How old is Grandpa???

[devnull]

Stay with this -- the answer is at the end. It will blow you away.

One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events.

The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

The Grandfather replied, "Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:

 television
 penicillin
 polio shots
 frozen foods
 Xerox
 contact lenses
 Frisbees and
 the pill

There were no:

 credit cards
 laser beams or
 ball-point pens

Man had not invented:

 pantyhose
 air conditioners
 dishwashers
 clothes dryers
 and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and
 man hadn't yet walked on the moon

Your Grandmother and I got married first, . . . And then lived together.

Every family had a father and a mother.

Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, "Sir".

And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, "Sir."

We were before gay-rights, computer- dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy.

Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense.

We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.

Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege.

We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.

Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.

Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started.

Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends-not purchasing condominiums.

We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.

We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios.

And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.

If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan ' on it, it was junk

The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.

Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.

We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.

Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.

And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.

You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, . . . But who could afford one?
Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.

In my day:

 "grass" was mowed,
 "coke" was a cold drink,
 "pot" was something your mother cooked in and
 "rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby.
 "Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office,
 " chip" meant a piece of wood,
 "hardware" was found in a hardware store and
 "software" wasn't even a word.

And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap... And how old do you think I am?

I bet you have this old man in mind...you are in for a shock!

Read on to see -- pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.


Are you ready ?????


This man would be only 59 years old!

[janno]

I bet this is american. And americans are the BEST at ignoring the real facts of social history and donning their rose tinted glasses.

This "down homey" type stuff is such crap, it's not funny. It's convenient to rhapsodise about how good the good old days were, because you are safely here and now and have no risk of actually being back there.

Plenty of things were "better" then, and plenty of things were a bloody sight worse . . .

[devnull]

I bet this is american. And americans are the BEST at ignoring the real facts of social history and donning their rose tinted glasses.

This "down homey" type stuff is such crap, it's not funny. It's convenient to rhapsodise about how good the good old days were, because you are safely here and now and have no risk of actually being back there.

Plenty of things were "better" then, and plenty of things were a bloody sight worse . . .


Yes, it's American... and overall, I think that things WERE better then.
The points are certainly valid. Maybe because I was a kid in the 60's I'm biased... I remember being allowed to stay up and watch Neil Armstrong walk on the moon :bleh:

[janno]

I've often thought about the whole nostalgia thing, and I reckon it boils down to people wanting to get back to when they were a) a kid with whose only job was to have fun, or b) a young adult whose got their whole life in front of them, bugger all responsibilities and oodles of time to muck around and make mistakes.

Because each generation seems to have exactly the same complaint ie, that it was much better 20 - 40 years ago. Even a coupla hundred years ago they were complaining that it was better back in the day . . .

[Ixion]

I remember the good old days. They were shit.

[oldrider]

I bet this is american. And americans are the BEST at ignoring the real facts of social history and donning their rose tinted glasses.

This "down homey" type stuff is such crap, it's not funny. It's convenient to rhapsodise about how good the good old days were, because you are safely here and now and have no risk of actually being back there.

Plenty of things were "better" then, and plenty of things were a bloody sight worse . . .

Hey janno, I didn't read any reference to it being "the good old days"!

I was born another 10 yrs earlier than the subject and I can vouch for all that but I would not claim them as the good old days!

The good old days are here right now!

I take it that they were just showing how quickly things have advanced over the last 50/60 yrs.

The only real thing lost that I think has been sacrificed for all the other things is "personal freedom" etc.

It's like Confucius said, "open the windows and you will always let in a few flies"!

The only thing you get for nothing, is nothing, so every time time you advance you generally lose something.

The good old days are now, well that's what I believe anyway. :headbang:

I must admit, I do miss the freedoms we had back when I was a kid "but"!!!!???

I really like the comforts I have now, better!!! :ride: Cheers John.

[Mikkel]

Sounds about right. He's talking about a lot of stuff that he'd be remembering from his infancy though!

I think a lot of you guys were missing the point. It's not about the good old days but simply the astounding pace at which technology has developed the last 60 years.

And if that is astounding, sit down for a second and keep that development in mind and have a good look at what is happening right now. Trust me, it's fucking scary on so many levels. Don't worry about it though, just enjoy.

[devnull]

I can even remember using punch cards to do programming.... and paper tapes...

The old CT90's on the farm (worked great until we decided that nailing a painters plank to a fence post was better than opening the gate - in hindsight a bad idea)...

[Jantar]

As penicillan was invented in 1928, and television was commercially available in 1930, I would say that grandpa was at least 79 years old rather than only 59.

But don't let facts get in the way of an otherwise good yarn. :shutup:

[tri boy]

" Grandad got badlly burned the other day":weep:

" Oh shit, How Badly Burned?":(

"Well,...they don't fuck around at the crematorium":lol::spanking:

[tri boy]

Grandad was so poor, the only time he smelled hot food, was when a rich person farted.:lol:

Grandad is so old, he farts dust.:lol:
Ok, I'll stop now.......

[janno]

Every family had a father and a mother.




Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense.

Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege.



And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.





And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby.


It's the above which screams "rose tinted specs" to me! What a load of pie in the sky crap!! I've read a lot of first hand accounts of living in the times this homily is referring to, and there were still suicides, young girls who were raped were ostracised, incest "didn't happen" because it was ignored, many people didn't divorce but were utterly and totally miserable together or had affairs, and the mob mentality ruled supreme. IE if you were different, you were a threat, and wiley politicians used this well to their advantage. McArtheyism, anyone?

My point is, it's very easy to say some past era was better when you don't have to live in it.

However, if I could go back in time, I'd go back to the early eighties and buy up computer stock like there was no tomorrow . . .

And baches at Mokau. Have you seen the prices they go for now?

[Edbear]

The "good old days" used to be known as "These trying times!"

I remember using horse and sled and pitchforks on the farm when Dad milked the cows by hand and they all had names. Party-line hand generator phones and getting tired arms making butter in the churn.

When I had my tonsils out at age 6, it was done in the local Dr's surgery using the dreaded Ether mask for anaesthetic! The dental drill was electric, but slow and belt driven! No local anaesthetic for us either!

Yeah, much was better, much was worse! It was a more innocent time and there was a general respect for authority that is markedly lacking today.

I think the worst thing about the progress of time is this, the lack of respect - self-respect and respect for others. It makes for more violence and a less tolerant society. People are actually less educated today as well in the things that matter.

People are people and of any era the basic characteristics of human beings is the same.

[nadroj]

Didn't John Logie Baird invent television in 1954?

[Colapop]

So if I had a kid at 14 and he or she had a kid at 14 - I could be a Grandad before 30. By the time I was 35 the kid could ask me how old I am. And I could reply

"Not fucking old enough to be a grandfather!!"

[Bullitt]

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be!

[Jantar]

Didn't John Logie Baird invent television in 1954?

John Logie Baird demonstrated the world's first color transmission on July 3, 1928. (from Wikipedia)

[MarkDv]

" Grandad got badlly burned the other day":weep:

" Oh shit, How Badly Burned?":(

"Well,...they don't fuck around at the crematorium":lol::spanking:

Cheers Bro, best laugh i had today ............... lol

[Laava]

I remember the good old days. They were shit.
Bloody funny, may put in my sig!:lol:

[paturoa]

Grandpa is actually a great-grandpa now, cos some of those things were around about 80 years ago.

eidt - when that was written mankind had not invented the internet.

[JMemonic]

For those of you who want to take this as more than a nostelga trip and a dam good reference to the changes in the past 70-80 years

1936 - The BBC starts a regular high-definition (over 200 lines) television service in the UK, the first of its kind in the world. Ref wikipedia, also Hills antenna installation manual.

Thus if Grandpa was British he would be 71

National broadcasting in the US came in the 1940's from what I can see on wikipedia

Synthetic penicillin which is the one we must credit for much of the modern antibiotics was apparently in the 1950's but with limited success, even then natural penicillin was not in common use as a drug avaliable to the public until after 1945 and the first country to allow this was Australia, so if Grandpa was Australian he must have been born around that era and television did not take off there until 1956.

God if folks are going to use Wikipedi as a reference read the whole info first.

[deanohit]

Who's to say the joke isn't 10-15 years old and still doin the rounds without been altered. That would make Grandpa a more realistic 69 to 74 years old.

