TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's:

[kiwitt]

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a tin, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a ute on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soft drink with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

The Junior Football teams had practice games and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!

[lars573]

So, you want a medal or a chest to pin it on?

[sharrukin]

So, you want a medal or a chest to pin it on?

Sounds like someone's not a happy camper!

[ichi]

Right on kiwitt , I can't believe I survived but am so thankful that I wasn't born 20 years later.

So, you want a medal or a chest to pin it on?

Unfortunately you probably took pride in taking this cheap shot. Sorry for you.

Face it my friend. We are a lot smarter and more daring then any other generation. Yeah we have more obesity etc, etc..., but if we choose to we can do whatever. A choice the preveous generation didn't have, and if they did, they'd end worse then us, because they wouldn't be able to deal with it.

Actually, you seem to have a lot of problems. Today I see a lot of your 'smart' generation who are unable to make change, don't have a clue about anything other than PS2 and Lindsay Lohan, and show an incredible lack of wisdom.

Case in point, when kiwitt wrote a post celebrating all of the things that made our generation stronger, you replied with a series of (unfunny) smartass comments that highlighted your ignorance. Proved him right you did. Not only did you miss the entire point of his thread, but you came off looking like a child, unable to appreciate anything other than himself.

I think Byzantine Prince has a little generational inferiority complex...

LMAO

ichi

[lars573]

Unfortunately you probably took pride in taking this cheap shot. Sorry for you.
ichi

And if you think that was a cheap shot you have much to learn padawan. You see most of what kiwitt said applies to me and I was born in 1981.

Exceptions being
-My mom never drank or had any desire to until my younger brother was in his teens
-My mom refused to feed us 3 kids white bread, it was always whole weat (better for ya.)
-It's been illegal to ride in a car with out a seat belt in Canada (federal law) for nearly 40 years
-I've always hated playing outside, I prefered to be in my sandbox building castles and only for an hour
-I grew up in the city so there were limits to how far I could roam until I was a teen
-We didn't get a NES in my household till I was 9
-We were never alowed a BB gun 1 because mom didn't like them and 2 because she knew little brother would try and kill me with it

[ichi]

LOL

By 1981 I was married, had a college degree, and was years into a career.

That was a very cheap shot, they're easy to spot.

ichi

ps please don't call me padewan, not only is it condescending, but in this case its inappropriate

[lars573]

LOL

By 1981 I was married, had a college degree, and was years into a career.

I assumed as much hence the padawan crack.

That was a very cheap shot, they're easy to spot.

Again you call it a cheap shot. Where I'm from it is a perfectly reasonable response to kiwitt's comments. And it was much more umm polite than anything else that came to mind after reading it.

[Byzantine Prince]

Actually, you seem to have a lot of problems. Today I see a lot of your 'smart' generation who are unable to make change, don't have a clue about anything other than PS2 and Lindsay Lohan, and show an incredible lack of wisdom.

I can't believe I actually have to inform you of this Ichi, but more people go to college today then any other generation before us. Have you ever heard the phrase "a high school diploma doesn't cut it anymore"? Well today even a cimple college diploma doesn't cut it anymore in terms of really making yourself something special. And if you think all kids today know is PS2 and Lindsay Lohan you are partially right. *A lot* of kids only care about pop culture and games, but they are just the idiots, and they have always existed. The difference is a lot of those morons are actually doing well in school and are going to university even if their interests are questionable.

If you think we all lack wisdom, I dare you to look around the org alone, and find one person under 18 who fits that category(only cares about PS2 and Lindsay)

PS. The number one consumer group of PS2 and video games is between 25-35 years of age.

Case in point, when kiwitt wrote a post celebrating all of the things that made our generation stronger, you replied with a series of (unfunny) smartass comments that highlighted your ignorance. Proved him right you did. Not only did you miss the entire point of his thread, but you came off looking like a child, unable to appreciate anything other than himself.

You thought my replies were unfunny. Ironic that that's my opinion of your "jokes". I actually believe 90% of those replies are factual, and if they hapen to be presented in a comical way then so be it. At least Proleteriat thought they were funny.

[Byzantine Prince]

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.

Is this why you guys like to watch the Wheel of Fortune?

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

You risk takers, you...

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Yeah, I bet the traffic was huge in the 50's and 60's.

Riding in the back of a ute on a warm day was always a special treat.

What is a ute?
*BP checks dictionary*
Ok so you guys liked riding in the back of pick-up trucks. Lot's of kids still find that fun when they can get it.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

So did I and I grew up in the 90's.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

Why would someone die from that?
If sharing some saliva was that dangerous people would never kiss.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soft drink with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

So what? Kids these days don't have to go out, they have cool video games to attend to.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

Yes well that IS dangerous, what if some maniac was on the streets kidnapping children?

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

Yeah, but don't you wish you had a cool cellphone instead.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

Today we have S-K-A-T-E-B-O-A-R-D-S that do the same thing, without all the effort of bputting them together first. It's not our generations fault you guys had a poorer economy then us.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

Who needs real friends when you have Playstation Friends to play. You old guys only talk big, but if I had gone back in time and given you a playstation 2 you'd never go outside again.

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

Aparently you have never heard about eXtreme sports and how popular they are among the youth.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

Eating worm... mmmm... yummy.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

Not very many but some were bound to be plucked off. I don't know about you but I'de rather have my vision then have some dumb kid destroy the rest of my life for some dumb game.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

So today I can walk into my house, open my computer and talk to the friend without the inconvience of having to walk all the way to his house.

The Junior Football teams had practice games and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

Since when does EVERYONE make a high school team. I knew people who were amazing basketball players and didn't make it. Regardless of what you may have heard, other then gym class, the school sport's teams are just as picky today as they ever were.

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

Yeah I'm sure this hapened everywhere. Today more people live in the city, and even cops can't be trusted.

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

Are you insinuating that our generation, the generation in which a 17 year old kid has crafted an entire new computer language called Linux, is somehow inferior to the preveous because we have more technology and lead more confortable lives?

Face it my friend. We are a lot smarter and more daring then any other generation. Yeah we have more obesity etc, etc..., but if we choose to we can do whatever. A choice the preveous generation didn't have, and if they did, they'd end worse then us, because they wouldn't be able to deal with it.

[Roark]

Hehe...

I think Byzantine Prince has a little generational inferiority complex...

[Gawain of Orkeny]

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Yeah, I bet the traffic was huge in the 50's and 60's.

It was as bad as it iis now. Fewer cars but also fewer roads. Rush hour still sucked just as bad.

So what? Kids these days don't have to go out, they have cool video games to attend to.

Yeah thats much better for you. Builds strong bodies I bet. You get monster thumbs.

Yes well that IS dangerous, what if some maniac was on the streets kidnapping children?

Thats the point it was almost unknown back then. Man it was great being a kid back then with no worries. Then you hit puberty and all the troubles start to hit you at once.

[Azi Tohak]

Yup Gawain. And too many hit you right square in the face...

oww...my pride...

Yes, I would have liked growing up in the 50s. But man...I do love my Playstation and GameCube.

But also, I think the girls are better looking now too.

Azi

[Gawain of Orkeny]

But also, I think the girls are better looking now too.

No way. There have always been beautiful women and heres hoping there always are. At least back then it was easy to tell a woman from a man.

[Azi Tohak]

Stupid fake haircolor notwithstanding...I remember looking at picturse of my Dad's old girlfriends. Mind, he was pretty good with the ladies (so how the heck did I miss out on that gene) but man...some of the women were just fugly!

No offense to any of you old ladies out there. ahem...Gawain...ahem

Edit: You can't tell a woman from a man now? Okay...so Michael Jackson (who fits in this category mind you) is an exception but...maybe Gawain needs to check again...

Azi

[King of Atlantis]

Thats the point it was almost unknown back then. Man it was great being a kid back then with no worries. Then you hit puberty and all the troubles start to hit you at once.

I think kids of all generations were like this. I know when i was little I didnt care about much.

A lot of the stuff on that list still havent changed. All the wau till like 6th grade i spent almost all my free time outside. And school sports teams have gotten much more competitve.

and girls look much better now. There is much better hygene for hair, teeth etc. Girls are have to be much slimmer too. Also there's a beautiful thing called plastic surgery .

[Sigurd]

Are you insinuating that our generation, the generation in which a 17 year old kid has crafted an entire new computer language called Linux, is somehow inferior to the preveous because we have more technology and lead more confortable lives?

ehm... my personality dictates that I must clarify:
Linux is not a computer language; it is an operating system kernel. One of the things Linus Torvalds(born 1969!!) did was making a better version of Minix (a horrible operating system in the late 80’s) and transported a Unix based operating system to PC. It was written in the computer language C.
Besides, he was 22 years when he launched his Linux.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Byz don't forget your in Canada and everyone knows we have much more attractive women folk than those unlucky yankees.

Theres more beautiful women in New York City alone than in all of Canada.

[KafirChobee]

Very well put, Kiwitt. The 50's were a hoot, the 60's an experience, the 70's laid-down. The 80's just plain work.

I use to walk to kindergarden with friends - in Des Moines. Imagine letting your 5 yearold out of your sight today? Of course come to think of it.... maybe they were hoping to get rid of us .

Do remember the be home before dark rule (summer), and the no TV 'til homework is done (fall).

Still, we can't begrudge the youngsters for growing up in central AC (we had a fan), or their video games. Or, their 200+ channels of TV (we had 5 and one was educational).

Doubt any have built a go-cart (stealing the wheels from wagons, baby carriages, etc - for that free wheeling run down a hill (remember Bill Cosby's 120mph?). Still the new diversions are ......... something.


As for women? Atleast what you saw was real back then. No artificial additives there.

[Zalmoxis]

Society is messed up where I live. When I was younger, I would go outside just about everyday without worries, and in the summer would be home at one in the night, because there are no worries. But here, it really sucks, you can get killed if you walk during the day. Anyway, you're creating generalizations based on stereotypes, which isn't very good.

[Ronin]

we´re still young......you´ve allready turned into old farts

game..set..match

[Al Khalifah]

I grew up in the 80's and did all of those things.

The recent wuss-culture is a very 90's thing.

[xemitg]

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

10? my grandfather gave my dad his BB gun when he was 8 and i on the other hand, never got mine...

[Sasaki Kojiro]

40 years from now we can make another of these lists for kids who lived in the 90's...we survived being allowed to run on the playground


Kids these days have access to the internet. Forget lead based paint, anyone who has done a google image search for "scat" knows how dangerous the internet can be (don't try it).

[Redleg]

40 years from now we can make another of these lists for kids who lived in the 90's...we survived being allowed to run on the playground


Kids these days have access to the internet. Forget lead based paint, anyone who has done a google image search for "scat" knows how dangerous the internet can be (don't try it).

And there I was assuming that "scat" meant something completely different. Like get away from there. A term my grandmother used to use when wanting us to leave her alone.

Good thing I am at work - so I am not willing to try a search on the internet for that term. (I am sure it brings sites up that will get me in trouble at work - given the nature of your warning.)

[Sasaki Kojiro]

And there I was assuming that "scat" meant something completely different. Like get away from there. A term my grandmother used to use when wanting us to leave her alone.

Good thing I am at work - so I am not willing to try a search on the internet for that term. (I am sure it brings sites up that will get me in trouble at work - given the nature of your warning.)

It has another meaning. Oh the things you learn when you live in a college doorm. This was a popular one for resetting someones wallpaper when they were out of the room.

[Ianofsmeg16]

I go out most days and i'm the rip old age of 15!!! i stay out until the last bus comes (10:40) and even in summer thas beyond dark...i seem ok, but then again i live on the isle of man, which is basically the UK 50 years ago :) (it is one of the safest places in britain)
personally i think that us kids should get out more as a general rule, i do! and i still find time to play on RTW.
And about walking everywhere, and to those who object.....try having a party, doing some under-age drinking and then decide to walk the five miles from Castletown to port erin at 1:00 in the morning, we did it in about half an hour....it was great, pity the chinese was closed hmmm.
so maybe some modern conviniences do make us fatter, prettier and darn it wussier than the days of yore, but we also get out, have fun and learn about life in our own unique way. Anyway, in the 1950's did you want to go back to the nineteenth century?

p.s If anybody asks, It wasnt my party we were at Ok?
:)

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Originally Posted by Redleg
And there I was assuming that "scat" meant something completely different. Like get away from there. A term my grandmother used to use when wanting us to leave her alone.

Good thing I am at work - so I am not willing to try a search on the internet for that term. (I am sure it brings sites up that will get me in trouble at work - given the nature of your warning.)

I believe its short for skedaddle.

[Slyspy]

Er... you do relaise that the kids you are describing are the ones who grew up to make the world we live in today right? The world you don't seem to like much. For example, its all very well decrying the "kids of today" but they are your kids, so what have you done wrong?

[Azi Tohak]

Shhhh...Slyspy, you aren't supposed to mention that part...

Remember, we are all screwed up because of Mario and Link and Rap. It has nothing to do with negiligent parents.

(Just to make sure, this is not directed at any forum patrons. God knows all of you that are old enough seem to be smart enough to raise good kids. I am talking about the parents of the sociopaths that give my friends and I a bad name.)

Azi

[Proletariat]

Not to mention it's idiots who were born in the 50's-70's that are coming up with "No Failure" policies for today's children. So great lot of good the lack of video games did you.


We must've peaked in the Victorian Age. Let's send today's children back into the coal mines.