..... or is the world a much more difficult place to live in, are we making any progress whatsoever? I remember growing up when my 3 major concerns were as follows, 1) Will it rain during the annual Allendale Cottages village fete. 2) Will my pet Jackdaw, cleverly named Jackie, fly up to meet me off the school bus from Medomsley. 3) How much will I get from the local chemist for every pound of rose-hips I'd gather. I was talking to a mate today and he was saying his kids are 'aware' of the beheadings, the Rotherham child abuse scandal and the rest. FFS, my childhood was so naive and carefree, what the hell are we doing to our kids
I think that's the problem mate. I remember when the first TV arrived in our village at the home of Mr & Mrs Lyons. We all went down to watch and saw kids with highly polished shoes and nice clothes sitting down to 'dinner' in the evening! That's the first time I actually realised we were poor
We think we had a hard time growing up Smug. I remember selling things I had so that I had something to unwrap on Christmas Day. My kids are tired of that old story. I'd hate to be a young'un today. For the most part, they have no concept of real poverty. They live in centrally heated houses, constant hot water in the pipes, etc, etc, and surrounded by electronic gadgets, smart phones, etc. They're in immediate contact with anybody they want to be at any time of the day. But this constant real-time news feed, generously provided by the internet, shows them a real-time harsh reality of life across the world, that was probably happening during our childhood, but which we were oblivious of. After the wall came down I thought my kids would grow up in a relatively "safe" world. That's been blown away. Now, I worry about my kids future. I don't want them conscripted, but over the next few years, I genuinely worry that may happen.
Me too mate. My childhood was gathering hazel nuts, making dens & making bogeys out of bits of wood and old prams. I'd hate to be one of these pale faced technology drones with bug eyes and twitching thumbs that kids seem to be these days.
My worry is they get immune to what still shocks us. I can watch some rubbish scary accidents and people falling over and breaking bits of their bodies no problem. Those beheading videos are a different matter, my guts are in turmoil for hours afterwards, whilst I imagine what the poor victim must have went through. And it still amazes me how calm they are when it's about to happen. A "mate" sent me a link the other day, it was to a beheading done with a ****ing chainsaw ffs! I will never watch another one by choice.
I'm ashamed to say I recently stopped watching the news ...... I just can't bear it any more. My last 20 years or so will be spent exploring this beautiful island and walking as much as possible with our lass. I'm so pleased I won't be around in the next century but I fear for my grandkids.
Used to love making bogeys. My old man was a mechanic, me my older brother and a few mates were making bogeys and he turned up with an old fashioned steering wheel complete on the long rod that went to the steering rack on old motors. Could we hell work out how to attach it though, three days later and we begged him to help. He wouldn't though, but made a quick sketch to point us in the right direction. We ended up with a brilliant bogey, huge pram wheels at the back little pram wheels at the front and a bloody big steering wheel that ended up working a treat.
The internet brings us the best and worst of reality at the press of a button. It never occurred to the inventors that future generations would have un-regulated access to medieval horrors, in real time. It was a utopian ideal, warped by dystopian fact. How are we supposed to protect our children from casual shared, beheadings, executions, murders, rapes? How do we explain to them that for 99.999999% of the population that isn't normal life bad beverage will be? They see it and it's real.
I think it's just the same, mate. When I was a kid we had the cold war with the commies and mutually assured destruction. We had the IRA in the UK and the Baader-meinhof/Munich Olympic/PLO terrorists outside. There was the same murders going on and we now know what Savile and his ilk were up to in the 60s & 70s. Kids today have different problems, but the world turns and nothing really changes. IMO the biggest issue our kids will face is the constant ****ing up of the planet that has gone on unabated for too long now.
It's similar Sid but not the same. I remember the terrorism in the 70's, but it wasn't available on every screen in those days as it is now whether it's out tv's or a smart phone. It's the immediacy and availability to access it wherever you've got a signal nowadays that wasn't the case in the 70s and 80s. I remember watching those 2 young soldiers in a Northern Ireland being dragged out of a taxi live on TV and being murdered shortly after. We were spared those final moments of those 2 brave lads, who could have fired their weapons but chose not to. These days we are spared nothing. Our kids these days see things we'd have thought unimaginable just a few years ago.
Agree with all the above. Kids not being allowed to enjoy their care free years anymore, the few years of true innocence before the truth of harsh reality sets in is being introduced at younger & younger years. Government talks of teaching kids as young as 7 about sex, a kid of that age shouldn't even ****ing know what sex is never mind be taught about it. Television constantly battering the mind with but this, buy that, got to look like this, got to behave like that, and that's the effect for all ages. If they get away with increasing the hours kids spend at school then we may as well skip the parenting & just let the state bring them up, nice little bunch of socially engineered androids all cast in the same mould to consume, work & war at the click of a finger.
When I was young we were so poor We couldn't afford shoes. I had to paint my feet black and tie my toes together.
That appears to be the case. We lived in a mining community where you were all in the same boat so there was no pressure. Looking back we were poor but we didn't realise at the time.
strikes my Smug, is the innocence has been ripped out of childhood now. Its a shame but the advances of social media and the instant nature of the news means we get graphic pictures on the TV screens at all hours of the day...its become the norm.
I agree with this. No news for me, lots of walking, sightseeing etc. I am 56 and god only knows how many years left (might be 10,20,30,40) but I will certainly enjoy them. I try not to watch stuff that depresses me or p****s me off, therefore I didn't watch the Norway match last night
We came back from France partly because we'd been all over the country, as well as Italy, Sicily, Sardinia & Corsica, but realised we hadn't seen much of the UK except driving to one football ground or another. Since we've been back we've been to NW Scotland, the Brecon Beacons, the Cheviots, Devon & Cornwall, the Lakes etc etc. What a beautiful country! We do a walk every week and even in our immediate area have found some incredible things, simplicity is the way forward
Smug- yes you're an awld duffer - ut you're also right - although, from your 3 main concerns, I reckon you're a little older then my 39 years!! What could we do when we were kids? None of this washing hands before eating a bag of crisps on the street - hands covered in dirt - wipe them on your trousers and eat what you want. A few little germs never hurt anyone. I don't know a single kid who died or suffered major head injuries from falling off a bike on the concrete - Loads of stitches in cuts to the legs and arms and bruises all over but never head injuries - kids these days obviously don't know how to fall off a bike properly!! Main thing I was worried about was getting my pocket money from my Granda and Grandma so I could go to the match at the weekend or midweek! Meant I was always very well behaved when I was a kid! Used to get £3 a week in the mid to late 80's - my Mam and Dad would pay the rest and get me a bottle of diet pop (had to be diet as I am diabetic!!)
We could also go out and play for the whole day, down the woods, without fear of strangers. I can't remember one instance of gangs of Pakistanis trafficking pre-teen girls around to be sold for under age sex either. The only instance of anything 'untoward' happening was when a bloke, who lived on his own, was chased out of the village! I didn't realise at the time but looking back it must have been for summat a bit weird. I remember the women on the street gathering outside of his house, shouting & banging pans together, until he came out with 2 bags and scarpered ......... never saw him again and after a week his few bits of furniture and coal were divied up!
