Colonel Dan, SASS #24025 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I get a lot of email throughout any given day on many topics. This one was sent to me by a good friend and it struck me as worthy of being shared here on the Wire. I know you'll remember those days just as I did. Enjoy.... CD The Green Thing In the line at the store, 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 clerk 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, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store 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 grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away 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 state of Montana . 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 gasoline 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 fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or 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 streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Rider Rudy Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Well Said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus A. Gnatsass, SASS #71705 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Pot? Kettle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodine Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Seen that before. How true. I remeber all that, knda long for those evil times again, we were soooo baaaad! Bodine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el Gato Gordo - SASS #15162 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Some true, some not true, but I agree with the general sentiment. Before there were "Environmentalists" those of us who deplored the soapy, sudsy streams and rivers, and who abhorred the miles of litter on every road, were called "Conservationists." I get a lot of email throughout any given day on many topics. This one was sent to me by a good friend and it struck me as worthy of being shared here on the Wire. I know you'll remember those days just as I did. Enjoy.... CD The Green Thing In the line at the store, 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 clerk 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 (true), soda bottles (true) and beer bottles (nope, no deposit in most places on beer bottles) to the store. The store 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 grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. (And families only had one car; a very few had one for each parent) But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away 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. (TRUE) 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 state of Montana. (TRUE) In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. (Aw, come on ~ nearly every home had an electric beater in the fifties) 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. (TRUE, but as an Air Force Brat who moved every year or two, the number of items that arrived broken was terrible) Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline 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. (Even in the 50's it was rare to see anyone with a pure rotary push mower. The sound of gas powered mowers is one of my earliest summer memories from the 50's & 60's) But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. (True, or from the garden hose ~ and we carried a refillable canteen when we hiked for any length of time) 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. (Partly TRUE ~ I don't know how many shirts I ruined when the pen leaked, and I don't cut myself anywhere near as often when I shave these days. The razors are better, and I still only throw away the blade.) But we didn't have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. (ABSOLUTELY TRUE) 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. (Partly true: the National Electrical Code has required an outlet every twelve feet of wall space in residences since about 1948; we did have the Yellow Pages to figure out where to shop or eat; just one copy, not the 6 that get dumped on our doorstep each year, wasting paper and taking up dump space) 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? Just sayin that those "good old days" were not the ideal that we would like to remember. I'm sure if you give it some thought, that each of us can come up with examples pro & con. Buenas suerte, eGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel Dan, SASS #24025 Posted July 22, 2011 Author Share Posted July 22, 2011 Oh I wouldn't trade the progress we've made for those "good ol days" either. My purpose in posting this was to tweak the memories of those who also remembered "how it used to be." Brought back many memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Hombre #23212 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 And one more thing!!! I worked in one of them there stores when I was a youngster and we didn' talk to folks like that or we would have our butts fire!! BH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Dog, SASS #20401 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Growing up in the USA in the 50s and 60s was paradise on earth. I wish my life was an endless loop of those two decades... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOUTH-PACIFIC,SASS #59402 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 :FlagAm : that do bring back memories of my younger days in the n.c. mountains. i think i can relate to every thing except the milk bottles we had a cow for that purpose. used to pick up soda bottles for the deposit. a dime was lot of money back then.40s and 50s. joined the usn in 61. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodine Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Yeppir, that "progress" thing is a mighty subjective term. I don't think I can agree that we're better off today than we were then, but to each their own. With all respects, Bodine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Coles SASS 1188 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 True...as far it goes. But at the same time, we used lead paint and asbestos on everything that would stand still and filled our rivers so full of toxins from manufacturing that nothing lived in them and they occasionally caught fire! We made acid rain and lovely places like Love Canal. We dumped so much DDT into the environment that it was killing off the birds. There are two sides to everything. All the things you mentioned as being good about the old days were good and they should come back. But we could do without the bad stuff. Politics aside, true green (not the marketing campaign green that is so popular today)is smart in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 And don't ferget when you hear this line (which you do more and more these days), that the Environmental Protection Agency was set up in 1968 under Pres. Nixon, and likewise the Clean Air and Water act the same year and same Prexy. The CAWA has returned untold waterways and rivers to clean condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 True indeed However, I use paper bags GG ~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee Mak Jack, SASS #55905 Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 The real sad thing is that we don't use the best of both these worlds. We made some mistakes with things back then (DDT asbestos etc)and we learned about those things the hard way. Now everything is geared toward convience with little regard to conservation of resources. Could ramble on but I think you get my idea. I do HATE them damn plastic water bottles !!!!!!!!!!! DMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Dog, SASS #20401 Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 DDT got a bad rap. Cheap and effective. Of course it's replacement was more profitable. Quite literally millions of lives in the third world lost to malaria could have been saved by the judicious use of DDT. No one wants to go back to burning rivers but the pendulum has swung way too far in the other direction. The myriad alphabet soup agencies over-step out the wazoo. All their myriad crazy rulings that no one can even keep up with much less obey weigh down the economy and hurt us all. They need to be reined in and made to conform to common sense. Time to go shoot, and I'm sure that's one thing we can ALL agree is better now than back then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Peludo, SASS #3763L Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 That is obviously one side of the coin, so to speak, and a fine reminiscence, but not all that is new and modern is bad, for certain. However, the article made me think of my tonsorial habits: I still use the same old Gillette nine click adjustable double edge safety razor that I have had since I can't remember. A while back I found myself in need of some new blades for it, and had one heck of a time finding any in any local stores; I could find them on line from retro sellers like Vermont Country Store, but when I'd ask in a store, I got everything from blank stares to a suggestion that I buy a new "modern" razor. I finally tripped over some, and picked them up in a flash. Being as I am a bearded man, I don't go through blades like I did when I scraped my whole face, so a dozen blades will probably last me the rest of my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouchy Greg, SASS#71981 Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 That is obviously one side of the coin, so to speak, and a fine reminiscence, but not all that is new and modern is bad, for certain. However, the article made me think of my tonsorial habits: I still use the same old Gillette nine click adjustable double edge safety razor that I have had since I can't remember. A while back I found myself in need of some new blades for it, and had one heck of a time finding any in any local stores; I could find them on line from retro sellers like Vermont Country Store, but when I'd ask in a store, I got everything from blank stares to a suggestion that I buy a new "modern" razor. I finally tripped over some, and picked them up in a flash. Being as I am a bearded man, I don't go through blades like I did when I scraped my whole face, so a dozen blades will probably last me the rest of my life. ======================================================== I have a beard too, so blades last a long time for me. The last time I went looking for double-edge blades, the only place that had any was CVS. Even Walmart didn't have them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouchy Greg, SASS#71981 Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Growing up in the USA in the 50s and 60s was paradise on earth. I wish my life was an endless loop of those two decades... ================================================== Same here. I wouldn't trade my growing-up years in the '50's and '60's in southside Virginia for anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Nathan C. Riddles, SASS # 7462 Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 And don't ferget when you hear this line (which you do more and more these days), that the Environmental Protection Agency was set up in 1968 under Pres. Nixon, and likewise the Clean Air and Water act the same year and same Prexy. The CAWA has returned untold waterways and rivers to clean condition. Sorry Red but Nixon didn't take office until 1969. The EPA did do a lot of good. But they have also become power hungry and have overstepped their bounds big time. It may be time to rein them in & keep a tight rein on the agency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rance - SASS # 54090 Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Growing up in the USA in the 50s and 60s was paradise on earth. I wish my life was an endless loop of those two decades... Ditto.. Lone Dog Colonel Dan.. nice piece I was one of eight kids... born and raised in the country back in the fifties on our small farm.. we didn't have much.. but heck we were happy as can be... guess fancy folks would say we didn't know any better Closest grocery store was about a mile away up the road... the four of us youngest would gather up all the pop bottles we could carry and start carrying them up the highway to the local grocery store... (it was a 2 story old house.. grocery downstairs... living quarters upstair.. with a gas pump out front) heck.. we could turnem' in for 2 cents each and buy some candy... Mom didn't know we were gone instead of outside playin' We might get 1/2 mile up the highway when an old pickup would pull over.. "Hey are you Rance and Doris's kids?" "YEP"..we'd say.. "Where ya goin?" he'd ask.. "Up to the store"... He'd say jump in and I'll give you a ride... and we would.. and he'd deliver us to the front door of the store... Would anybody feel safe now doing that? Mothers would turn over in their grave... Rance Ther I go ramblin' agin' just wanted to say Ditto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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