We were born before television, before penicillin, before polio shots, frozen foods, contact lens, Frisbees, dishwashers, computers, and the PILL. We were before credit cards, split atoms, laser beams, and ball point pens, before pantyhose, microwaves, electric blankets, drip-dry clothes, and before Man walked on the MOON’.
We got married first, and then lived together. How QUAINT can we be? In our times, closets were for clothes – not for “coming out of”. Bunnies were small rabbits, and rabbits were not Volkswagens.
Designer’s Jeans were scheming girl’s names; Jean or Jeannes and having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins. We thought fast food was what you ate during Lent, and Outer Space was the back of the Leonard Theater.
We were before house-husbands, gay rights, computer dating, dual careers and commuter marriages. We were before day-care 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, videos or condominiums. A “CHIP” was 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 exams. Pizzas, McDonalds and instant coffee were unheard of. We hit the scene when there were 5 and 10-cent stores, where you bought things for five and ten cents. For one nickel, you could ride a streetcar; make a phone call, buy a Pepsi or enough stamps to mail one letter and two postcards. You could buy a Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one? A pity, too, because gas was only 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 before the difference between sexes was discovered, but we were surely before the sex change, we made do with what we had and 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.
2 comments:
Gary, I am glad someone else can remember gasoline at eleven cents a gallon. Whenever I mentioned that, someone would say, no it was never that low. Thanks.
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