How Old Is Granpa?

[Missileer]

You younger members read these, I think you will find some of it amazing. Read all the way to the end. You'll wonder how we made it out alive.

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 Grandpa 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 had yet to walk 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 I,
"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 people who closed their front
doors when 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 the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the
President's speeches on our radios.
And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains
out from 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 store 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.

If you wanted to splurge, you could spend your
nickel on enough stamps to mail one letter and two
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 ???.....

Read on to see -- Pretty scary if you think about
it, and rather sad at the same time.





I am only 60

 

[WarMachine]

yea, but they had segregation, the klan was still doing pretty well, we developed the most powerful weapon in the world and were the first and only ones to use it, people who wanted an education had to either have the money or grades, sometimes both, and the u.s. had a hold on much of the world's economy.

I'm not saying that the past wasn't pleasent, but it wasn't perfect either.

 

[SigPig]

In 1901, just-add-hot water "instant" coffee was invented by Japanese American chemist Satori Kato of Chicago. In 1906, English chemist George Constant Washington, invented the first mass-produced instant coffee.
American Joel Houghton invented the first dishwasher in 1850.
Men wore earrings in the 16th century.
Yogurt probably dates back to the domestication of the yak.

Just how old is Gramps? Are you channeling him?

True, no one blew his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey (they might have wanted to... . But almost every new movement in popular music was derided and demonized by the generation previous. Some of the dance moves of the war years were considered scandalous by the older folks, who preferred a sedate waltz -- a dance which, incidentally, was considered obscene when it first debuted.

Also: Not all families had two parents back then. A lot of dads never came back from the war. Or they took off during the Depression. Or were lost to drink, or prison, or died early. Or maybe a girl got "into trouble"...it did happen.

Coke was indeed a cold drink -- which originally contained real coca.

Everybody likes to think that everything was perfect back in the Beaver Cleaver era, when men were men and women wore crinolines when they did housework. But as WarMachine said...there was segregation. Plus, as shown in the original post, polio. And TB. Tobacco, however, was good; the Army even issued it to you. People bathed, if at all, once a week. Developmentally-delayed people were put in institutions or worse, sterilized. Actually, so were people deemed misfits: and that sometimes just meant someone who was too individualistic (unless they were rich, in which case they could indulge in all kinds of weirdness or debauchery under the auspices of "eccentricity"). It was more acceptable for a man to beat the living crap out of his wife and kids, or to get hammered and jump behind the wheel of a car.

 

[Missileer]

In 1901, just-add-hot water "instant" coffee was invented by Japanese American chemist Satori Kato of Chicago. In 1906, English chemist George Constant Washington, invented the first mass-produced instant coffee.
American Joel Houghton invented the first dishwasher in 1850.
Men wore earrings in the 16th century.
Yogurt probably dates back to the domestication of the yak.

Just how old is Gramps? Are you channeling him?

True, no one blew his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey (they might have wanted to... . But almost every new movement in popular music was derided and demonized by the generation previous. Some of the dance moves of the war years were considered scandalous by the older folks, who preferred a sedate waltz -- a dance which, incidentally, was considered obscene when it first debuted.

Also: Not all families had two parents back then. A lot of dads never came back from the war. Or they took off during the Depression. Or were lost to drink, or prison, or died early. Or maybe a girl got "into trouble"...it did happen.

Coke was indeed a cold drink -- which originally contained real coca.

Everybody likes to think that everything was perfect back in the Beaver Cleaver era, when men were men and women wore crinolines when they did housework. But as WarMachine said...there was segregation. Plus, as shown in the original post, polio. And TB. Tobacco, however, was good; the Army even issued it to you. People bathed, if at all, once a week. Developmentally-delayed people were put in institutions or worse, sterilized. Actually, so were people deemed misfits: and that sometimes just meant someone who was too individualistic (unless they were rich, in which case they could indulge in all kinds of weirdness or debauchery under the auspices of "eccentricity"). It was more acceptable for a man to beat the living crap out of his wife and kids, or to get hammered and jump behind the wheel of a car.

I AM 60+ and can tell you that I witnessed these things. This was not a social studies lesson. It was meant to compare a relatively short period of time to today. I knew people and had relatives with crippling polio. The lucky didn't have to live in an "iron lung". Penicillin could save a kid from dying from a simple infection or a grownup with VD.
The REA brought electricity to rural America, rich and poor. Times were good in ways and bad in ways. Just depends on your perspective. Do I long to return to those days? Not in the least.