peanuts Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Anyone over the age of 32 should read this, as I copied this from a friend... Checking out at the supermarket recently, the young cashier suggested I should bring my own carrier bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. I apologised and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days." The cashier responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations." She was right about one thing -- our generation didn't have the green thing in “Our” day. So what did we have back then…? After some reflection and soul-searching on "Our" day here's what I remembered we did have.... Back then, we returned milk bottles, fizzy pop bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilised and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator or lift in every store and office building. We walked to the supermarket and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two minutes up the road. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby's nappies because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me -down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn't have the green thing back in our day. Back then, we 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 handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of England. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used screwed up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right. We didn't have the green thing back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mums into a 24- hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerised gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then? Please post this on your Facebook profile so another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smarty-pants young person, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnd Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Seen this before. Don't think those under 35 would know how to survive without electricity if there was any long term cuts or rationing ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free At Last Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 peanuts, on 24 Jun 2015 - 18:38, said:Please post this on your Facebook profile so another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smarty-pants young person, Back then, we used to meet up and talk with friends instead of wearing out thumbs on smart devices. I think those under 30s need a lesson in conversation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I don't think those of us over 60 would survive either !!!! We're lucky, we have seen the transition from all to plenty. The young will see the reverse, and WON'T like it. Brit15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I don't think those of us over 60 would survive either !!!! We're lucky, we have seen the transition from ###### all to plenty. The young will see the reverse, and WON'T like it. Brit15 Crossbow and matches at the ready Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bri.s Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Aged 12 I was never in always out on push bike or with a football didn't have a phone untill I was 21 I'm making sure my kids get out and enjoy the outdoors like I did I bet most kids these days have never climbed a tree never mind fallen out of one lol Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParkeNd Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 A work colleague of mine a couple of years ago said he had the following conversation with his two sons. "Did you have a Playstation" "No". "so you had an XBox then?" "No". "So you made do on a laptop?" "No". They made you slum it on a smartphone ?" "No". "Whatever did you DO all day? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernboy Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 At work, when the weather is hot, it's the youngsters who insist on turning the air-con up full - AND - opening all the windows. No amount of gentle reminders over the last few years that using both methods of cooling a room is counter-productive sinks in. Yet they're all quite happy to espouse the dangers of global warming / wear 'Save the Planet' type T-shirts / and are very insistant on buying the very best 'Fair Trade Coffee' in support of third-world producers ... it all seems a bit glib to me. What makes the situation particularly disappointing is those I work with are highly educated, intelligent people, so no excuses for lack of awareness are possible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 the young cashier suggested ... Back then we had respect for our elders and betters ... and wouldn't dare make such suggestions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 We had long term 'smart phones' (with no batteries) to write down phone numbers unless we had a good memory for using a phone box. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim V Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Fizzy pop returnable bottles disappeared in the late 60s, that's 45 years ago! Someone's pulling someone's leg here! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 Fizzy pop returnable bottles disappeared in the late 60s, that's 45 years ago! Someone's pulling someone's leg here! I bet a "young cashier" never said anything about the bags either. It just looks like the usual criticism of the young by a previous generation looking back with rose tinted spectacles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Vistisen Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 Fizzy pop returnable bottles disappeared in the late 60s, that's 45 years ago! Someone's pulling someone's leg here! Not in Denmark, we still have them and you get about 10 to 45 pence back when you return them depending on the size. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddys-blues Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Fizzy pop returnable bottles disappeared in the late 60s, that's 45 years ago! Someone's pulling someone's leg here! Nah ... that was still going on into the late 70's, I used to get 5p on a big Ben Shaw's bottle, and 2p on the smaller pop or juice bottles. Back to the OP, most families only had one car ..... that's if you had one !!! my Mum or Dad never learned to drive .... shank's pony or the bus in our house Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Road Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Fizzy pop returnable bottles disappeared in the late 60s, that's 45 years ago! Someone's pulling someone's leg here! Barrs bottles still returnable . I should know - we carry them in full truck loads now and again from Birmingham to Cumbernauld . M b Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave47549 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashcombe Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I was watching a fly on the wall documentary tonight about a GP surgery. On being asked if he had any problems with his wee, a teenaged lad replied, "No, I have an X- box!!