Author Topic: THE SPOILED UNDER-30 CROWD!!! (Read 3140 times)

Land_Owner · « **on:** October 07, 2008, 10:02:31 AM »

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking Twenty-five miles to school every morning
... Uphill... barefoot...
BOTH ways

Yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up,
There was no way in heck I was going to lay
A bunch of junk like that on kids about how hard I had it
And how easy they've got it!
But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of
Thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.

You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my
Childhood, you live in a darn Utopia!
And I hate to say it but you kids today you
Don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, We had to go to the darn library and
Look it up ourselves, in the card catalogue!!
There was no email!! We had to actually write
Somebody a letter, with a pen!
...Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox
and it would take like a week to get there!

There were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to
Steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself!
Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and messed it all up!

We didn't have fancy stuff like Call Waiting! If you
Were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either!
When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school,
Your mom, your boss, your Bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you
Just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video
Games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games
Like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids'. Your guy was a little square! You
Actually had to use your Imagination!! And there were no multiple levels or
Screens, it was just one screen
Forever!

And you could never win. The game just kept getting
Harder and harder and
Faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a Little book called a TV Guide to find out what was
On! You were challenged when it Came to channel surfing! You had to get off
Your bottom and walk over to the TV to change the Channel and there was no
Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons
On Saturday Morning. Do you Hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK
For cartoons, you spoiled
Little rat-fink!

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat
Something up we had to use the stove .... Imagine that!
That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids
Today have got it too easy.
You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted
Five minutes back in 1980!

Regards,
The [just] over 30 Crowd

Cheesehead · « **Reply #1 on:** October 07, 2008, 11:22:37 AM »

That was great.

I have fond memories of 1980.

Cheese

yooper77 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 07, 2008, 11:36:50 AM »

Yea, we also go to work early and actually work all day, never expecting a pat on the back or a "good job" either.

yooper77

Mike Britton · « **Reply #3 on:** October 07, 2008, 01:53:19 PM »

You bunch of pups!!!
I can remember waiting for the indian to go away in the morning so I could watch three stooges before I went to school!! And we only had three channels of TV!! And you had to be careful what you said on the phone 'cuz someone might be listening on the party line!!!!
You bunch of youngsters!!!

Graybeard · « **Reply #4 on:** October 07, 2008, 11:12:51 PM »

We only had TWO channels on TV in those days after TV finally came along. Before that it was only the radio and such shows as the Cisco Kid, Lone Ranger, The Shadow and Amos and Andy. To get the second TV channel someone had to go out and turn the antenna while someone inside told them when to stop, no wait back up a little, nope that's too far go back a bit, yeah right there.

Gun Runner · « **Reply #5 on:** October 08, 2008, 01:40:35 AM »

The Shadow, Inter sangtum(sp) Stright Arrow, Green hornet, Oh wait a min. these were radio shows before T V.

Gun Runner

Oldtimer · « **Reply #6 on:** October 08, 2008, 02:06:48 AM »

And if you would like a sample of what Gunrunner is talking about, try this url: http://boxcars711.podomatic.com/.
You have nothing to lose but your taste for what passes for TV entertainment today.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #7 on:** October 08, 2008, 03:05:30 AM »

Our house in FL didn't have central HVAC. We had a single oil fired heater with an integral blower. My older brother and I used to stand next to it for warmth on cold mornings.

We would sweat ourselves to sleep at night. When I was five (1958) my parents finally got a single window shaker AC for their bedroom.

I remember the indian test pattern on the TV. We got a TV in the late 50's.

The County mosquito sprayer truck used to roll slowly through the neighborhood spewing a solid white fog of Malathion. The neighborhood kids used to ride bikes behind the truck in that fog. No wonder that parents today are not smart enough to pass the FCAT.

We took our sister's shoe skates apart and nailed them to the bottom of boards to make skateboards. We took a piece of plywood to the beach and threw it horizontal to the receeding wave and made skim boards.

We used our brains and imagination to create worlds of exploration that propelled us to the moon and back.

