> > One evening a grandson was talking to his
> > grandfather about current events. He asked what
> > he thought about the shootings at schools, the
> > computer age, and just things in general.
> >
> > "Well, let me think a minute... I was born before
> > television,
> >
> > penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox,
> > contact lenses,
> >
> > Frisbees and the pill. There was no radar, credit
> > cards,
> >
> > laser beams or ball-point pens.
> >
> > Man had not invented pantyhose, air conditioners,
> > dishwashers,
> >
> > clothes dryers, (clothes were hung out to dry in
> > the fresh
> >
> > air), and man hadn't yet walked on the moon.
> >
> > Your grandmother and I got married first-and then
> > lived
> >
> > together. Every family had a father and a mother,
> > and every
> >
> > boy over 14 had a rifle that his dad taught him
> > how to use and
> >
> > respect. And they went hunting and fishing
> > together.
> >
> > Until I was 25, I called every man older than I,
> > 'Sir'- and
> >
> > after I turned 25, I still called policemen and
> > every man with
> >
> > a title, 'Sir.'
> >
> > We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual
> > careers,
> >
> > daycare centers, and group therapy.
> >
> > Our lives were ruled by good judgment, and common
> > sense.
> >
> > We were taught to know the difference between
> > right and wrong
> >
> > and to stand up and take responsibility for our
> > actions.
> >
> > Serving your country was a privilege; living here
> > was a bigger
> >
> > privilege.
> >
> > We thought fast food was what people ate during
> > Lent. Having
> >
> > a meaningful relationship meant getting along
> > with your
> >
> > cousins. Draft dodgers were people who closed
> > their front
> >
> > doors when the evening breeze started.
> > Time-sharing meant
> >
> > time the family spent together in the evenings
> > and weekends -
> >
> > not purchasing condominiums.
> >
> > We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs,
> > electric
> >
> > typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings. We
> > listened to
> >
> > the Big Bands, Jack Benny, the Lone Ranger, and
> > the
> >
> > President's speeches on our radios. And 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.
> >
> > Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were
> > unheard of. We
> >
> > had 5 & 10-cent stores where you could actually
> > buy things for
> >
> > 5 and 10 cents. Ice cream cones, phone calls,
> > rides on a
> >
> > streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel. And if
> > you didn't
> >
> > want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on
> > enough stamps
> >
> > to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.
> >
> > You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who
> > could afford
> >
> > one? Too bad, 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, 'chip' meant a piece of wood, 'hardware'
> > was found in
> >
> > a hardware store, and 'software' wasn't even a
> > word.
> >
> > And we were the last generation to actually
> > believe that a
> >
> > woman needed a husband to have a baby.
> >
> > No wonder people call us "old and confused" and
> > say there is a
> >
> > generation gap.
> >
> > How old do you think I am?"
> >
> >
> >
> > ANSWER - This man would be only 59 years old
> > grandfather about current events. He asked what
> > he thought about the shootings at schools, the
> > computer age, and just things in general.
> >
> > "Well, let me think a minute... I was born before
> > television,
> >
> > penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox,
> > contact lenses,
> >
> > Frisbees and the pill. There was no radar, credit
> > cards,
> >
> > laser beams or ball-point pens.
> >
> > Man had not invented pantyhose, air conditioners,
> > dishwashers,
> >
> > clothes dryers, (clothes were hung out to dry in
> > the fresh
> >
> > air), and man hadn't yet walked on the moon.
> >
> > Your grandmother and I got married first-and then
> > lived
> >
> > together. Every family had a father and a mother,
> > and every
> >
> > boy over 14 had a rifle that his dad taught him
> > how to use and
> >
> > respect. And they went hunting and fishing
> > together.
> >
> > Until I was 25, I called every man older than I,
> > 'Sir'- and
> >
> > after I turned 25, I still called policemen and
> > every man with
> >
> > a title, 'Sir.'
> >
> > We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual
> > careers,
> >
> > daycare centers, and group therapy.
> >
> > Our lives were ruled by good judgment, and common
> > sense.
> >
> > We were taught to know the difference between
> > right and wrong
> >
> > and to stand up and take responsibility for our
> > actions.
> >
> > Serving your country was a privilege; living here
> > was a bigger
> >
> > privilege.
> >
> > We thought fast food was what people ate during
> > Lent. Having
> >
> > a meaningful relationship meant getting along
> > with your
> >
> > cousins. Draft dodgers were people who closed
> > their front
> >
> > doors when the evening breeze started.
> > Time-sharing meant
> >
> > time the family spent together in the evenings
> > and weekends -
> >
> > not purchasing condominiums.
> >
> > We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs,
> > electric
> >
> > typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings. We
> > listened to
> >
> > the Big Bands, Jack Benny, the Lone Ranger, and
> > the
> >
> > President's speeches on our radios. And 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.
> >
> > Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were
> > unheard of. We
> >
> > had 5 & 10-cent stores where you could actually
> > buy things for
> >
> > 5 and 10 cents. Ice cream cones, phone calls,
> > rides on a
> >
> > streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel. And if
> > you didn't
> >
> > want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on
> > enough stamps
> >
> > to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.
> >
> > You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who
> > could afford
> >
> > one? Too bad, 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, 'chip' meant a piece of wood, 'hardware'
> > was found in
> >
> > a hardware store, and 'software' wasn't even a
> > word.
> >
> > And we were the last generation to actually
> > believe that a
> >
> > woman needed a husband to have a baby.
> >
> > No wonder people call us "old and confused" and
> > say there is a
> >
> > generation gap.
> >
> > How old do you think I am?"
> >
> >
> >
> > ANSWER - This man would be only 59 years old
