Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: DickyD on January 06, 2012, 11:58:20 am
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Does anyone else worry about the youth of todays general knowledge.
I watch quite a lot of quiz programs "The Chase" is my favourite at the moment.
I am noticing that nine times out of ten you can tell who will do the best by their age.
Watching these quizzes makes me wonder why the younger generation bother to enter.
Examples of recent answers.
Didnt know that Normandy was in France.
Thought the Cairngorms were in Wales.
University student from the Isle of White who thought the TT races were held on the I of W.
I could go on but just have a look at the young fella on last nights The Chase on ITV Player and see what I mean. He comes on after the middle set of adverts.
http://www.itv.com/itvplayer/video/?Filter=298966
A few more years and quizzes will be no more as no one will have any general knowledge.
I think this is dangerous because you learn by your mistakes, cant do that if you dont know what they are.
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I don't worry about the kids general knowledge as much as I worry about the general knowledge and I Q of the celebs that they try to live up to..........you only have to look at the ape man, wayne rooney for one.........seen more brains on a microscope slide, {-) {-) {-) {-) {-)
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Very easy to tar everyone with the same brush isn't it.
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University student from the Isle of White who thought the TT races were held on the I of W.
Where's that Richard.....?
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that's the place we call the Isel of Widget...
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The bit of Hampshire that had to be moved to let ships in and out of Soton
and leave room for Fort building %% %%
Ned
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Very easy to tar everyone with the same brush isn't it.
You sum it up Andy, since when has nine out ten been everyone.
Colin thinks kids education is something to joke about.
I apologise now for worrying about kids education but I have 3 kids and 5 grandkids and I dont want them making the same mistakes as previous generations because their education is c***. >>:-(
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i employed a chap in november ( he's 26 ) - when he got his first payslip he asked what P.A.Y.E meant on his payslip !
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You sum it up Andy, since when has nine out ten been everyone.
Colin thinks kids education is something to joke about.
I apologise now for worrying about kids education but I have 3 kids and 5 grandkids and I dont want them making the same mistakes as previous generations because their education is c***. >>:-(
Education Begins at Home..
We make sure that my son also watches programmes he would probably not want to watch which is where in my opinion I think a lot of general knowledge is picked up from.
As regards the chase, the nasty Lady and the big guy would scare me and there is a lot of pressure in those game shows which could fluster some people.
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i employed a chap in november ( he's 26 ) - when he got his first payslip he asked what P.A.Y.E meant on his payslip !
We once had a Older Lady who on the phone asked if she could speak to someone about a Pay as you earn Phone !!, we could not stop laughing for days, and we still bring it up with her now and again..
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Education Begins at Home..
We make sure that my son also watches programmes he would probably not want to watch which is where in my opinion I think a lot of general knowledge is picked up from.
As regards the chase, the nasty Lady and the big guy would scare me and there is a lot of pressure in those game shows which could fluster some people.
My sons general knowledge is fairly good as we got him into the habit of watching the news and reading news papers he also was in the scouts and did a fair bit of travelling with them. He drives for a living, sees lots of different places and he has always been interested in history as my family were in the army, my wife is a royalty freak and can trace her naval family back beyond Nelson. One of her ancestors was Admiral Hood.
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i employed a chap in november ( he's 26 ) - when he got his first payslip he asked what P.A.Y.E meant on his payslip !
Yes, but I had a 55 year old ask me what F.O.C. meant when he'd taken his car in for warranty repair!
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I have to confess that I have learned more from TV than I ever did in school. I loved quiz shows and documentaries, especially documentaries about the natural world. And they say TV rots your brains.
However, there is a flip side. What some of us olds might consider to be irrelevant information about the internet, or online communities or things techie will be considered general knowledge by most young people.
Younger people are generally much more tech savy. They cannot understand why we can't do most of what we olds can't do with a computer.
I know how to wire a plug. But to be honest, I have only done one in the last 15 years. It is perhaps obsolescent knowledge. Same for doing the timing on a car. Setting a rabbit snare (now illegal I think). Tickling trout. Milking a cow by hand. Changing a tyre (not wheel, just tyre). Lighting a coal fire. Growing your own potatoes in the garden. Baking bread (in the oven) and cakes. All useful skills and all becoming less relevant to everyday life for most people.
