|
|
FOR ALL
THOSE BORN
BEFORE
1945
WE ARE
SURVIVORS!!!
(and those
younger
who
listened
to their
parents)
Consider
the
changes
we have
witnessed:
|
We
were
born
before
television,
before
penicillin,
before
polio
shots,
frozen
foods,
Xerox,
plastic,
contact
lenses,
Frisbees
and
the
Pill.
We
were
born
before
radar,
credit
cards,
split
atoms,
laser
beams
and
ballpoint
pens,
before
pantyhose,
dishwashers,
clothes
dryers,
electric
blankets,
air
conditioners,
drip-dry
clothes
and
before
man
walked
on the
moon.
|
|
|
|
We got
married
first
and
then
lived
together.
How
quaint
can
you
be? In
our
time,
closets
were
for
clothes,
not
for
"coming
out
of".
Bunnies
were
small
rabbits
and
rabbits
were
not
Volkswagens.
Designer
Jeans
were
scheming
girls
named
Jean
or
Jeanne,
and
having
a
meaningful
relationship
meant
getting
along
well
with
our
cousins.
We
thought
fast
food
was
what
you
ate
during
Lent,
and
Outer
Space
was
the
back
of the
MovieTheatre. |
|
|
|
We
were
born
before
house-husbands,
gay
rights,
computer
dating,
careers
and
computer
marriages.
We
were
born
before
daycare
centers,
group
therapy
and
nursing
homes.
We
never
heard
of FM
radio,
tape
decks,
electric
typewriters,
artificial
hearts,
word
processors,
yogurt,
and
guys
wearing
earrings.
For
us,
time-sharing.
meant
togetherness
- not
computers
or
condominiums;
a
"chip"
meant
a
piece
of
wood;
hardware
meant
hardware,
and
software
wasn't
even a
word!
In
1940,
"made
in
Japan"
meant
junk
and
the
term
"making
out"
referred
to how
you
did on
your
exam.
Pizzas,
"McDonald's"
and
instant
coffee
were
unheard
of.
|
|
|
|
We hit
the
scene
when
there
were 5
and 10
stores,
where
you
bought
things
for
five
and
ten
cents.
Ice
cream
cones
were a
nickel
or a
dime.
For
one
nickel
you
could
ride a
street
car
(trolley),
make a
call,
buy a
Pepsi
or
enough
stamps
to
mail
one
letter
and
two
postcards.
You
could
buy a
new
Chevy
Coupe
for
$600,
but
who
could
afford
one: a
pity
too,
because
gas
was 11
cents
a
gallon!
In our
day,
cigarette
smoking
was
fashionable,
Grass
was
mowed,
Coke
was a
soft
drink,
and
Pot
was
something
you
cooked
in.
Rock
Music
was a
Grandma's
lullaby
and
AIDS
were
helpers
in the
Principal's
office.
We
were
certainly
not
born
before
the
difference
between
the
sexes
was
discovered,
but we
were
surely
born
before
the
sex
change;
we
made
do
with
what
we
had,
and we
were
the
last
generation
that
was so
dumb
as to
think
you
needed
a
husband
to
have a
baby!
No
wonder
we are
so
confused
and
there
is
such a
generation
gap
today!
But we
survived!
What
Better
reason
To
celebrate?!
|
|
|
|
|
|
  
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
