Last night, while I was out gallivanting, I happened to overhear a 60ish fellow losing badly (to a group of the “barely wet behind the ears” generation), in that now age old argument – “the older generation really screwed up – look at the fractured environment they left us to deal with.”
Poor fellow took a real hammering as to how wasteful older folks were, because they didn’t have the “green thing” – back in the day. Since I’m an “older folk”, I sure wanted to jump in and do some counter punching. But, the “hey, it’s Friday night, it’s party time, relax” philosophy, won out over my “suit up Don Quixote, and let’s rescue this “trembling victim” thinking.
Listening to the back and forth, put me in mind of an article I read earlier this year, written by Jim Knowles, and published in the San Leandro Times January 6, 2011. Having read the article, I might have been able to hold off the hoards of “techno-savages”, had I engaged, as they unsparingly tore apart the “trembling victim’s” defenses. Might have. 
If you’re a “selfish” older person, and you find yourself getting a lesson in conservation from an (I’ve got all the answers) young person, you’ll need some “ammo” too – just to hold your own. You’ll find some here.
__________________________________________________
The Green Thing
In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”
That’s right, they didn’t have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.
But they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.
In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.
But she’s right. They didn’t have the green thing in her day.
Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They 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. Cobblers repaired their shoes, so they lasted decades.
But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.
Back then, they 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 pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.
Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.
They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
But they didn’t have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they 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 they didn’t have the green thing back then!
Yes, you’re right – this article is waaay off topic. But hey, it’s the weekend – so enough with technology; at least for a bit.
If you found this article useful, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.
When I was a kid, we all drank out of the same water hose. We didn’t use or carry separate plastic bottles.
This may not be green..but it should be said. We, also, respected our elders. And if we didn’t, we had our butts handed to us. We didn’t need drug sniffing dogs or metal detectors in our schools. Oh, I could just go on..and on….
Hey Delenn13,
Yes, you could – with some justification, I think.
I sometimes look around me and wonder if, I’m not a tourist in a strange land – the World has changed so dramatically from when I was growing up. Not from the technology side, really – that’s no big deal. After all, we’ve been dealing with massive technology advances since the mid 1800s, and before.
No, it’s the culture – particularly the lack of any emphatic connection between people. This lack of empathy has spilled over into virtually every area of peoples’ lives. Sad.
Bill
hi bill
when i was a kid we went outside and played baseball and football or any other thing we could think of. or just go outside to be outside. we played board games… when it rained. a card board box that a washing machine or something came in instantly be came a club house. if you were creative and had a imagination you automatically seemed to have friends from all over the “hood”. why because you could come up with the best stuff to do. tv changed to world for the worse. now nothing is left for the imagination. being a sixtyer, the one thing i cherish the most is the written word, “books”. the day is coming when we won’t have all the things we have to live with, tv, cellphone, gameboxs and the list goes on. when was the last time you got a hand written letter? can people today even write?
Hi Ken,
Some people might think that you’re just being nostalgic for those “soft” days from the past – but, it’s more than that. It was a different time, values were different.
We’ve learned since, that technology has not always been used in a way which incorporates its highest and best use. TV, as you point out, is often used as an example of such a technology.
Can’t remember the last time I got a handwritten letter – 20/30 years ago? No wonder we don’t see many handwriting contest, huh?
Best,
Bill
Hi Bill,
Great article and it was nice to read and think about the old days again. A lot of the things we use today are helpful, but I sure do miss the slowed down pace of the days gone by. Thanks for the Waaay off topic article.
Noahsark
Hey Noahsark,
I don’t mind admitting, that I got a little chocked up while reading that article. It really brought back a lot of memories. All good.
Glad you enjoyed it too.
Best,
Bill
Hi Bill,
Wow what a great topic, and a great article by Jim Knowles, I think he pretty well nailed it.
I can imagine you really struggled to keep it zipped and not jump to this persons defence, I know I sure would have.
Question is, exactly which generation were they referring to, our generation, or our parents generation for whom they had absolute life changing times regardless of which side of the fence they were on.
Cheers,
John
Hey John,
It is a great article – isn’t it? It does what it’s supposed to do – it makes us step back and consider a different perspective.
I’m not so sure the tirade was directed against this fellow’s generation specifically, since it was hard to peg that down just by physical looks (he looked 40ish to me, initially). Besides, to a young person – anyone over 30 has one foot in the grave – right?
No, this was the usual testosterone driven “youth are wiser than the old” point/counterpoint – entertaining enough. The thing that struck me was, how ill prepared this guy was to defend against an irrational (but believable), point of view. Thought I might write about that.
Good to hear from you.
Best,
Bill
Hey Bill,
Being in my late 40s, I grew up in “the day”, and I wouldn’t have it any different. We had a black and white TV, a fan for when it was hot, only one person in the street had a telephone, and if we were going to visit friends two hours drive away, we would write a letter two weeks before we went. If we weren’t at school, we were down the local creek, exploring. Our mother wouldn’t see us til it was lunch time or dinner time. I loved that time.
Oh, and the most interesting people at my local pub? The old timers, I love listening to their stories of the old days.
Cheers
Hey Mal,
A not so very different experience here.
The telephone was a gift from the almighty and was not to be abused. It held its own place of honour in the hallway.
I think we mainly skipped the “hey, we’re coming to visit you” letters, and made a “long-distance phone call” – an event almost worth throwing a party over. And now? Today? I think all of this happened while I was sleeping. lol
I hear ya on the old timers – it’s a great way to spend time. Someone once said – “You can learn a lot just by listening”
Best,
Bill
My dad says he used to be able to fill up has gas tank for $5 back in his day. He’s 62.
In my day, it cost 60$ to fill up my tank. And I’ve never been able to afford a new car in my entire life. Only used lemons for under $5,000. I’m 29 years old, by the way.
My parents bought their first house for $10,000.
In my day, a first house cost around $200,000 (depending where you live, of course. I don’t live in Detroit if you’re wondering).
Back in my parents day, their mothers stayed home and cooked them healthy food. Not saying every mother did this, but it seems like more than today.
In my day, I’ve eaten a lot of convenience food (fast food, microwave food, canned food, etc.) My parents were too busy working for the man to have dinner figured out in advance every night. Lots of times, it was just whatever was quick to make.
Further points, I did walk home every day from Middle School and High School. One mile for the former, and about 3 for the latter.
I exercise on my mountain bike, on the trails, never been to a Gym. Only rich people can afford to waste that much money. I own a chinup bar, and I do push-ups. There, exercise. No gym membership.
I’ve had the same (19 inch) TV for the last 15+ years. In all that time I used an antenna to receive channels. Now I don’t get any channels because the government forced everybody to switch from analog to digital. Bye bye free TV. I’m too lazy to track down a converter box. So now I just watch old tapes or DVD’s I buy at the pawn shop.
When my parents we’re 29, they we’re married, HAD CAREERS, and their first child was months away.
I’m 29, unemployed, college graduated, can’t find work, my work history consists of washing dishes, I have no girlfriend or wife, because what woman gives a crap about a guy with no money, and the Rich Older people (replublicans) have practically screwed this country by blowing money on fruitless foreign wars. They have exceeded in creating more Terrorists than Bin Laden ever could’ve imagined.
I don’t blame older people like my parents though. Because I’ve realized that the game is rigged by the 1% oligarchy that owns this country. Democracy is a sham. Nobody ever voted for half the things they do “in our name.” It’s crazy.
I just think the boomers were lucky. They happened to come of age in a time when America was booming, and the rest of the world was still recovering from the devastation of WWII. But now times aren’t so simple anymore. America doesn’t have the technological or economic edge that it enjoyed for the last 50 years.
Green, Schmeen. You can’t blame young people because they don’t allow refunds on pop cans anymore.
No offense to anyone older than me.
Hey Aaron,
Leaving aside all else that you said – and, I do agree with you on much of it – let me focus on this – “I just think the boomers were lucky.” From a personal perspective (I’m an early Boomer), I couldn’t agree more. I had my choice of not only jobs, but career paths as well. Luck, born at the right time, however you want to characterize it – you’re right.
I can’t imagine the emotional distress caused by not being able to contribute one’s maximum to society, the Cosmos, ……. – the opportunity, taken away by those that are not responsible to us in the conventional sense. Still, we have who we voted for – how FU is that? I feel for those trapped by this economy.
Bill
There’s a lot be to said for nostalgia, but one thread I notice here is a lot of people telling how it was when they were kids.
If you did it that way when you were kids and stopped when you were an adult, blame yourselves, not the younger generations.
*Bill, this is my first comment, but I’ve read your blog almost daily for over a year. No disrespect intended.
Hi Carl,
Yes, you’re right – I suspect there are more than a few behaviors and outlooks that if we could recapture them, would serve us well today. Interesting, what it is, we choose to discard.
Great to hear from you. I look forward to more of your comments.
Bill
The uncomfortable truth is that “old folks” who grew up in a more frugal time are also part of a generation that introduced and institutionalized a disposable economy. To wit, the economic expansion of the post-war years was fueled by conspicuous consumption of mass-produced goods that had a planned obsolescence. This same generation of Americans gave up all the frugality they inherited from their parents in the name of convenience, comfort, and modernity. Sadly, we’re all complicit in this (no moral high-ground here), but the young woman in the store has the right idea.
Hi Inlewof,
There’s much in your comment that I agree with – on some points I feel less convinced. But yes, you’re right – “no moral high-ground here.”
Thank you for commenting.
Bill