I was not born in the 50s or 60s and am definately a Gen-Xer if you must label me, but growing up I had much of the experiences described below and had parents who held me accountable for my actions....don't count us out yet! There are plenty of risk takers, innovators, and problem solvers out there but you no longer hear about them because news is about what is wrong with this society we live in, not what is right, and and don't pretend that the government and lawyers didn't regulate your life back then, maybe now you are just more aware of it.....
>From: "William" >Reply-To: "William" >To: "JMDL" >Subject: Tire Skids and Teeth Marks >Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2002 15:37:17 -0000 > >I'm not sure if this should have a no Joni tag or not - I've >never had reason to post a NoJoCo one before so forgive me if I >should have tagged it. Just in case, this email I received from >a friend reminded me of Chinese Cafe, bits of No Apologies and >who knows what else. > ><<> >You lived as a child in the 50s or the 60s or earlier. >Looking back, it's hard to believe that we have lived as long as >we have... >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. >Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint. >We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or >cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. (Not to >mention hitchhiking to town as a young kid!) >We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. >Horrors. >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 streetlights came on. No one was able to >reach us all day. >No cell phones. Unthinkable. We played dodgeball and sometimes >the ball would really hurt. We got cut and broke bones and broke >teeth and there were no law suits 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 ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and >drank sugar soda but we were never overweight.....we were always >outside playing. We shared one grape soda with four friends, >from one bottle and no one died from this? >We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X Boxes, video games >at all,99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, >personal cellular phones, Personal Computers, internet chat rooms >... we had friends. We went outside and found them. We rode >bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or >rung the bell or just walked in and talked to them. >Imagine such a thing. Without asking a parent! By ourselves! Out >there in the cold cruel world! Without a guardian. How did we do >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. >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. No one to >hide behind. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a >law was unheard of. They actually 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 has been >an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, >failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal >with it all. > >Before lawyers and government began to regulate our lives, >for our own good.(?)>>> > >Forgive me if it's outta place here. >WtS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Protect your PC - Click here for McAfee.com VirusScan Online