I am sure there are many instances where I would NEED to turn to someone like Andy-MMB for assistance.
And in 30years time he himself will probably complain that 'kids don't know anything these days'.
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Dicky is so right in what he says.....I couldn't stop laughing at this little piece which appeared on Facebook, I have deleted the names so as to preserve anonymity.
"M**** has been at school approximately 1hr and we've just received a phone call to say she's being sent back home because she has a purple-ish tinge to her hair..... Apparently, there are going to be lots of 'returns' this morning, etc. Ironically, when M**** had to have major surgery a while back, we were being threatened with court action by the authorities because of the time she'd lost at school....... Strangely though, the school itself are happy to exclude kids because of hair colour, piercings, etc!!!!!!"
This was a reply....
"Absolutely stupid aint it wen sum parents dont even botha to send there kids. I used to turn up at skool with all colors in my hair wen we were kids, it dont stop u learning!"
It seemed to have stopped this particular lady from learning anything...... {-) {-) {-)
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I have to confess that I have learned more from TV than I ever did in school. I loved quiz shows and documentaries, especially documentaries about the natural world. And they say TV rots your brains.
However, there is a flip side. What some of us olds might consider to be irrelevant information about the internet, or online communities or things techie will be considered general knowledge by most young people.
Younger people are generally much more tech savy. They cannot understand why we can't do most of what we olds can't do with a computer.
I know how to wire a plug. But to be honest, I have only done one in the last 15 years. It is perhaps obsolescent knowledge. Same for doing the timing on a car. Setting a rabbit snare (now illegal I think). Tickling trout. Milking a cow by hand. Changing a tyre (not wheel, just tyre). Lighting a coal fire. Growing your own potatoes in the garden. Baking bread (in the oven) and cakes. All useful skills and all becoming less relevant to everyday life for most people.
I am sure there are many instances where I would NEED to turn to someone like Andy-MMB for assistance.
And in 30years time he himself will probably complain that 'kids don't know anything these days'.
Always best to have some background knowledge though. BY.
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I must admit to being able to build stables, extensions to the house, complete rewiring (till HMG made it illegal for me to do so) design and install oilfired central heating
system, roofing, in fact everything except could never get the hang of plastering, navigating across the sea in most conditions, BUT I always need help setting up my P.C.
and sometimes with these new fangled T.V.s
Problem is I'm now too decrepit to do most building jobs and wife won't let me on the roof to fix the tiles we lost this week or go to sea, so basically I now can't do ANYTHING
except build model boats and chat to you lot.
Geoff
But I can still get more questions right on University Challenge than my son so the brain isn't completely dead
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I must admit to being able to build stables, extensions to the house, complete rewiring (till HMG made it illegal for me to do so) design and install oilfired central heating
system, roofing, in fact everything except could never get the hang of plastering, navigating across the sea in most conditions, BUT I always need help setting up my P.C.
and sometimes with these new fangled T.V.s
Problem is I'm now too decrepit to do most building jobs and wife won't let me on the roof to fix the tiles we lost this week or go to sea, so basically I now can't do ANYTHING
except build model boats and chat to you lot.
Geoff
No problem Geoff, all you have to do is find a young bloke who knows how to fix tiles, nothing else, just tiles then hope he has a mate who knows how to read a map to find your house.
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And make sure he has completed his SIX WEEK tilers apprenticeship >>:-( >>:-( >>:-(
Ned
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And make sure he has completed his SIX WEEK tilers apprenticeship >>:-( >>:-( >>:-(
Six weeks!!!
You'd think they could learn how to remove/refit/replace tiles in less time than that >>:-(
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Surely the whole point is , that as we age we all learn, so as time goes on and we end up as old as many of us are here, we have accumulated a lot of knowledge. ... Under normal circumstances there is no way we would have had it all at 21 years of age either ....... if we did, what the heck have we been doing for the last forty years ? :o
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"basically I now can't do ANYTHING except build model boats and chat to you lot."
Glad you are able to Pugwash, because some of us OAP's are new to model boats and value your passing on your experience.
I am still working, but part time, and can no longer manage ladders roofs or climbing under cars. Escaping to the dockyard gives me a creative usefulness, even though close up eyesight and dexterity are no longer what they were.
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Age brings knowledge and experience, but I think our teachers in the fifties gave us something precious-
an enquiring mind and the love of reading books of all sorts.
Hobbies were all about making things and finding out about how things worked.
Music was 'Make your own' (Apart from Radio Luxembourg)
Then came Television where the BBC talked down to the viewers and the rot set in
Ned
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Age brings knowledge and experience, but I think our teachers in the fifties gave us something precious-
an enquiring mind and the love of reading books of all sorts.
Hobbies were all about making things and finding out about how things worked.
Music was 'Make your own' (Apart from Radio Luxembourg)
Then came Television where the BBC talked down to the viewers and the rot set in
Apart from the words I've highlighted, that's one of the most condescending, inaccurate pieces of drivel I've read on here.
Unless you're retired, (or lived in your little world), the implication you're making is that - we were taught not educated, we were exposed to 'the rot' because television became available to the plebs and we didn't have to make our own music >>:-(
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Colin thinks kids education is something to joke about.
Not so, I worked in the County Education department for a large part of my career including attending around 500 school governor meetings to explain Education policy. I have also attended many meetings with the civil servants at the Department of Education.
In my case I was lucky to have a good education (but didn't go to Uni). I reckon I have pretty good general knowledge but much of that came from a love of reading and by the age of 11 I was turning around 5 books a week from the local library. OK they included Biggles and science fiction but they certainly sparked my imagination and interest no end.
Sorry for the delay in responding and apologies for any spelling errors in this post but I had a cataract op a couple of hours ago and can't see too well at the moment.
Colin
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..........you only have to look at the ape man, wayne rooney for one.........seen more brains on a microscope slide
he might not have degrees, but he has certainly made the best use of his talent, He isnt that stupid is he :embarrassed:
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he might not have degrees, but he has certainly made the best use of his talent, He isnt that stupid is he :embarrassed:
id like to be a pound behind him :kiss:
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The subject here is general knowledge and that's little to do with education. I went to a public school with some of the thickest boys in the county - they were just good at learning how to pass exams. The rest of the world seemed to pass them by - and that was 40+ years ago.
My five grandkids are all razor-sharp, and that's good enough for me. They'll learn what they need to; it's called experience, isn't it?
Dave M
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Apart from the words I've highlighted, that's one of the most condescending, inaccurate pieces of drivel I've read on here.
Unless you're retired, (or lived in your little world), the implication you're making is that - we were taught not educated, we were exposed to 'the rot' because television became available to the plebs and we didn't have to make our own music >>:-(
I am retired and do tend to live in a little world of my own and I think Ned has got it largely right, from your attitude it would appear that you have the problem what ever it is. >>:-(
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I am retired and do tend to live in a little world of my own and I think Ned has got it largely right, from your attitude it would appear that you have the problem what ever it is. >>:-(
Dicky,
You show me where in Ned's post you think he's got it right - if you can ok2 and I'll explain why he's wrong.
Mark.
btw, I'm not the one with the attitude, when someone tries to make himself 'look big' by being condescending and talking garbage, there's only one with the 'attitude' and I'll give you a teeny clue - it ain't me :-))
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Raartygunner up north in OZ.... %) ...I think we should stay away from this debate which to date is essentially British >>:-(
I for one have records of scholastic achievement {-) achieved by convicts :-)) in the First Fleet to OZ & these achievements are documented in the Mitchell Library in Sydney
From this it is clear :o that the convicts to OZ were given a better opportunity to gain knowledge & truth than those left behind in squalor {-) {-) {-) {-) {-) {-) {-) {-)
Your humble convict stock member......Derek :-)
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Dicky,
You show me where in Ned's post you think he's got it right - if you can ok2 and I'll explain why he's wrong.
Mark.
btw, I'm not the one with the attitude, when someone tries to make himself 'look big' by being condescending and talking garbage, there's only one with the 'attitude' and I'll give you a teeny clue - it ain't me :-))
Sorry mate I started this topic for discussion not for prolonged argument about another members post.
If you think he's got it wrong say why, dont just call his post condescending drivel.
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Thanks for the backup Richard but I have been called worse in the last 70 years.
The post is just my take on the World as I See it.
I disagree with quite a lot that is posted from time to time but I don't rise to the bait.
Ned
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Raartygunner up north in OZ.... %) ...I think we should stay away from this debate which to date is essentially British >>:-(
I for one have records of scholastic achievement {-) achieved by convicts :-)) in the First Fleet to OZ & these achievements are documented in the Mitchell Library in Sydney
From this it is clear :o that the convicts to OZ were given a better opportunity to gain knowledge & truth than those left behind in squalor {-) {-) {-) {-) {-) {-) {-) {-)
Your humble convict stock member......Derek :-)
Derek,
Mate we are tough, we are Aussies.
Sad to say, have to agree that OZ kids these days haven't a clue, they have been "shown" how to find things, but no general knowledge.
We wont go into proven literacy failings.
Have to agree that the comments on the forum are equally applicable to OZ kids. <:( <:( <:(
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Its amazing how simple posts with valid points, still seem to end up getting dragged back down to the the School playground mentality by Adults who should know better.. IMHOP. 8)
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Its amazing how simple posts with valid points, still seem to end up getting dragged back down to the the School playground mentality by Adults who should know better.. IMHOP. 8)
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oh dear where have we gone wrong? >>:-(
RaaArtyGunner...says...'Sad to say, have to agree that OZ kids these days haven't a clue'
Sorry.......when we [as mature age consumers] purchase a new digital television..........what happens? ..we get :embarrassed: & get <*< because after two hours we cannot tune it in........
Just ask a grandchild...& the within a minute or so all channels are tuned in & working :-))
In reality ... ;) ..generation Z, X & Y children are smarter than my vintage [baby boomer] .... O0 ...they just show it in different ways!
In the 1950 'xxxxx's.... was it really important for me [in Australia] to be taught that knives & forks were made in Sheffield & that crockery was produced in Coventry?
>>:-( <*< %% ..... Derek
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Hi
I have to post this
An Obituary printed in the London Times.....Absolutely Brilliant:
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.
Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
If you still remember him, pass this on.
If not, join the majority and do nothing.
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So profound and sadly so true. Rip. John.
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I Want It Now
I think that when you get to the age of many members on this forum it's more a case of 'I had it yesterday' and 'Now where did I put it?' ok2
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But how do we get out of it?
By that I mean "how can we return to a re-incarnation" of Mr.Common Sense. "Common Sense" has never been particularly evident in my lifetime. Those who have it tend to be somewhat withdrawn on the subject....but equally so, they tend to be the ones that the even more quiet ones approach for private advice. The "loud mouths" are having a field day...and who will stand up to them on a National basis. I suspect no-one will.
Everyone and his dog knows what is "right" and what is "wrong"....even children. But if it's perceived that they can "get away with it" then they will.
Apathy, my friends is the culprit. But who will make the stand? BY.
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Some kids are (actually a lot of kids are) amazingly clever , well educated, and given the chance
worthy of a good deal of respect for their opinions and actions. Others are not and possibly never will be.
If we substitute the word adults or pensioners for the word 'kids' then the same statement would be true. O0
I will say only one thing (detrimental to very many of the younger generation) - that I did not see in my generation
when I was younger. Kids today often rely on their parents as total providers long past the age of school leaving.
Dave
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I'm 26 and in my time I've started from nothing, built up and run a successful international business covering 3 continents, employing many people, donating to charities and putting our hard earned taxes back into the economy. I sold it off years ago to concentrate on bringing my family up and being at home more.
Now we live comfortably and enjoy life yet still older people (trying to avoid generalisation) insist on assuming that young people are capable of nothing more than low level education and menial jobs.
Sadly the hobby is also a good example, far too many clubs and events seem to think that young people don't have the attention span or dedication to create a beautiful, well engineered model.
Well, older people of the world (and I am not aiming this at the good people of this forum) guess who it is thats going to have to sort out the mess you've left us in? bought your houses on a mortgage have you? both of them? and the car you bought new I suppose was on monthly instalments too?
It's us that will be sorting out the messes you've left, and because of it we won't have the luxuries that you do, we have to buy our houses and cars outright, all while working hard to support our own families and sort out the economies and business relationships of the world.
You might laugh while you are sat at home collecting your pensions, but your grandchildren and their children won't get pensions like you do, so rather than spending our 'retirement' and last 20/30/40/50 years of our lives, enjoying our hobbies like you are fortunate to do so, we will be spending it still at work, because of the mess you have left behind.