[eliot-ness]

Every generation will eventually have it's "good old days". Selective memory will ensure that. A little research will show that everything is far cheaper now relative to wages than it was 50 years ago and despite rules and regulations we have more freedom than we ever had. My good old days started in the 1950s when I got my first bike. They will end when I sell my last one, and I'll spend the remainder of my life annoying young bikers with tales of the golden years. How else will they learn how good life used to be?

[Nasty]

How old is Grandpa???

Stay with this -- the answer is at the end. It will blow you away.

One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events.
The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

The Grandfather replied, "Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:

' television

' penicillin

' polio shots

' frozen foods

' Xerox

' contact lenses

' Frisbees and

' the pill

There were no:

' credit cards

' laser beams or

' ball-point pens

Man had not invented:

' pantyhose

' air conditioners

' dishwashers

' clothes dryers

' and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and

' man hadn't yet walked on the moon


Your Grandmother and I got married first, . . . and then lived together.

Every family had a father and a mother.

Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, "Sir".
And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, "Sir."

We were before gay-rights, computer- dating, dual careers, daycare centres, and group therapy.

Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense.

We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.

Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege.

We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.

Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.

Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started.

Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends-not purchasing condominiums.

We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.

We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios.

And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.

If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan ' on it, it was junk

The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.

Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.

We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.

Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.

And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.

You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, . . . but who could afford one?
Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.

In my day:

' "grass" was mowed,

' "coke" was a cold drink,

' "pot" was something your mother cooked in and

' "rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby.

' "Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office,

' " chip" meant a piece of wood,

' "hardware" was found in a hardware store and

' "software" wasn't even a word.

And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap... and how old do you think I am?

I bet you have this old man in mind...you are in for a shock!

Read on to see -- pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.

Are you ready ?????





keep going down ....




This man would be only 59 years old

[slofox]

This man would be only 59 years old

He's just a young whippersnapper then huh?

[Nasty]

He's just a young whippersnapper then huh?

Totally!!!!!

[Blue Babe]

An awful lot happened in 15yrs then :doh:I was born 15yrs earlier than the 59yr old. I remember the 1st black & white tv we got when we lived in Africa, Programs started at 5pm with the kids stuff, then the news at 6pm where all the kids had to sit quiet, or go to bed. The programs finished at 10pm.
I also remember our first telephone, big old cumbersome thing that sat on a round table by the door. You had to dial the numbers.

[mdnzz]

but grandpa would have to be somewhat older than 59 now.
The first ball point pen was patented 30/10/1888 and the common biro patented 15/06/1938.
Also penicillin was found in 1928 with the first instances of cures around the start of the 30's

[Bonez]

but grandpa would have to be somewhat older than 59 now.
The first ball point pen was patented 30/10/1888 and the common biro patented 15/06/1938.
Also penicillin was found in 1928 with the first instances of cures around the start of the 30'sYeah and there's always been dishashers-kids and clothes are still hung out on the line. Just gotta keep an eye on it though to make sure no one steals grannys bras n knickers.

[Hitcher]

This man would be only 59 years old

Not true. The first working "television" was built in 1929. Television commercials were introduced in the USA in 1940.

The first ball-point pen was patented in 1888. Laslo Biro, the Hungarian whose name has been largely associated with these devices, took out his UK patent in 1938.

Taking a bit of poetic license for market penetration, "Grandpa" would be at least 75 years old.

[Nasty]

Not true. The first working "television" was built in 1929. Television commercials were introduced in the USA in 1940.

The first ball-point pen was patented in 1888. Laslo Biro, the Hungarian whose name has been largely associated with these devices, took out his UK patent in 1938.

Taking a bit of poetic license for market penetration, "Grandpa" would be at least 75 years old.

Damn ... You take all that fun .. hehehe

[Daffyd]

An awful lot happened in 15yrs then :doh:I was born 15yrs earlier than the 59yr old. I remember the 1st black & white tv we got when we lived in Africa, Programs started at 5pm with the kids stuff, then the news at 6pm where all the kids had to sit quiet, or go to bed. The programs finished at 10pm.
I also remember our first telephone, big old cumbersome thing that sat on a round table by the door. You had to dial the numbers.

Young whippersnapper! We had to ask the silly bint in the telephone exchange to connect us with the other numbers. I was well on with my apprenticeship when our local automatic telephone exchange was installed.

Actually we must be about the same age.

[Blue Babe]

Actually we must be about the same age.
That depends on How old You are :shifty: