Senior memories
Posted by: tz8cy5 <tz8cy5@...>
Putting Things in Perspective Someone wrote, "I was talking to my Dad about
current events the other night. I asked him what he thought about the
shootings at schools, our immoral President, the computer age and just things
ingeneral. As he began to reply, I began to write..."
"I was born before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox,
contact lenses, Frisbees and the Pill. There weren't things like radar,
credit cards, laser beams or ball-point pens. Man had not invented pantyhose;
dishwashers, clothes dryers, electricblankets, air conditioners and he hadn't
walked on the moon. "Your Mom and I got married first -- then lived together.
Every family had a father and a mother, and every kid over 14 had a rifle
that his dad taught him how to use and respect. 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.'
"In our time, closets were for clothes, not for 'coming out of.' Sunday's
were set aside for going to church as a family, helping those in need, and
just visiting with your neighbors. We were before gay-rights, computer
dating, dual careers, day-care 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 your actions. Serving your Country was a privilege --
living here was a bigger privilege. "We thought fast food was what you ate
during Lent. Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your
cousins. Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the
evening breeze started. And time-sharing meant time the family spent together
in the evenings and weekends -- not condominiums.
We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, CD's, electric typewriters,
artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt or guys wearing ear rings. We
listened to the 'big bands', Jack Benny and the President's speeches on the
radio. 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's,
McDonald's and instant coffee were unheard of. We had 5 and 10-cent stores
where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents. Ice cream cones,
phone calls, ride 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 a letter and two postcards. You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600,
but who could afford one. To bad too, 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, a 'chip' meant a piece of
wood, 'hardware' was found in a hardware store and software wasn't even
aword." "We were not before the difference between the sexes was discovered,
but we were surely before the sex change, Billy has two mommies, and
pornography in a family home and at newsstands. And we were the last
generation that was so dumb as to think you needed a husband to have a baby.
No wonder people today call us old and confused, and there is such a
generation gap!