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To the Good Old Days!

September 11, 2008 By Jeff 110 Comments

When were the good old days?  I always hear them talked about, but don’t know when they actually happened.  Did they ever really exist?

I suspect people have a tendency to romanticize the era in which they grew-up, believing it was a better time.  For me, that would be the 1970s and, as far as I can tell, there wasn’t much to romanticize about it.

Sure, we ran free through the streets then, and parents weren’t quite so puckered about the safety of their kids.  And that was good. 

But I don’t think it had much to do with it being a safer time, or a fundamental difference in people.  I believe it had more to do with there only being four TV channels (which showed Lost in Space, not reenactments of children being lured from their homes by twitching wart-spangled perverts), no internet, and a lot less paranoia-fueling influences.   

I don’t know if it’s true, but I read somewhere that crimes against children were just as common in the ’70s, as they are now.  And, as then, random acts against kids by strangers are EXTREMELY rare.

Yet TV news programs lead us to believe children are being snatched-up all willy-nilly, in ever-increasing numbers, and parents today (including myself) keep a much closer watch on their younglings. 

But beyond the running rampant through the streets factor, I certainly don’t think of the ’70s as “the good old days.”  I think instead of hideous hair, ludicrous fashions, a terrible economy, diarrhea-colored Chevettes, Brut, and the “misery index.” 

Sure, punk rock came out of the ’70s, as did the National Lampoon and Saturday Night Live.  But those were rebellions, not celebrations.  Right?

Whenever I’m confronted with the idea of time-travel (usually while listening to George Noory), I always daydream about going back to the 1940s, for some reason.

The 1940s, post-WWII only…  I have little interest in trying to be Sgt. Rock.  Shooting two machine guns at the same time is not a good look for a man of size; high-speed love handle/mannary gland vibration is to be avoided, when possible.

No, I think about taking in a Dodgers game at Ebbets Field, having a few beers at a “beer joint” and striking up conversations with the locals of the era, just walking around grocery stores, and spending an afternoon exploring my hometown of Dunbar.  Nothing too ambitious, except for the NON-NEGOTIABLE baseball trip to Brooklyn. 

It’s always the ’40s for me.  Go back further, and I have a feeling it would become increasingly unrecognizable.  The post-war years, I think, would be relatable to what I know, but exotic enough to be fascinating.

So, are the 1940s the good old days?  Somehow I doubt it.  It would probably be a blast for a week or so, then the boredom would start to kick-in.  And the lack of conveniences would begin to irritate.  Plus, I know for a fact I’d get tired of wearing suits and hats all the time.  It seems cool on TV, but that shit would quickly commence to suckin’.

And what about laughter?  Would there be any?  If one of us went hurtling back in time to, say, 1946, would anyone understand our 2008 sense of humor?  I bet not; they’d likely brand us cruel-ass weirdos. 

And their idea of gut-busting funny would probably leave us looking like Andrew.  Don’t believe me?  Just try to listen to an episode of Fibber McGee & Molly sometime.  Sweet sainted mother of Walter Bellhaven!

Folks often say they’d like to visit Victorian times, but I can only think of one thing when I see movies set in that era:  I bet those people smelled like an open grave.

Yeah, I know it’s not really fair to judge other eras through a modern prism.  After all, if I smelled bad too, and lived in a world of enormous pit-funk, it might not be so noticeable.  Ya know? 

But I’m going to take a controversial stand and declare Right Now as the good old days.  We’ve got the best electronics, most people bathe on a regular basis, and our standard of living is so high we practically have to submit to a series of intense therapy sessions if gmail goes down.

So I hoist a chalice of the golden elixir to the good old days!

What’s your favorite fantasy time-travel destination?  And what do you think would start getting on your nerves, once the novelty wore off?  You know, realistically speaking.

I’ll be back on Monday, if not sooner.  My job is burning me all the way down, and this update was like passing a stone.  I need to log some Netflix time, my friends.

But I’ll see ya soon.

Now playing in the bunker.

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Comments

  1. diane says

    September 14, 2008 at 7:05 pm

    Oh, I’ve been meaning to add this for two days now… Jason and Gretchen- if you haven’t read The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson, give it a look. I think it’s fascinating. (The creation of the 1893 Chicago World’s fair AND the nations first serial killer all in one book.)

    Reply
  2. Gretchen says

    September 14, 2008 at 7:44 pm

    Totally read that Diane! :o) And his other book, about the Marconi wireless system being used in apprehending another vicious murderer. Both excellent books.

    Reply
  3. Jason says

    September 14, 2008 at 10:23 pm

    Diane-I’ll check that out.

    We just got back from a themed wedding. Everyone dressed in 1930s garb. Lots of fun.

    Reply
  4. Shiny Rod says

    September 15, 2008 at 12:21 am

    Jason, you are a buzz kill dude, enough with the negative vibes man. Personally, I never smoked clove cigarettes, a little pot yes. Cloves belong on long fat shanks of ham. You should try that ballon trick with some weed man. But instead of letting it go, just suck it all back in. Never had an angry day in my life. Must be that Jerry Garcia philosophy.

    Reply
  5. TxTy says

    September 15, 2008 at 2:02 am

    Thanks to all for the support. It’s been rather stressful the last few days (gee, I can’t understand why…).

    Power’s still out in parts of our burgh and like I said, we were on the ‘clean’ side of the storm. Houston proper and the coast are a f*@kin’ mess!

    Had to go to work today (I manage a pizza shop; the red, white and blue guys). The phones were out and we were open for carry out only. I think it’s the most sales we’ve done in a day since I’ve been there. Not one call and we did triple a normal Sunday. And I’m an asshole…when I’m closed, I’M CLOSED! I don’t give a f*@k if you’re 8 months pregnant or not. By telling me that, you’re saying that welfare drain in your gut means more than what I’ve got at home. KISS MY ASS!

    But I digress into the negative. It’s gonna’ take time for this part of the country to get back to normal but I think we could be a lot worse for the wear. I just can’t believe those dumb f*@ks in Galveston. Staying on an island during a ‘cane that’s 1 mph from a cat 3. It takes all kinds.

    Again, thanks for the support and we’ll chat with you folks…

    late, y’all

    Reply
  6. TxTy says

    September 15, 2008 at 3:14 am

    And just so you don’t think I’m a complete bastard or unsympathetic (just pathetic), there’s a corner store not 50 feet from my shop, exactly 3 doors down the strip center, that was open 2 hours later than we were. ‘8 months pregnant’ chick wasn’t going to have to do without food. She was just using her pregnancy as a tool to get me to do her bidding.

    Homie don’t play that!

    later…

    Reply
  7. other kristin says

    September 15, 2008 at 8:23 am

    Jeff – hope your Sunday night outing was fun. Looking forward to hearing about Eninen from last week.

    Reply
  8. Brandy says

    September 15, 2008 at 11:04 am

    Top 10!! WOO-HOO!!! Yes!

    oh. oops.

    Reply
  9. Son of Sam says

    September 15, 2008 at 11:25 am

    The good ole days?? When we got updates and secret e-mails.

    Reply
  10. Rusty says

    September 15, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    Larkfool just needs a hug.

    Reply
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