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Thundarr
12-14-2004, 07:00 PM
HOW OLD IS GRANDMA?
(Pretty scary!)
Stay with this -- the answer is at the end - it will blow you away.


One evening, a grandson was talking to his grandmother about current
events.

The grandson asked his grandmother what she thought about the shootings
at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

The Grandma 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 Grandfather 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, 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 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
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 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 grandma is???

Read on to see -- pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at
the same time. This is something to think about. How time has changed....

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Grandma is 58 (born 1946)
How could so much go wrong in such a short time?

Caged Anger
12-14-2004, 11:03 PM
well, i wouldn't necessarily say everything has gone wrong since then. Yes, couple wars and other bad things, but the medical advancements, the communication between conitnents, walking on the moon...these were important events that changed life as we knew it forever...too bad we seem to be running out of things to do, lol

Death Engineer
12-15-2004, 12:07 AM
I think the point was one of morality rather than one of technological advancements.

Die Hard
12-15-2004, 09:48 AM
I'm allergic to Penicillin anyway......

Pure_Evil
12-15-2004, 01:49 PM
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, 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 our actions.

Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a
bigger privilege.

A lot of those are how I still try to live my life... Unfortunately, society has forgotten, or even laughed at those values :down:

I just hope that some how I can instill those values on my son, maybe he can make a difference someday.

JIMINATOR
12-15-2004, 02:11 PM
hmmm... it certainly sounds nice, but overall although the technology has changed people have remained the same. just looking on google, it is easy to find some counterpoints to the article.
Frozen food was sold in 1930.

------------

Alexander Fleming, Howard Florey, and Ernst Chain received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1945 for their powdered form of penicillin.

Xerox was commercially available in 1950.
Polio Shots were first administered in 1953 (grandma would have been 7 - so available at some point during her childhood).

Contact Lenses were first "invented" long before grandma was born (Leonardo da Vinci!) but were not commercially available until 1971.

The Frisbee Baking Company made their pie tins between 1851-1958 and those were thrown around until 1955 when a plastic disc was created called the Pluto Platter. Wham-O bought the rights and began mass producing Frisbees in 1957 (still during grandma's childhood).

By the time grandma was 15, the birth control pill was introduced to the public.

Although quite pricey, ball point pens were around by 1946.

The first credit card, The Diners' Club, was issued in 1950.

Allen Gant Senior invented panyhose in 1959.

The White House was air-conditioned in 1930 (2 years after the Chamber of the House of Representatives) and 30,000 room air conditioners are manufactured for the public in 1946.

The first dishwasher, invented by a woman and used by comercially was in 1893. After electricity, it wasn't until the 1950's that they appeared in households.

The first clothes dryer was made in the 1800s, patented in 1892, and electric clothes dryers in 1915.

So, technically, grandma was born before some of these items were available to the puplic like they are today, but she did grow up with many of these things available.

-----------

Corporal punishment was allowed in schools.

The country was in a depression.

Whipping your child with a belt or switch as discipline was accepted.

People were segregated by the color of their skin.

If you were born with a "defect" you were sent to live in a medical facility.

Alcohol was illegal for a short time (1920-1933 before grandma was born).

War was waging in Europe and the majority of males were sent off to die as food, clothes, and other supplies were rationed.

The majority of people were not college educated, much less high school graduates.

------

As for day care, in the 40s, the Kaiser Child Care Centers were taking care of children around the clock while Mom worked, and non-draft-dodging Dad was at war.

---------

-Your father died of polio, your mother of smallpox.

-Your husband had only one leg because he got gangrene. You kinda wish you had penicillin I bet.


quote:
There were no credit cards, laser beams or ball-point pens

Consequently you couldn't sign a credit card recipt after the checkout laser scanned in your groceries. How quaint.



quote:
Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege

Serving was so much a privledge that you had to draft people to fight in wars. Better still, the truly honourable way to build a fighting force, shanghai them in bars!

quote:
We had 5&10 cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents

Which must have been quite handly when a person made $5.00 per week.


quote:
"Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office, "chip" meant a piece of wood.

Mild diabetes meant death. A chip of wood was handy to bite on to when there wasn't anesthetic handy.

Sexyjess
12-15-2004, 06:00 PM
i like how it is today whould never wanna live back then

Sepra
12-15-2004, 06:12 PM
:( Nice read Thundarr

Die Hard
12-15-2004, 06:13 PM
i like how it is today whould never wanna live back then
You know what? She has a point!

Thundarr
12-16-2004, 05:13 AM
You know what? She has a point!
True!! :thumbs:

Fred Bear
12-16-2004, 07:56 AM
i like how it is today whould never wanna live back thenI would for one. People values have been thrown out the door. Yea the advancements in medicine and dish washers are nice but the Sir stuff and every family had a Father and a Mother are a thing of the past.

Pure_Evil
12-16-2004, 11:31 AM
I would for one. People values have been thrown out the door. Yea the advancements in medicine and dish washers are nice but the Sir stuff and every family had a Father and a Mother are a thing of the past.

:thumbs: don't forget that accountabillity has been thrown out the window.

He Is Legend
12-16-2004, 10:52 PM
Nothings wrong in these days really..maybe government wise

But I have really good days..I have few bad days..

Put a burrito in my lap and some long island ice tea and ill be satisfied ;)

Thundarr
12-16-2004, 11:34 PM
Nothings wrong in these days really..maybe government wise

But I have really good days..I have few bad days..

Put a burrito in my lap and some long island ice tea and ill be satisfied ;)
Pssst, are you old enough for that Long Island, there, Mister???? :P

FUS1ON
12-17-2004, 12:21 AM
I'm so old I remember when you used to could have unprotected sex and about the only things you had to worry about was getting was a phone call in 9 months or a case of the crotch crickets.

Pure_Evil
12-17-2004, 03:34 AM
I'm so old I remember when you used to could have unprotected sex and about the only things you had to worry about was getting was a phone call in 9 months or a case of the crotch crickets.
You got used to the crotch critters didn't you???? :P

FUS1ON
12-17-2004, 06:08 AM
You got used to the crotch critters didn't you???? :P

:funny:

Yeah I like those ahhhh close trim jobs :D Man we need an adult section! :P

Fred Bear
12-17-2004, 07:12 AM
:funny:

Yeah I like those ahhhh close trim jobs :D Man we need an adult section! :Pwe Villains have one:D

Die Hard
12-17-2004, 09:04 AM
:funny: You speak the truth! But now-a-days most of the ladies trim so close (or completely) that the crickets have no place to live. :D :P
Ah, The old Brazilian......:cool: