The Good Ol' Days
I used to wonder what 'old people' meant when they shook their heads at the things we were doing and stated - with definitive authority - that things used to be so much better. I mean, HELLO. Churning your own butter? Not better. Horses instead of cars? Not better. Women not being allowed to vote, wear pants, cut their hair, or have a career? Really much not better.I'm beginning to understand now. Because this week, in a school just outside Boston, the game of tag has been banned. Apparently, it's violent and - worse - it causes emotional trauma because it creates an environment where kids pick on each other.
Can you imagine what kind of world this would be if we all grew up in an environment where we could never be wrong, all our ideas were brilliant, and no one ever hurt our feelings? Gaaah. Talk about unemployable.
Remember when we used to eat dirt and play with dangerous toys? We all turned out pretty okay.
And remember when people treated each other with respect? My doctor totally failed to show up for my appointment today, and I waited for almost an hour before I gave up and went back to work. I'm sure that didn't happen 50 years ago. (And not just because I wouldn't have had a career back then.)
And remember when we kept track of things with a paper and pen? Jason's been trying to get me to switch to his preferred contact management software program for almost a year. But I LIKE writing things on sticky notes and keeping notes in physical files. I especially like labels and Sharpies. I do respect his efforts - and I am more than a little amused that he hasn't given up on it yet. But I'm just not convinced that it's BETTER.
Maybe I'll give Jay my doctor's number, and he can move HIM to a fancy new electronic system :)
L
posted by Lindsay @ 3:16 PM
2 Comments:
One improvement is tv (though most of the programming available on it today is not nearly as good as it used to be). Anyhow, this has me smililng thinking of the episode I watched of Desperate Housewives the other day. They were putting on the school production of Little Red Riding Hood at the hoity toity private school, and one of the mothers wanted to change the ending to one where the Big Bad Wolf had a thorn in his paw, which was subsequently removed by the hunter, and he went on his merry way. Lynette (one of the main characters) protested, saying that they all had grown up with the real story as is, and they'd turned out okay, hadn't they?
It's so true.
As Paul Harvey said this morning - maybe kids shouldn't be allowed to walk, as you could get hurt just walking too. And definitely don't send them outdoors - it's very dangerous out there...
~sigh
I did a course on 'fairy tales, myths, and poetry for children' in university (yeah, shut up), and it was super-interesting to read all the original fairy tales. Not so much the ones we grew up with. These were cautionary tales in the most extreme form.
We've been whitewashing for the 'benefit' of children for generations. And clearly, society is doing SO WELL.
Though I do agree with Paul Harvey. It is dangerous outside. There are bears out there. Just ask Aaron :)
L
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