So all you youngsters are "Green"

[Obi Wan]

In the line at the supermarket, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."

The checkout responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment."

He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, pop bottles and beer bottles to the shop. The shop sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocers and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go half a mile.

But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then; we washed the baby's nappies because we didn't have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the
clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that old lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then; we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the Wales.

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us.

When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a tap when we were thirsty instead of a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water.

We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mums into a 24-hour taxi service.

We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?


Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smartass young person.


And Yes I Do Remember these things DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[gemarriott]

And back to the start of the tale back then you shopped on the market, the grocer piled your veg straight into your shopping bag from the scales with a bio degradable brown paper bag if you asked.

Meat hung from hooks in the butchers until he cut the piece you wanted and never saw cling film or polly trays.

When you went to the corner shop you were served you didn't help yourself.

Oh yes and people smiled, were polite to each-other, never ate anything before they paid for it, never drank in the street or ate anything other than fish and chips on the street and then only ate those on the way home from the pub.

Women drank halves not pints and didn't sport tattoos, football was a mans day out with his sons and a holiday at the seaside was great fun.

I wish I was back in the 50s/60s again.

 

[duffman]

I wish I was back in the 50s/60s again.

Rose tinted specs on the national health back then?

 

[gemarriott]

Rose tinted specs on the national health back then?

free dentists, specs and eye tests and prescriptions back then

 

[snowball1]

free dentists, specs and eye tests and prescriptions back then

And ricketts!

 

[Tin basher]

never drank in the street or ate anything other than fish and chips on the street and then only ate those on the way home from the pub. Women drank halves not pints.

All true never thought of it that way but it's true nobody did drink in the street except frowned upon sad old wino's, nobody ate on the walk unless coming home from the pub. I remember my dads shock the first time he saw a woman drinking pints of mild. Reckoned it was her soft, under the thumb, husbands fault (married women didn't go to the bar back then) he should have bought her 2 halves as halves were more ladylike. Either that or a bottle of Mackeson with a splash of blackcurrant.

 

[gemarriott]

And ricketts!

kids had 2 parents, married, one male one female, divorce was unheard of, teachers were respected and Ricketts and smallpox were beaten by education, the NHS and vaccination. Sadly they are making a comeback in the dreadful mess of a society we now live in.

 

[duffman]

Gem do you read the daily wail ?

 

[Trusty Adjusty]

Do you old gits mind? You're disturbing my XBox time, now **** off while I impregnate half the local council estate still high on my nan's prescription drugs, paid for by pawning my great grandads war medals down cash converters. Job? no point, your lots taxes keep me adequately stocked in white lightning and sky subscriptions - if all else fails I'll get me' self on t'Jezza Kyle Show - boom.

 

[Stevienics]

I guess the OP is right,; you chaps are all pretty much soft cock now. It's not your fault of course, it is simply how protective the nrew society gets - they wont' let you do anything else..

Accordingly, I am fairly sure you are not too happy about this, that you would like to live and die by your own decisions and consider all the laughable legislating just a pile of crap.

Sadly, you are right. More sadly, it's not your call

 

[gemarriott]

Gem do you read the daily wail ?

Nope I can remember what it was like to live in caring communities rather than ghettoes.

 

[fatalbert]

And back to the start of the tale back then you shopped on the market, the grocer piled your veg straight into your shopping bag from the scales with a bio degradable brown paper bag if you asked.

Meat hung from hooks in the butchers until he cut the piece you wanted and never saw cling film or polly trays.

When you went to the corner shop you were served you didn't help yourself.

Oh yes and people smiled, were polite to each-other, never ate anything before they paid for it, never drank in the street or ate anything other than fish and chips on the street and then only ate those on the way home from the pub. Women drank halves not pints and didn't sport tattoos, football was a mans day out with his sons and a holiday at the seaside was great fun.
I wish I was back in the 50s/60s again.

Gem,

You've obviously led a charmed life, viewed from rose-tinted spectacles. In the 1950s through to mid-to late 1960s, living standards were on the rise. A mass of people in the UK lived in abject poverty through those times. Tenements and slums were being replaced at an increasing rate. Life expectancy was increasing and disposable incomes rose. In the era you want to go back to, there were killer infectious diseases, sanitation problems, unbelieveable (by today's standards in the UK) poverty and relatively low life expectancy in the working-class areas. Many would have dreamed, and no more, of going to a friendly butcher to have their meat cut from the hook. Large urban areas of the UK were distinctly Hogarthien, and there was widespread drinking on the streets, petty theft and other crime. The reason it was only fish and chips is because in many cases that is all there was. Many couldn't afford fish however. Chips and batter bits was a treat.

Dream on.

 

[Obi Wan]

Gem,

You've obviously led a charmed life, viewed from rose-tinted spectacles. In the 1950s through to mid-to late 1960s, living standards were on the rise. (They Still Are) A mass of people in the UK lived in abject poverty through those times (They Still Do). Tenements and slums were being replaced at an increasing rate. Life expectancy was increasing and disposable incomes rose(It still is sort of). In the era you want to go back to, there were killer infectious diseases (We now have Aids etc), sanitation problems, unbelieveable (by today's standards in the UK) poverty and relatively low life expectancy in the working-class areas. Many would have dreamed, and no more, of going to a friendly butcher to have their meat cut from the hook. Large urban areas of the UK were distinctly Hogarthien, and there was widespread drinking on the streets,(I genuinly do not remember ever seeing that) petty theft and other crime. The reason it was only fish and chips is because in many cases that is all there was. Many couldn't afford fish however. Chips and batter bits was a treat .

Dream on.

as you say its all relative

 

[Ex-Bay]

And ricketts!

Wasn't that due to a lack of vitamin D ?.
The the Law changed: Put vitamin D in the margarine.
That and education.

 

[gemarriott]

Gem,

You've obviously led a charmed life, viewed from rose-tinted spectacles. In the 1950s through to mid-to late 1960s, living standards were on the rise. A mass of people in the UK lived in abject poverty through those times. Tenements and slums were being replaced at an increasing rate. Life expectancy was increasing and disposable incomes rose. In the era you want to go back to, there were killer infectious diseases, sanitation problems, unbelieveable (by today's standards in the UK) poverty and relatively low life expectancy in the working-class areas. Many would have dreamed, and no more, of going to a friendly butcher to have their meat cut from the hook. Large urban areas of the UK were distinctly Hogarthien, and there was widespread drinking on the streets, petty theft and other crime. The reason it was only fish and chips is because in many cases that is all there was. Many couldn't afford fish however. Chips and batter bits was a treat.

Dream on.

I lived in mining village, crime was non existant, we had outside toilets, newspaper bog rolls, respect for eachother. Nobody stole because nobody had anything to steal. Most nights the Lads and Dads were out on the park playing football together in winter and cricket in summer. We'd go fishing and to watch the footie. As we got older the pub one night a week, the disco one night a week and the flicks on Monday if you had anything left. Most houses had a bottle of sherry but that was all the booze they had apart from Christmas. Drinking was done in the pub either on pay day or Saturday night. Sunday lunch was men only and my old man would go meet his mates, play cards and then tip over any winnings for me and my sister to go to the sweet shop, sometimes as much as 10 bob between us as they only played for sixpence a hand. My old fellah worked his balls off to keep us from poverty, we had no possessions but by god we were happy

Bath night was on Sunday in front of the fire in a zinc bath tub. When I was 14 we moved into a house with a bathroom and hot running water and bathnight was before going out to the pub and that was marvellous.


Now like most people I have all the trappings of modern life, computers, phones, games stations nice car etc etc my own house and to be honest I never seem to have time to sit and enjoy them, nor do I particularly think they are things I want to waste my life on. I'd step back to the sixties with what I had then, tomorrow and without a second's thought and leave this bad tempered unhappy selfish country behind!

 

[grumpyoldb]

Mum used to get the bath first, then Dad followed by the kids..............
We couldn't afford to heat more than one bathfull of water. It was bloody cold by the time I got it.

 

[Realist78]

Sounds like a clip from [YTwww.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo][/YT]

 

[Rigga]

Hmm…
Victorian midland suburb, from late 50’s to mid 70’s (when I joined up)

Local Butcher, small shop with his own abattoir in the back, would give 5lb of meat scraps to any dog owner at the end of a day for 10p and you were allowed to taste special offers before you bought them.

My family (and we were lucky enough then to own our house) never locked the house doors.

It was 1970 before we got a phone in the house.

Local vintner would let our dog feed off the Shop counter! (“Good for business that we like dogs”)

Every shop ran a credit book – even the Post Office

I could leave the house at 0800 and return sometime after the evening meal, from walking /cycling 15 miles from home, with no questions other than “Have you eaten?”

I would often eat from digging up crops (potatoes, carrots) and drink from public water fountains during my days adventures. (not even a packed lunch to go with)

I had three paper rounds (not allowed today) of more than 40 papers each (weight limits now) stretching some 5 miles out of the town. On a nice red (third-hand) 10-speed Racing Bike of about ten years old.

We’d always walk into town for shopping as it was only a mile or so. We only bought what we needed a few days at a time.

Due to the Electricity Strikes we kept Gas Lights running through the “three-day-week” period. (Gas supplies can never be shut off for longish periods without severe fire risks)

My Dad cycled to work at a Coal Mine six miles away and later to a Steel Mill four miles away – with his mates. (Actually, he and my Mom never bothered to get Driving Licences)

When working in our house, a Carpenter cut a finger off with a circular saw – His wound was quickly dressed and he was given the bus fare to the hospital - we didn’t know anyone at home with a car and didn’t have a phone.

Weekly Baths – if required. The council Swimming Pool also had “Public Baths” for that very reason – and very posh they were too!

I don’t remember seeing anyone DRINKING in public, but I did see some drunken people later on, on some evenings, mostly Fri/Sat. I saw the most drinking and the most drunks after I joined up.

Oh yes… and everyone tended to know everyone else in that side of town.

Dont remember any diseases or any of the blacker things you mention here, but then I was not concerned with those things.

 

[Stevienics]

Yeah. That was pretty much my experience too.

Being cold before bed was a bugger (we only heated one room), but all the rest just seemed an adventure.

Just one thing; the first shower I ever saw was in secondary school (and it was amazing to see how much hot water there was). The first cubicle shower I ever saw was when I joined the RAF.

I wonder how many people reading this think it was anecdotal nonsense and unique to the lower quartile of populace?

I can assure you. It wasn't.

 

[John Lloyd]

Due to the Electricity Strikes we kept Gas Lights running through the “three-day-week” period. (Gas supplies can never be shut off for longish periods without severe fire risks)

Can you imagine the reaction of the information age generation if the wiggly amps stopped wiggling?

I can remember sitting around the gas oven in the kitchen mid winter, no lights no electric.

Ever since, I remember my elders advice to always dual fuel. Just in case.

My Grandparents fuelled off coal, cooked off coal and sat in front of the coal fire. They didn't even notice the electric strikes.