But we don't mind, unlike you lot that had it easy, we like a challenge ;)
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It's us that will be sorting out the messes you've left
I think you've got this the wrong way round. When I was younger, apart from the mortgage, we paid for our possessions as we went along and it was a struggle. It's the upcoming 'have it all now' generation that have racked up debt in buying all the latest mod cons, cars, plasma TVs, foreign holidays etc. that they just had to have even though they didn't have the cash to pay for them. I've worked for what I've got and rather resent being told I've stolen my children's future.
My daughters say they can't afford to buy a property and that is true - but they want one for themselves. Back in the 1970s if you wanted your own place you had to have two incomes to stand the slightest chance of getting on to the property ladder and even then it was a tremendous financial burden with interest rates knocking 10% at times.
Yes, it's not easy for young people today, but then it probably never was.
Colin
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I feel your pain TugCowboy, Having to sort our mess, but hang on, "Now we live comfortably"? Built and run 3 businesses but then sold them? Sadly the Media stereotype youfs as no hoper lazy b*****s and many belive this to be the norm.
Yes, I now collect a pension, a state normal one only, not enhansed, I also own my own house paid for over a number of years via a Bank loan. Bought our first and only NEW car six years ago and paid cash for it, but many of our generation were urged to work hard to achieve our goals not sit back and moan about "Foreign immigrants" taking all "Our" jobs.
Not only did the Banks screw the system up, but also those who borrowed for a free ride and then started to whinge when they couldn't pay back.
Lifes questions have multiple choice answers, but not as many offered in School Exams. Our kids have seen the results of our own choices, up to them to make their own, but get on with it and don't expect to get bailed out if it goes spheroids up, nobody rescued us.
Regards Ian.
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Lifes questions have multiple choice answers, but not as many offered in School Exams. Our kids have seen the results of our own choices, up to them to make their own, but get on with it and don't expect to get bailed out if it goes spheroids up, nobody rescued us.
Now there's some sense.... well said Ian!
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I'm 26 and in my time I've started from nothing, built up and run a successful international business covering 3 continents, employing many people, donating to charities and putting our hard earned taxes back into the economy. I sold it off years ago to concentrate on bringing my family up and being at home more.
Now we live comfortably and enjoy life yet still older people (trying to avoid generalisation) insist on assuming that young people are capable of nothing more than low level education and menial jobs.
Sadly the hobby is also a good example, far too many clubs and events seem to think that young people don't have the attention span or dedication to create a beautiful, well engineered model.
Well, older people of the world (and I am not aiming this at the good people of this forum) guess who it is thats going to have to sort out the mess you've left us in? bought your houses on a mortgage have you? both of them? and the car you bought new I suppose was on monthly instalments too?
It's us that will be sorting out the messes you've left, and because of it we won't have the luxuries that you do, we have to buy our houses and cars outright, all while working hard to support our own families and sort out the economies and business relationships of the world.
You might laugh while you are sat at home collecting your pensions, but your grandchildren and their children won't get pensions like you do, so rather than spending our 'retirement' and last 20/30/40/50 years of our lives, enjoying our hobbies like you are fortunate to do so, we will be spending it still at work, because of the mess you have left behind.
But we don't mind, unlike you lot that had it easy, we like a challenge ;)
This just backs up what this topic was originally about the lack of general knowledge of youth today.
I bought my first house with a deposit of 20% of its value and a mortgage at about 10% based on my and my wifes wages, mine on its own was not enough.
I did a 5 year apprenticeship on a wage that just about paid my petrol for the week.
My first 5 cars were paid for by cash and I carried out all their repairs and servicing myself.
My first new car was obtained under the Motability scheme when I had to give up work because of COPD which could have occurred through working with asbestos .
My private pension was wiped out by the economical situation of the country, so all I have now are benefits. No state pension yet, to young.
We still have a mortgage to repay, which my wife is having to do although she could be losing her NHS job next month.
Is your life is as great as this ? I doubt it, so dont try to tell me how hard it is for you.
Check a few facts before before voicing opinions on other people.
By the way there are quite a few on the forum who have had a similar life to mine
As for your " (and I am not aiming this at the good people of this forum) " yes you were whether you meant it or not.
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Four Yorkshiremen Sketch
Monty Python
Four well-dressed men sitting together at a vacation resort.
Michael Palin: Ahh.. Very passable, this, very passable.
Graham Chapman: Nothing like a good glass of Chateau de Chassilier wine, ay Gessiah?
Terry Gilliam: You're right there Obediah.
Eric Idle: Who'd a thought thirty years ago we'd all be sittin' here drinking Chateau de Chassilier wine?
MP: Aye. In them days, we'd a' been glad to have the price of a cup o' tea.
GC: A cup ' COLD tea.
EI: Without milk or sugar.
TG: OR tea!
MP: In a filthy, cracked cup.
EI: We never used to have a cup. We used to have to drink out of a rolled up newspaper.
GC: The best WE could manage was to suck on a piece of damp cloth.
TG: But you know, we were happy in those days, though we were poor.
MP: Aye. BECAUSE we were poor. My old Dad used to say to me, "Money doesn't buy you happiness."
EI: 'E was right. I was happier then and I had NOTHIN'. We used to live in this tiiiny old house, with greaaaaat big holes in the roof.
GC: House? You were lucky to have a HOUSE! We used to live in one room, all hundred and twenty-six of us, no furniture. Half the floor was missing; we were all huddled together in one corner for fear of FALLING!
TG: You were lucky to have a ROOM! *We* used to have to live in a corridor!
MP: Ohhhh we used to DREAM of livin' in a corridor! Woulda' been a palace to us. We used to live in an old water tank on a rubbish tip. We got woken up every morning by having a load of rotting fish dumped all over us! House!? Hmph.
EI: Well when I say "house" it was only a hole in the ground covered by a piece of tarpolin, but it was a house to US.
GC: We were evicted from *our* hole in the ground; we had to go and live in a lake!
TG: You were lucky to have a LAKE! There were a hundred and sixty of us living in a small shoebox in the middle of the road.
MP: Cardboard box?
TG: Aye.
MP: You were lucky. We lived for three months in a brown paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six o'clock in the morning, clean the bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down mill for fourteen hours a day week in-week out. When we got home, out Dad would thrash us to sleep with his belt!
GC: Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at three o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, go to work at the mill every day for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would beat us around the head and neck with a broken bottle, if we were LUCKY!
TG: Well we had it tough. We used to have to get up out of the shoebox at twelve o'clock at night, and LICK the road clean with our tongues. We had half a handful of freezing cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at the mill for fourpence every six years, and when we got home, our Dad would slice us in two with a bread knife.
EI: Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night, half an hour before I went to bed, (pause for laughter), eat a lump of cold poison, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad would kill us, and dance about on our graves singing "Hallelujah."
MP: But you try and tell the young people today that... and they won't believe ya'.
ALL: Nope, nope..
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Is your life is as great as this ? I doubt it, so dont try to tell me how hard it is for you.
Check a few facts before before voicing opinions on other people.
As for your " (and I am not aiming this at the good people of this forum) " yes you were whether you meant it or not.
So you're happy to make sweeping statements about a age bracket you think you are well versed in, yet at the same time don't like a comeback?
I shall leave you to it sir.
Quite obviously I am not educated enough to do battle with someone of your high standing.
Just to add, the Four Yorkshiremen sketch is the funniest sketch ever, bar none. Which is ironic as it's normally versed by drunk businessmen in bars all over the world when a whinging contest starts. I normally take Palin's part ;)
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the Four Yorkshiremen sketch is the funniest sketch ever, bar none.
The sketch was written in the early seventies and is ever so funny, but think on this.
They were looking at an older generation having fought world wars and having suffered
long term rationing and shortages. Funny - yes ever so, but parodying a lot of real pain too.
Dave
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A message for the kids who think "our" generation has screwed it up for them :-
Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she should bring her own shopping 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 cashier 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. Back then, we returned milk bottles, pop 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. 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 in our day.
We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every shop 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 nappies 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 county of Yorkshire . 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 post, 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 petrol 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 water from a fountain or a tap when we were thirsty instead of demanding a plastic bottle flown in from another country. We accepted that a lot of food was seasonal and didn�t expect that to be bucked by flying it thousands of air miles around the world. We actually cooked food that didn�t come out of a packet, tin or plastic wrap and we could even wash our own vegetables and chop our own salad.
But we didn't have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the tram or a bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mothers 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 isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?
Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smart-ass young person.