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #8 on:** October 08, 2008, 07:21:18 AM »

I miss those radio shows. I had syrius radio for a year with my new truck and listened to them all the time. My free subscription ran out and I can't afford to get it back.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #9 on:** October 08, 2008, 07:59:11 AM »

i feel sorry for them , all the stress of having to decide what they will do with their time !

Graybeard · « **Reply #10 on:** October 08, 2008, 11:15:12 AM »

We started out early in my life with three fire places in the house in which we burned coal. At the time wood wasn't available to us so not an option. It was many years later when natural gas was brought to the area and we then had radiant heaters placed in front of the fireplaces and the openings more or less sealed off.

We had an outside toliet until I was at least into double digits age wise and didn't have indoor plumbing for many years of my early life. I remember ice boxes and the ice man bringing ice for them for several years before refrigeration came. Clothes were washed outside in big cast iron pots heated by sticks or coal and by use of rub boards until finally we got modern and mom got a wringer washing machine. Clothes were hung on lines to dry until after I left home and went out on my own.

Mike Britton · « **Reply #11 on:** October 08, 2008, 12:57:11 PM »

We moved to Texas from Indiana in '56. All I knew about Texas I had learned from Saturday morning TV.
I expected Indians and buffalo, and cowboys. What I got was scorpions and horny toads, and suburbia.
We didn't have running water in Indiana and when we moved here I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. How cool was it to get up to pee in the middle of the night and not have to take the "snake gun" with you.
Of course, in big D, I didn't find too many cowboys. However, Fort Worth was another story......

Oldtimer · « **Reply #12 on:** October 09, 2008, 09:29:13 AM »

GrimJim, I bought an MP3 player some time ago and loaded radio shows on it. Then I found a device that plugs into the headphone socket on the MP3 player and broadcasts the sound into the car radio. All it costs me is the price of recharging the batteries. An Ipod or even a cell phone could do the same thing as the MP3 player. The shows are free on Podomatic.com and some other sites.

qajaq59 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 12, 2008, 02:10:12 AM »

A TV? We didn't have a TV until I hit my teens. You read a book or you went out in the woods to play.

Hmmmm, to be honest, I think we had it FAR FAR better then the kids do now.
Qajaq

Mike Britton · « **Reply #14 on:** October 12, 2008, 06:11:09 AM »

Quote from: qajaq59 on October 12, 2008, 02:10:12 AM

A TV? We didn't have a TV until I hit my teens. You read a book or you went out in the woods to play.

Hmmmm, to be honest, I think we had it FAR FAR better then the kids do now.
Qajaq

I totally agree. We used our imaginations to create toys to play with, and we got up off our butts and went outside to entertain ourselves.

Tn Jim · « **Reply #15 on:** October 12, 2008, 07:07:05 AM »

Bill, as the oldest child and only male, I remember having to go out and rotate the antenna many times. In my late teens my dad sprung for a rotor (anybody remember those?). A Warm Morning cast iron pot belly stove was our sole source of heat for many years. I never had to worry about the newest video games. Didn't have a clue there was such a thing, and I was never in the house to fool with one anyway. I was always out in the woods.

Gun Runner · « **Reply #16 on:** October 12, 2008, 07:18:44 PM »

Up to the age of 6 lived on the outskirts of Sfrancisco (next door to the Cow Palace) Then mom divorced and we moved up to the foothills, where she remarried. We lived on a small ranch (40 Ac) Step-dads folks had a place on the property also. Learned about Out Houses, Water pump on the back porch, no Elect. Learned to fish shoot and a little about making traps to catch things. We had chicken about every sunday with my step dads folks. my job was to catch couple of them using a wire coat hanger. We had a mill behind the barn that had a old dodge 6cly that powered it and we made lumber and posts and fixed the barn etc...We cut all our fire wood on the property. Wasant allowed to touch the chain saw (step-dad was a logger and worked in the gold mines) as the saw was an old McC. with a 54 in bar.
Had a creek running thu the property and lots of game birds and deer and bear plus the garden. No body ever went hungry and we traded stuff back and forthe with the neb's. We did have a phone, the old crank type with the 4 party line. learned a lot growing up lke that, and still havant forgotten very much of it, and still live like that today.

Gun Runner

Graybeard · « **Reply #17 on:** October 12, 2008, 08:24:28 PM »

We never had a hand crank phone but our next door neighbor did. They had one long before us and that's what they had for the longest. When we got our first it as a rotary dial type. Back then phone numbers were kinda short. In our area everyone had a number that was Adams or AD and then a four digit number following it. Party lines were all there was in those days.

qajaq59 · « **Reply #18 on:** October 13, 2008, 12:32:43 AM »

Good grief, I'd forgotten about those crazy party lines. Each party had ther own combination of rings, so you had to listen carefully to be sure the call was for you before you picked it up.
And there wasn't a lot of money around either. If us kids wanted to go to the movies we'd look for soda bottles worth 2 cents each. Six of them were enough to pay our way. Can you even imagine going to see a Tarzan movie now for twelve cents?
But we paddled our home made kayaks and hunted frogs and squirrels. And when we fished it was with a cane pole or a hand line and the spinning reels weren't even invented yet. And we had a ball.
Being older isn't so bad when you start remembering the old days.

Mike Britton · « **Reply #19 on:** October 13, 2008, 04:44:44 AM »

Quote from: Gun Runner on October 12, 2008, 07:18:44 PM

Up to the age of 6 lived on the outskirts of Sfrancisco (next door to the Cow Palace) Then mom divorced and we moved up to the foothills, where she remarried. We lived on a small ranch (40 Ac) Step-dads folks had a place on the property also. Learned about Out Houses, Water pump on the back porch, no Elect. Learned to fish shoot and a little about making traps to catch things. We had chicken about every sunday with my step dads folks. my job was to catch couple of them using a wire coat hanger. We had a mill behind the barn that had a old dodge 6cly that powered it and we made lumber and posts and fixed the barn etc...We cut all our fire wood on the property. Wasant allowed to touch the chain saw (step-dad was a logger and worked in the gold mines) as the saw was an old McC. with a 54 in bar.
Had a creek running thu the property and lots of game birds and deer and bear plus the garden. No body ever went hungry and we traded stuff back and forthe with the neb's. We did have a phone, the old crank type with the 4 party line. learned a lot growing up lke that, and still havant forgotten very much of it, and still live like that today.

Gun Runner

And IMHO, we were way better off....

qajaq59 · « **Reply #20 on:** October 14, 2008, 01:36:24 AM »

I forgot to add HAPPY BIRTHDAY Land Owner.........

Land_Owner · « **Reply #21 on:** October 14, 2008, 09:53:18 AM »

Well, yeah, um, OK. Thanks for the "Double Nickle" reminder qajaq59. I'm a "Halloween" baby...almost (the 30th) but a Scorpion for sure.

Our long remembered phone number was EXbrook 8-4029. Why, after almost 50 years do I remember that??? I suppose it was imprinted early as a means of SECURITY.

Mike Britton · « **Reply #22 on:** October 15, 2008, 04:42:34 AM »

Quote from: Land_Owner on October 14, 2008, 09:53:18 AM

Well, yeah, um, OK. Thanks for the "Double Nickle" reminder qajaq59. I'm a "Halloween" baby...almost (the 30th) but a Scorpion for sure.

Our long remembered phone number was EXbrook 8-4029. Why, after almost 50 years do I remember that??? I suppose it was imprinted early as a means of SECURITY.

I can't remember the phone number I have now!!

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #23 on:** October 15, 2008, 07:48:53 AM »

BELMONT 1485

teddy12b · « **Reply #24 on:** October 15, 2008, 08:31:03 AM »

Ok, in defense of the under 30 crowd, myself included and obviously I'm a minority here.

A couple places to look for hope if you're concerned about the next generation.

