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Wednesday 25 April 2012

Don't make old people mad......

Checking  out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that  she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't  good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained,  "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."

The  clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not  care enough to save our environment for future  generations."

She was right -- our generation didn't have the  green thing in its day or didn't call it "green."

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.

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 blades in a razor 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. 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 2,000 miles out in space in order to  find the nearest pizza joint.

But the current generation  laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the  green thing back then?



Remember:  Don't make old people mad!
We  don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to  tick us off.

23 comments:

de engineur said...

I can see the cashier do not have the necessary quality (or at least an awareness) to treat customers appropriately.

We have such drive (No plastic day) in our city twice a week and they normally give options: To use own bag or use their plastic bags for 20 cents contribution towards 'green' maintenance.

Valerie said...

I've got this on the PC somewhere, it's so damned good. The WI played a big part in getting stores to rethink plastic bags; it worked too. At least nearly all that are issued now are biodegradable.

Shrinky said...

Oh boy, that is so true - and dear God, am I glad things have moved on! (Sorry environment, but I love my tumble drier, vacuum, etc., without them I'd never have the leisure to blog..) Food for thought.

Jenny Woolf said...

Think you are totally right that we were eco friendly in those ways, but in other ways I think we were very destructive, with gas guzzling cars, cigarettes promoted as health giving and unbelievable air pollution (at least in London). Each generation has its own ways of going to h*** but one thing that stays constant is that big business will wreck the environment unless we are vigilant in stopping it.

katie eggeman said...

Jenny is correct about big business. I do most of the right things about the environment and I think there is a long way to go. This post makes a good point about whether our generation was 'green' enough. but industry has a great deal to do with pollution.

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

oh how true!

smiles, bee
xoxoxoxooxox

Ron said...

Brava!

Brilliant post!

And so SPOT ON!!!

Back then they didn't need the 'green thing' because they were much more conservative and naturally conscious.

Have a great day, m'dear!

X

Linda said...

This post definitely has some valid points and yet so do some of the comments about it. Sadly, the ball was dropped somewhere along the lines and the environment got the worst of it.

Definitely food for thought!

CrystalChick said...

GREAT post!

And so true.

Daryl said...

So very well said ..

cheshire wife said...

Are the young of today prepared to give up all their conveniences and gadgets, including mobile phones, to live the way we used to when life was not so green? - No!

Adam said...

I cant remeber to bring back my green bags lol

Cloudia said...

pity that the youngster
was both uninformed
and rude as a matter of course...



Warm Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral

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Cloudia said...

you- OLD?!

OK, we are a bit mature- let's own it and live it richly.

You are a wonderful role model, Sis

A Lady's Life said...

Ya! Let's give it to them, the young whipper snappers !! lol

Dianne said...

I love you!

every single example is perfect
and true

I'm going to smack a young person today ;)

Shrinky said...

ps. Thanks for that link! x

Maggie May said...

What an excellent post. You are right, we didn't have the green thing back then but we saved and didn't throw anything away that could be remotely useful at a later date.
I'm glad I was born when I was and think it was a very good way of learning how to be green!
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Elaine said...

What a great post! So true. I remember those good old days when we didn't have the green thing. :)

tony said...

Grey-Power!!!!

Akelamalu said...

Glad you all enjoyed it. :)

MorningAJ said...

I love it!

Lorraine said...

I absolutely love this. I have seen it elsewhere and use it now myself (the bits I remember) when cocky youngsters moan about old people and how they don't care about the environment!