A lot has happened since I first became a teenager fifty years ago. I guess change is inevitable but it literally has caught me by surprise. As I reflect back when I was first a teenage in 1963 … the terminology has changed drastically. Grass was something you mowed, coke was a drink and pot was something you cooked in. Aids were what we called helpers in school. I grew up in a hardware store but it wasnt the same kind of hardware we refer to now. Im not sure software was even a word. I got to see the transition of music and how it was played … from phonographs to cassettes to CDs to ipods and now iphones. I remember having an FM radio … typing on a typewriter and earrings were only worn by girls. If it said Made in Japan … it was considered cheap and nothing short of junk. Radios were popular but you had to stand in front of them and listen in between the static. Television was in black and white (if you could afford one) and someone had to stand nearby to hit it to keep it from rolling. After 12:00 … you went to bed … nothing was on and the air waves were quiet. I remember when penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, frisbees, hula-hoop and the pill were new innovations. Most people carried cash … very few credit cards if any … a handshake would seal the deal on making payments for a car. Laser beams were considered futuristic and ball point pens and calculators were expensive. Clothes were often hung out to dry on a clothes line and very few trips into outer space had been made. People were married first before living together. For the most part, there was a mom and dad in every family. Gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers, day-care centers and group therapy were not yet introduced to our world. Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with family members … especially cousins. Ten Commandments were a guideline and standard that much of America adhered to. Good judgment and common sense were the keys to a persons success in life. There was a right and there was a wrong. If you were wrong … there was a punishment that was given to keep you from doing it again. Everyone was held responsible for their actions. If you made a mistake .. you owned up to it and took your punishment. Serving America was considered a privilege and many volunteered for service. There was no need for a draft. 5 and 10 cent stores sold items that cost five and ten cents. You could go to the movie for a quarter and buy five big hamburgers with all the trimmings for a dollar. If you had an extra nickle, you could buy a big box of pop corn or a dime would get you a cola. If you made big money … you could buy a banana split for 50 cents. Pizza, fast food and subway sandwiches had not been introduced. Phone calls were only made if you could find a phone and had a nickel. Two cents would pay the postage for a letter and I bought my first new car a little over 40 years ago for $2200. I once paid 11 cents for a gallon of gas during a gas war. Going to church and visiting friends, neighbors and church members for fellowships were our form of entertainment. Oh … I forgot … if a woman wanted a baby, she needed a husband first. A few more terminology changes … a fag was a cigarette, a hoe was a garden tool and gay meant happy or merry. As far as toys … most would be considered dangerous today but I dont remember hurting myself on any of them. More recollections .. a mouse was a rodent, a web was something a spider made, a bug was an insect, net was used to capture something. I guess back then Yahoo was considered a country hick and a monitor was one who asked for your pass if caught in the hallway of a school. Yeah … things were different then … just imagine what its going to be like 50 years from now! SIAA!!
Posted on: Thu, 29 May 2014 03:12:27 +0000
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