-ticky parts of the world?
"Reunion? Shit union!" |
| Carolynanna |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 13:43:04
Sure Rita 
We don't really have wood ticks here in Alberta.
At least not around Edmonton.
__________
Godfather of nothing, ancesters of none.
Black glasses and feedback took my sense of fun.
|
| VoVat |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 13:31:29
Isn't playing in the woods a surefire way to get wood ticks?
"Reunion? Shit union!" |
| n/a |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 12:36:53
quote:
Originally posted by Carolynanna
Shore thang Kathryn.
Let's all go, we'll have a big party.
Heehee, Dean remember when I was going to open a compound where people are free to break into song and dance at any time ala Fiddler on the Roof...
__________
Godfather of nothing, ancesters of none.
Black glasses and feedback took my sense of fun.
Can I join you too?
I'm also trying to raise my kids in a healthier way, we live in the country, they don't watch too much TV or videogames, and they sure know how to play in the woods...
We have the answer to all your fears
It's short, it's simple, it's crystal dear
It's round about, it's somewhere here
Lost amongst our winnings |
| darwin |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 12:32:36
quote:
Originally posted by Surfer Rosa
Carolynanna & Kathryn wise words from both of you two.
It does frighten me the way that kids today seem to need to be sheltered from everything but it's not really fair for me to comment, not having kids or anything like that. Maybe I'd be the ultimate control freak scarey mom if I had them.
I do however maintain the whole reason I have a remarkably strong immune system is that I shared most of my meals as a kid with whichever farm animal happened to be closest. My Mom being a strong believer in the whole if it doesn't kill you it'll make you stronger theory.
It's been shown that kids that grow up on farms have fewer allegies than kids that didn't. So, your mom was right. |
| ElevatorLady |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 11:05:13
quote:
Originally posted by darwin
The biggest thing I notice is that kids don't seem to play on their own or find things to do on their own. Even college students seem lost if they're not with a crowd of friends or talking to them on their cell phones.
I'm a bit surprised at this thought. I'm in my early twenty's (the college students group) and I never saw us as the "can't be alone" type of generation. I don't know how it was ten or twenty years ago and I'm not very familiar with today's kids, so perhaps you're right, but this is the first time I've heard this idea. |
| Surfer Rosa |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 05:24:14
Carolynanna & Kathryn wise words from both of you two.
It does frighten me the way that kids today seem to need to be sheltered from everything but it's not really fair for me to comment, not having kids or anything like that. Maybe I'd be the ultimate control freak scarey mom if I had them.
I do however maintain the whole reason I have a remarkably strong immune system is that I shared most of my meals as a kid with whichever farm animal happened to be closest. My Mom being a strong believer in the whole if it doesn't kill you it'll make you stronger theory.
I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A
California Dreamin' on such a winter's day
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| VoVat |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 21:51:22
So, wait...Is this article suggesting we go back to using asbestos and lead paint everywhere and not having seatbelts in cars, or what? I noticed there were no statistics involved. The thing is, I'm sure a fair number of people from the earlier generations DIDN'T survive the helmetless, childproof-cap-less, seatbelt-less times, and a lot of this stuff really DID save lives. Sure, childproofers can go too far sometimes, but the gist of the article seems to be, "I survived without seatbelts, so we should get rid of them! It would build character!" And I'm sure there were plenty of people back then who didn't have friends either.
And I'm glad Kathryn isn't my mom. I love the video games.
"Reunion? Shit union!" |
| kathryn |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 18:09:07
Boy, this thread deteriorated fast....
 I still believe in the excellent joy of the Frank |
| Homers_pet_monkey |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 13:18:20
No I meant next person to forget. We have to forget as an entire race. Though I will take your suggestion on board.
Love, love, my season |
| Monsieur |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 13:04:30
quote:
Originally posted by Homers_pet_monkey
quote:
Originally posted by Erebus
The human race will not recover until it forgets how to generate electricity.
Well I've made a start by completely forgetting already. Next.
Love, love, my season
Stop cleaning your anus for a week.
I will show you fear in a handful of dust |
| Homers_pet_monkey |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 13:01:53
quote:
Originally posted by Erebus
The human race will not recover until it forgets how to generate electricity.
Well I've made a start by completely forgetting already. Next.
Love, love, my season |
| kathryn |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 12:31:38
Excellent point, darwin. I've had more than one freshman student
fall apart upon starting college, without mom and/or dad (over)scheduling
every single free moment. A lot of this starts early on with the fear-based
bs mentioned above. You've got to have the right doo dad so your newborn
doesn't explode and die in the crib, etc. So new parents freak and buy a bunch of
things and keep trying to parent their kids with things, etc. It's too depressing
to talk about, really.
Carolynanna, I am there!
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Frank |
| darwin |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 12:19:39
I agree whole-heartedly Carolynanna. Some of it's nostalgia, but I think kids have become too dependent on their parents setting their schedules. Part of it is organized sports and lessons (piano, dance, whatever) and part of it is largely irrational parental fear. I think in some ways our kids are smarter and more rounded than us, but more self-reliance would be nice. |
| Carolynanna |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 12:18:01
Shore thang Kathryn.
Let's all go, we'll have a big party.
Heehee, Dean remember when I was going to open a compound where people are free to break into song and dance at any time ala Fiddler on the Roof...
__________
Godfather of nothing, ancesters of none.
Black glasses and feedback took my sense of fun.
|
| KimStanleyRobinson |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 11:42:03
Agreed, Erebus.
I usually end up at one of those irrational extreme conclusions if I think about the direction of this society as well.
I always end up playing the Ted Kaczynski card...realizing that all of it makes me wanna go live in a cabin in Montana somewhere.
Dono if I'd go all letterb0mb on everyone, tho.
Too much trouble.
I'd be too busy hunting, trapping and seducing unsuspecting young maidens from the village below with my rugged individualism. |
| kathryn |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 11:32:21
Can I come hang out at that lake with you and your fam, Carolyn? It sounds like a blast!
Many good points on this thread and it's a serious matter.
The older I am the more fun I have and the happier I am, so I hope to live many more years past 35.
I am also a hard-ass mom: no TV, video games or videos or anything electronic or processed food for my kid. The only videos she's watched feature Frank or the Pixies or herself or Morrissey. We spend tons of time as a family... cleaning the house, coooking the food we eat, playing guitar, listening to music, or outside playing, quite often in dirt in the driveway. My husband and I aren't off-the-grid rebels; we just don't see the point of having a kid without letting her have a childhood.
Usually, when people learn of this they pity our kid or ask what is wrong with us.
I always want to ask if they are raising a creative, independent playful person or a fat-assed consumer.
I still believe in the excellent joy of the Frank |
| KimStanleyRobinson |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 11:26:37
I would have gone so 'asshole dad' on those kids.
"No, you're not hooking up anything of the sort. You are going outside where you will stay for the better part of this day and you will enjoy it and yes and blah blah blah and get out now." |
| Erebus |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 11:24:41
The human race will not recover until it forgets how to generate electricity. |
| Carolynanna |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 11:03:28
Yes it is a slippery slope and there is bad with the good.
I just see it in my kids and their activities.
I remember in the summer my mom would say Get out of the house and we'd go and come back at dinner or as they said when the street lights came on. Now you have to make 'playdates' and its all organized and structured. I see parents walking or driving their kids to school and the kids are in grade 6, and they walk them right into the classroom too. The big one I noticed (I think I've mentioned this before) was when we had my sons birthday party at the lake for the whole weekend and the kids got out of the truck and within 5 minutes they told me they were bored and didn't know what to do and can they please set up the nintendo inside! Its freaking lakefront property with boats and skis and a treehouse and trails etc...
__________
Godfather of nothing, ancesters of none.
Black glasses and feedback took my sense of fun.
|
| The King Of Karaoke |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 10:41:31
Because of all that lead paint, and tap water drinking etc, many of people grew up to be the psychos we fear today.
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| speedy_m |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 10:40:32
I guess I agree with the article and with KSR. If no one had died from lead paint, or Lawn Darts, or product X from yester-year, then we probably wouldn't have banned it or regulated in this-ter-year. The "probably" is where the problem lies as I see it. Over regulation, too much PC, too much this, too much that... Our society (and, it would seem) human nature is a game of excesses. Those wonderfull carefree childhood days are the best parts of the 'golden age'. Women trapped at home, emotionless men and 'white only' fountains are some of the worst parts. Which isn't to say that kids today aren't fat messes. The seeds for all this was planted in the 50s, starting after WWII and the rise of the automobile. But that's another thread in itself.... |
| KimStanleyRobinson |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 10:33:02
Careful.
This goes down the slippery slope that ends at wanting the world like it was in the 1950s.
The boomers used to spread this stuff around during the 90's when the "PC movement" was in full swing.
What hid behind it was their indignation at having to rope in their legacy of racism, chauvanism and bigotry.
This is similar.
I agree a bit, but don't want to become one of these people that walks around grumping about the way things were when i was a kid.
The way things were when i was a kid (born 71) is the way things were when i was a kid.
These days things are different.
The water is more screwed up now, we know that it screws up kids when they eat lead paint and perhaps there are a few more freaks on the streets.
I'm no scaredy cat, but it is a different world from when we were watching The Electric Company and playing with Stompers, Stretch Armstrongs and riding our Big Wheels...while playing with our Lawn Darts. |
| floop |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 10:28:32
i think everyone should be dead after 30, like in Logan's Run
ist es möglich für ein quesadilla skrotum zu lecken? beim sprechen der quesadillas von LBF, ja. ja in der tatheheheheheheehehee! |
| darwin |
Posted - 02/03/2005 : 10:26:32
Good points, but I'm 36 and I had plenty of videogames (Atari 2600, C64, plus a brand spanking new XBox that I love). But,yes. That list is true. Little league tryouts, drinking from the hose, playing tackle football at 7 years old with kids on the block. Drinking and driving is what I'm most lucky to have survived. Stupid teen was I.
The biggest thing I notice is that kids don't seem to play on their own or find things to do on their own. Even college students seem lost if they're not with a crowd of friends or talking to them on their cell phones. |
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