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Lime Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 What makes the situation particularly disappointing is those I work with are highly educated, intelligent people, so no excuses for lack of awareness are possible. Might I humbly suggest that we do not confuse education with intelligence here... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 Yeah, but back then, remember, back then, we didn't have RMweb ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted June 24, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2015 Back then we did have a supermarket in our town (I think it arrived c.1968) but by 1967 we did have two cars in the drive - dad's was secondhand and mine was something like 4th hand. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 40-something Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I bet a "young cashier" never said anything about the bags either. It just looks like the usual criticism of the young by a previous generation looking back with rose tinted spectacles. Some people do look back with rose tinted glasses but its true, we did not have all the gadgets, clothes and cars but we had a better level of fitness (and not by going to a gym), common sense and the ability to communicate face to face which is sadly lacking these days. And above all we didnt have the green thing thrown down our throats A sight I seen quite recently summed it all up to me. An energy efficiency display was being set up in retail park, being unloaded from a Range Rover V8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamperman36 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Fizzy pop returnable bottles disappeared in the late 60s, that's 45 years ago! Someone's pulling someone's leg here! We had returnable pop bottles within the last 10 years as we had a guy used to deliver crates of 6 pop bottles( or multiples of 6) every week and if you returned the empty bottles in the crate the following week you got £1.50 back for 6 bottles One of my biggest gripes about modern youngsters is there dependance on technology and power, they use calculators, computers and smartphones so much and at such a young age what will they do when the power fails and the batteries run out. When I went to school I learnt to use my head to work out maths and used a pen and paper to work things out. I learnt how to write letters and use a post box not email and if I was out and needed a phone we used a phone box (now just about a museum piece). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 A century ago, in the suburb where I live, people could board an electric interurban train and travel the more than 100 miles to both of the large state universities serving Oregon. The interurbans were powered by clean, green hydroelectricity. At the same time the people who lived in the city could travel on the largest network of electric streetcars (some would call them trams) on the US west coast powered by the same hydroelectricity. When the power stations were built relatively few people purchased light bulbs and and the power company (Portland Railway Light & Power) also ran the street cars. After the second world war priorities changed and much of that infrastructure was eliminated - replaced by internal combustion engine-based transportation. Electric services ended on the Oregon Electric in 1945. (The local depot where I live is gone and while the line is still there it handles only freight.) Arguably, having won the war, adults of the post-war generation had a lot to answer for in terms of the elimination of 'green' tech particularly in the reduce, reuse and recycle behaviours. At the end of the day, people will live according to a combination of their priorities and whatever technology enables for them to be comfortable. Curiously Portlanders still drink the same (untreated) snowmelt from a municipal supply developed in the 19th century. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Back then, we returned milk bottles, fizzy pop bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilised and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled reused. We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator or lift in every store and office building. We walked to the supermarket and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two minutes up the road. Back then, we washed the baby's nappies because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me -down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. Back then, we 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 handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of England. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used screwed up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. Back then, people took the bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mums into a 24- hour taxi service We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerised gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint So, this begs the question, which generation changed all this? I'll give you a hint. It's not the young cashier or any other millenial. It is people who have long been adults and most of these changes happened when today's 'grey generation' (ie us) were 'in charge' of our daily lives. As a test, put a date on when every one of these things changed. It's pretty consistently over the 70s through the 90s - except for the advent of smart phones. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I was buying Corona pop in returnable bottles in 1982. IIRC the deposit was a substantial 10p. Thinking about it, I'm pretty sure Newcastle Brown Ale bottles were returnable up until the very late 80s at least. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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