Guest M. McRae Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 People over 30 years old should be dead According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the '40, 50's 60's, or even maybe the early 70's probably shouldn't have survived. Our baby cribs were covered with bright coloured lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinet, 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 pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors! We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode 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 would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable! We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms. We had friends! We went outside and found them. We played doge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt. We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame but us. Remember accidents? We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it. We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or range the bell or just walked in and talked to them. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Horrors! Tests were not adjusted for any reason. Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. The actual sided with the law. Imagine that! This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and 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're one of them! Congratulations. You had the luck to grow up as kids, before lawyers and government regulated our lives, for our own good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cargo Agent Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 Ain't it the truth!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Garneau Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 'As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.' Geez, Malcolm, I was one of those priviledged kids who had an 'original' baby car seat. Remember those, they hooked over the front/back seats, no belts, and had a steering wheel, just like Mom & Dad. The engine was 'strawberry' powered. They left the child perfectly positioned for a clean eject through the windshield if a head-on occured. Thank, God, no accidents, I wouldn't be here. Yikes!! Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WF9F Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 Excellent perspective.I think life would be a little less stressful if we could look at things the way we used too.Don't think that will happen but it would be nice. Great post WF9F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milehighclub Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 I still can't believe that i did all those things you mentioned ! Sometimes i just wonder how i survived all this... And you did not even say a word about the first motorcycle or car... The problem is, that i'm not willing to let my kids do the same things ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southshore Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 For you gentle consideration. These days you speak of also were the days of men beating their wives with impunity. Polce didn't like to respond to 'domestic distrubances'. There was no child abuse because it was 'kept in the family'. There were no perverts, just strange uncles that your mother kept you away from, if you were lucky. The light hearted look you took at the overburden of rules we have is worth a chuckle but perhaps a wince too. A lot of the things you rue are meant to often protect those who can't protect themselves. I think I'll take tha bad with the good in the compromise that is life. kindest regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southshore Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 For you gentle consideration. These days you speak of also were the days of men beating their wives with impunity. Polce didn't like to respond to 'domestic disturbances'. There was no child abuse because it was 'kept in the family'. There were no perverts, just strange uncles that your mother kept you away from, if you were lucky. Then, drunks were funny. Drunk driving was winked at. The light hearted look you took at the overburden of rules we have is worth a chuckle but perhaps a wince too. A lot of the things you rue are meant to often protect those who can't protect themselves. I think I'll take the bad with the good in the compromise that is life. kindest regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest M. McRae Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 I wish I could claim it as an original but the source is anon (at least to me) it was passed onto me by a friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest M. McRae Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 I wish I could claim it as an original but the source is anon (at least to me) it was passed onto me by a friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest M. McRae Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 wish I could claim it as an original but the source is anon (at least to me) it was passed onto me by a friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest M. McRae Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 Sort of a 1/2 full type of response eh? Anyway, re wife beating in particular you may find the following informative. Seems that the generation that I described were responsible also for the change in the laws in that regard. Violence Against Women is Part of Our Legal History Wife beating and even killing were rights accorded to Greek and Roman men. 18th century British law authorized a husband to chastise his wife with a rod no thicker than his thumb (rule of thumb). Between 1909 and 1960, the Canadian Criminal Code contained a special offense of wife battering. Under this offense the victim had to demonstrate a greater degree of bodily harm than was required in cases of other assault. As of 1968, in Canada, divorce can be granted on the grounds of physical cruelty. As of 1984, in Canada, a husband can be charged with raping his wife. As of 1984, in British Columbia, a new justice system policy directed the police to initiate charges where there is evidence of relationship violence. In 1993, in British Columbia, the above policy was revised. Changes included a recognition of, and response to, battering in lesbian relationships. http://www.bwss.org/legal1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southshore Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 Sorry, but I'm not sure I follow the intent of your first sentence. If I was unclear, I apologise but what I meant was that in spite of the all the changes that we 'suffer' thru, there are lots of positive changes. I think your examples were in agreement with my intention. I wish life was as simple as it was when I was a kid in the 50's (god, I'm old) but there are lots of positives these days, esp in Canada no matter what anybody says. Thanks for the retrospective tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsgas Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 Canada is nowhere near as great today as it was in the 50's and 60's.Thanks to Trudeau and JC we are becoming closer to a third world country.Our dollar is a joke,our health care system is a disaster,the CPP will not be there for many of the babby boomers,our military is an embarrassment,there is a major brain drain to the U.S.,our justice system and especially the young ofenders act is criminal. We are no longer a happy nation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEFCON Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 "We are no longer a happy nation." Simply because we have lost the identity and sense of community we previously enjoyed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest M. McRae Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 And yet we are still so much better off than the majority of those who live in the rest of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEFCON Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 We seem to be however and without intending to be negative, for how much longer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest M. McRae Posted April 27, 2003 Share Posted April 27, 2003 As long as we are willing to work at it and not take our good fortune for granted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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