KLP, America The Beautiful still makes me teary-eyed. Now I will probably show my age, but....THIS IS SO TRUE:
"I was talking to my Dad about current events the other night. I
asked him what he thought about the shootings at schools, our
immoral President, the computer age and just things in general.
As he began to reply, I began to write....."
"I was born before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods,
Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and the Pill. There weren't things
like radar, credit cards, laser beams or ball-point pens. Man had not
invented pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets,
air conditioners and man hadn't walked on the moon.Your Mom and
I got married first-then lived together. Every family had a father and
a mother, and every kid over 14 had a rifle that his dad taught
him how to use and respect. Until I was 25, I called every man older
than me 'sir'; and after I turned 25, I still called policemen and
every man with a title, 'sir.' In our time, closets were for clothes, not for
'coming out of'. Sundays were set aside for going to church as a family,
helping those in need, and just visiting with your neighbors. 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 your actions. Serving your Country was a privilege-living here was a
bigger privilege. We thought fast food was what you ate during Lent.
And time sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings
and weekends-not condominiums.
We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, CD's, electric typewriters,
artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt or guys wearing ear rings.
We listened to the 'big bands', Jack Benny and the President's speeches
on the radio. 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. Pizzas, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard
of. We had 5 and 10 cent stores where you could actually buy things for
5 and 10 cents. Ice cream cones, phone calls, rides on a street car,
anda Pepsi were all a nickel.And if you didn't want to 'splurge,' you could
spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail a letter and two postcards.
You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one?
Too bad too, 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, a 'chip' meant a piece of wood, 'hardware'
was found in a hardware store and software wasn't even a word. We were not
before the difference between the sexes was discovered,but we were
surely before the sex change, 'Billy' has two mommies, and you didn't see
pornography in a family home and at newsstands. And we were the last
generation that was so dumb as to think you needed a husband to have a
baby. No wonder people today call us old and confused, and there is such
a generation gap!"
-Author unknown |