A.) The Military:
Don't loose your faith in the next generation just yet. I've been fortunate to have known some incredible people in the different experiences of my life. For instance, look at today's military. It's all volunteer and nobody is there because they got drafted. Nothing against draftee's so please don't take it that way but all the guys in my old unit wanted to be there and wanted to go when the orders came in. In a battalion of about 500 there was 1 guy who tried (and thankfully succeeded) to get out of going overseas. Just a side note, but while I was over there we all had to write letters with pens, address them, and even use those old fashioned doohickey things called stamps in some cases.

B.) Local Colleges:
I took the route in life of going to work all day then going to school at night. I was told I'd get more out of it that way. I did get more out of it, but it was considerably harder too. In my several years of taking night classes I came across many people in the same situation as I was. Couldn't remember the last week they worked without overtime and also going to school at night at either full time or close to full time class loads. The part where I got more out of it going to school this way was meeting people (mostly under 30) who took care of their families and worked hard.

I will agree that my generation does have some faults though. Somewhere along the time comedy turned into "who can be the most obnoxious or rude to strangers" and I don't get what's with the pants hanging down too low.

The internet, ok, I'll give you that one. I think the internet has brough about a time in the world where all the knowledge you would like to have is litterally at your fingertips. You can research any project you'd like and then watch an instructional video on google video to show you how to do it. I think it's great that knowledge is now only limited by desire for it.

My generation grew up being taught to admire the people who could work all day, take care of a family, eat healthy and still make it to church Sunday morning, so don't give up on us just yet.

To be fair, do you want the under 30 crowd to start pointing fingers too? Of course we'll have to google some history topics, but we can do that!

qajaq59 · « **Reply #25 on:** October 15, 2008, 09:15:59 AM »

Really, we're not denigrating the younger generation. We're just reminiscing about the old days. And many of us, like myself, have grand children that have fought over in Iraq and are now heading for Afghanistan. Believe me. we know there's plenty of darn good and patriotic young people in this country. Hopefully, as the years pass, they'll be able do a better job with it then we have lately.
Qajaq

Mike Britton · « **Reply #26 on:** October 16, 2008, 05:20:10 AM »

I believe that if the generations behind mine ( I'm 60) weren't doing something right we'd be in the dumper already.
I graduated from high school in '66. There is PLENTY of blame in MY generation to go around.
I burned my draft card on Commerce St. (Dallas) my sophomore year in college. Got drafted, and found out from the army what was real and important. Been a staunch Conservative ever since.
But what about all those goofy liberals that were with me that didn't get drafted? Bet they are all obama fans. There's lots of mistakes in all generations.

no guns here · « **Reply #27 on:** October 16, 2008, 09:38:49 PM »

I'm not as old as some of you...

we always had running water and indoor plumbing
I do remember watching "Wagon Train" as a little kid
I remember mom and dad going to get our first color tv
We had a washing machine but no dryer until I was 7 or so
No dish washer until 4th grade when we got a new house
Pong... man that was fun...
We had to go play outside. Played outside whether it was 105 or 25.
Rock fights...
Dirt clod fights...
BB gun fights...
Plastic army men wars in the back yard...
Walking a few miles through the woods to go shooting with my friends...
Pop bottle rocket fights on the 4th...
Dad's collection of 8-tracks
My collection of 8 tracks and cassettes
Neighborhood fights, my neighborhood against yours, no blood was spilled usually but a few good punches were usually thrown
3 tv channels (plus one on UHF) and I was the remote
I was cool because I had my own 12 inch b/w tv when I was 15

Now when I went to grannies house it was different...
They had outside facilities till I was about 4
No tv
phone was dialed with the last 4 digits
you could talk to the operator in english...

ngh

Graybeard · « **Reply #28 on:** October 17, 2008, 12:59:03 AM »

Yup yew is definitely younger than a bunch of us old farts here.

qajaq59 · « **Reply #29 on:** October 17, 2008, 01:26:12 AM »

Old? Who's old?

I didn't mind that 25 mile walk over the mountain pass at 18,000 feet in 4 feet of snow to get to school. And I even could tolerate Jeremiah Johnson taking a pot shots at me by mistake occasionally. But those darn arrows that the Indians kept shooting at me hurt.
Now...... would I lie to you?