Remember: Don't make old people mad. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to **** us off.
PS - Help the environment and don't print this email unless you really need to!
Regards Ian.
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guess who it is thats going to have to sort out the mess you've left us in?
I'm truly sorry. Before I commit Harakiri perhaps you would be kind enough to point out exactly the mess for which you consider me personally responsible? Perhaps you'll permit me to attempt to make amends before my demise?
Age is an accidental consequence of birth (aka "it ain't my fault, guv"). I was once 26 and as big-headed and idealistic as you appear to be. You'll be 60 one day - it creeps up on you faster than you would believe - so let's hope you'll have gained the wisdom to temper your petty resentments by then.
DM
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I was recently sent the following email (one of these round robin thingys for information and entertainment). It is really just a collection of fairly trick questions designed to illustrate the level of general ignorance. But look closely at question 6. I do feel that, if a question master wants his audience to feel inferior, he might at least check out his facts and/or do a bit of proof reading. And for Q2, I looked at the label on mine, it was made in the Peoples Republic of China.
New High School Exit Exam
New High School Exit Exam, you only need 4 correct out of 10 questions to pass.
(Passing requires only 4 correct answers)
1) How long did the Hundred Years' War last?
2) Which country makes Panama hats?
3) From which animal do we get cat gut?
4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?
6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?
7) What was King George VI's first name?
8) What color is a purple finch?
9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial aeroplane?
Remember, you need only 4 correct answers to pass.
Check your answers below.......
ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ
1) How long did the Hundred Years War last? 116 years
2) Which country makes Panama hats? Ecuador
3) From which animal do we get cat gut? Sheep and Horses
4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? November
5) What is a camel's hair brush made of? Squirrel Fur
6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal? Dogs
7) What was King George VI's first name? Albert
8) What color is a purple finch? Crimson
9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from? New Zealand
10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial aeroplane? Orange (of course)
What do you mean, you failed?
Me too!!!!!
(And if you try to tell me you passed, you LIED!)
Pass this on to some brilliant friends, so they may feel useless too .
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Circlip,
This will also be posted to Aussie youth of toady who also need to heed the messsage.
:-)) :-)) :-)) O0 O0 O0
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Can't argue with what you say but it's not really about kid's general knowledge more a specific misconception they have.
Carrying on from what you said though. Gardens and allotments were popular when I was a lad. My garden -
but two householders ago had many mature fruit trees and vegatable beds but the last owner ripped them all
out, then did nothing with the garden at all - shame. I have replanted some fruit trees but it takes time.
The one thing I never saw as a kid was good (any) food being refused and it drives me nuts. My kids don't like
this veg or that meat and then they cook some processed crud leaving the healthy stuff to waste. >>:-( <*<
Back to general knowledge though - I love history but does it really matter if Master Joe bloggs doesn't know who IKB was
or King Canute or The Iceni? It does matter if he can't do mental arithmatic - when I tell an assistant the bill including
discount before they have typed into the machine I get a really odd look (and I wouldn't say I was good at math).
Dave
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Allotments are popular again, probably due to the concrete and small patch of grass that you get with new builds
and the fact that in these hard times growing your own is cheaper and you can sell on the surplus.
Most Councils have a waiting list for allotments.
Ned
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This will also be posted to Aussie youth of toady
Would that be Callum RaaArty? (Ramsey street - Neighbors) {-)
Soooooreeeeeeee, too good to miss
The one thing I never saw as a kid was good (any) food being refused and it drives me nuts. My kids don't like
this veg or that meat and then they cook some processed crud leaving the healthy stuff to waste
Yes Dave but they don't know what empty bellys feel like.
Regards Ian.
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Yes Dave but they don't know what empty bellys feel like
{-) If you saw me now you wouldn't believe I'd ever seen an empty belly either {-)
It sounds like the Four Yorkshiremen Sketch but quite true - by Wednesdays at the latest
there was never any food in the house except maybe bread and marge - same for lots of
local families then. My kids have never missed a meal, clothes, or heat and hence have no
appreciation of even mild hardships.
Having said all that I don't remember seeing lots of homeless people - but maybe as a kid I
just didn't notice them? Was there a lot of homelessness in the latefifties and the sixties?
Dave
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No, shoes still came in boxes and there were plenty of empty ones about. :-)) %)
Regards Ian.