This is so true!
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luluinca
Posts: 2,899 Member
I read this on Facebook (my bad) this morning and had to take the trip down memory lane and share it with this crowd! Of course as one of the older ones here, some of you may not remember all of these, but I do!
Not sure who wrote it........sorry about that.
Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older lady that she should bring her own grocery bags, because plastic bags are not good for the environment.
The woman apologized to the young girl and explained, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days."
The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."
The older lady said that she was right -- our generation didn't have the "green thing" in its day. The older lady went on to explain:
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day.
Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things. Most memorable besides household garbage bags was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our school books. This was to ensure that public property (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags. But, too bad we didn't do the "green thing" back then.
We walked up stairs because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.
But she was right. We didn't have the "green thing" in our day.
Back then we washed the baby's diapers 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 the state of Montana. 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 wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline 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 blade in a r azor 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 streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service in the family's $45,000 SUV or van, which cost what a whole house did before the"green thing." 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 computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger 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 forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart *kitten* young person.
We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off... Especially from a tattooed, multiple pierced smartass who can't make change without the cash register telling them how much.
Not sure who wrote it........sorry about that.
Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older lady that she should bring her own grocery bags, because plastic bags are not good for the environment.
The woman apologized to the young girl and explained, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days."
The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."
The older lady said that she was right -- our generation didn't have the "green thing" in its day. The older lady went on to explain:
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day.
Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things. Most memorable besides household garbage bags was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our school books. This was to ensure that public property (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags. But, too bad we didn't do the "green thing" back then.
We walked up stairs because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.
But she was right. We didn't have the "green thing" in our day.
Back then we washed the baby's diapers 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 the state of Montana. 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 wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline 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 blade in a r azor 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 streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service in the family's $45,000 SUV or van, which cost what a whole house did before the"green thing." 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 computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger 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 forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart *kitten* young person.
We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off... Especially from a tattooed, multiple pierced smartass who can't make change without the cash register telling them how much.
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I've seen this floating around on FB too. Now if it really happened . . . Well. It doesn't matter because we didn't "consume" a lot of resources, as illustrated in this story. I think most of us were pretty happy with what we had without feeling as though we were short changed or "making do" with less. Every time I see a plastic water bottle (usually on the ground)I think of a fountain and wonder how did I make it through the day without sucking on a plastic tit. You got detention if your (the school's) books weren't covered.2
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To make matters even more annoying, most of the "green thing" involves raising taxes and costs on essential goods and services as a mechanism to force us into a lower consumption lifestyle on non-essential goods and services. So... why not target the taxes directly to the non-essential goods and services? Well, that wouldn't raise enough loot to pay for all of the boondoggles and stupidity associated with "green" initiatives.1
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I remember when the television stations went dark at the end of the day.....LOL, no "Law and Order" watching at 2 in the morning when I couldn't sleep. I had to read a book, a real one!
I can sort of understand why there are people who want to go off the grid, it's so much simpler that way. I'm too spoiled to do it though.
We have 4 different trash cans here........LOL, one big one for paper, plastic and glass, big because of the warehouse, 2 green ones because we have a half acre and lots of green stuff every week, and one just for normal trash.............uggghhhh.
I take my cloth bags when I go grocery shopping and we grow a lot of our own veggies but that's the best I can do. We also have solar and energy efficient everything, mostly to save money though, not because I really think it helps the environment that much.1 -
It's funny... I've had cloth grocery bags since I first saw them for sale back in the 1990s. My originals are pretty tattered and worn but they still work. I didn't buy them because they were "green" rather because I dislike plastic bags (so flimsy) and many grocery stores don't have paper anymore.3
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Yup, our tribe is better than their tribe . . . no matter which reference tribes we're talking about.
But I will never better my childhood-in-subsistence-farming, depression-era, lived-through-WW2-rationing parents, in terms of "green". And they kept it up the rest of their lives, into their 80s.2 -
Agreed, @AnnPT77... "green" is about virtue signalling rather than doing the right thing for the right reasons.
My father puts in a garden and maintains it faithfully. When the produce is ready, he harvests. My mother helps with the preparation, canning, jams, juicing, whatever. They put up enough to get them through the winter plus... I go to the supermarket. Where did my parents go wrong? LOL2 -
Yep... our grandparents/parents did not throw anything away!. If it was broke, they found a way (albeit dangerous!) to fix it. I dread the day we have to clear out my Mom's house! She has all her stuff PLUS my grandparents' stuff! Her house is busting at the seams!
UncleMac... like you, I go to the supermarket or when I want to feel fancy - I go to the farmer's market (and use my cloth bags!) It's just so much easier.
I have several friends who have huge summer and winter gardens and can/preserve everything. One friend commented that I will never survive if there were a major catastrophe. Probably true - but Spam lasts forever, right?
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My goodness we are touchy old people. I do the best I can with cloth bags and recycling, etc, but we needn't sell the young people short. Some are *kitten* just like there were in our generation and the one before. Are we supposed to stop using the Internet? My children are very conscientious about using sustainable assets and recycling everything possible, (better than I am). While I appreciate the post and find it funny, poignant and true on many levels, It reminds me of Greek and Roman philosophers lamenting about the younger generation causing the world to go to hell.3
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I was thinking something to that effect today when an older buddy of mine was complaining about how our society is going to hell in a handbasket... social justice whiners etc... As each generation ages, they judge the upcoming one... at the same time as the upcoming generation blames everything on the previous one...1
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If I judge the newer generations based on my children and grandchildren (tech savvy all of them) I really can't complain. They're all wonderful human beings. Smart, accomplished, conscientious and hard working!
I always think there's more good in the world than bad!5 -
that's a nice outlook!1
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I agree. My kids and grandkids are hard working, well rounded people. I see some of the attitude people talk about at work with some of the young-uns, but certainly not all of them.1
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I seem to remember people though my generation was going to ruin the world and we turned out okay! Bunch of hippie freaks didn't do too bad I don't think.3
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Speaking of hippie freaks, if you guys elect Hillary, does that mean Bill will be on the prowl again?
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A tiger does not change his stripes. Will we call him First Gentleman? He will be a ground breaker being been both President and First Spouse if it happens.0
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Montepulciano wrote: »A tiger does not change his stripes. Will we call him First Gentleman? He will be a ground breaker being been both President and First Spouse if it happens.
One thing about it... politics in the US are pretty exciting compared to Canada...
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I might vote for the pistachio!
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I like Hilary Clinton. Trump reminds me of Hitler. It disturbs me that the future of our country is the butt of jokes. I don't care what Bill Clinton did, doesn't affect anything right now.1
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I'm more liberal than conservative but I'm not a Hilary fan. I'll vote for her over Trump though. He's downright frightening. I still can't believe he's going to be the candidate. How did we get here?1
