Silliness The Green Thing

GeoffC · 12-23-2011, 09:59 AM

The Green Thing

At the checkout at the supermarket the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her

own bags in future because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologised to her and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."

The checkout girl responded, "That's the problem today. Your generation did not care enough

to save our environment."

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

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the shop. They sent

them back to the factory to be washed and sterilised 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 shop and office building.

We walked to the grocer’s and didn't climb into a car every time we went to the shop.

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 electricity. Wind and

solar power really did dry the clothes.

Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing

(and they walked to school).

But she was 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 a bus.

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to

do everything for us.

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 became blunt.

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?

Solitaire1 · 12-24-2011, 02:27 AM

To add to this:

We had electrical devices that could be repaired at a reasonable price instead of electrical devices that we throw away because it's less expensive to buy a new one than get the old one repaired...if it is even possible.

vivaldirules · 12-24-2011, 02:16 PM

True enough. But was it our intention to not have those things out of a sense of conservation? I think if we had had disposable diapers and large screen televisions available to us, we would have probably jumped at them. But a little austerity would be really nice right now. I just don't see it aside from a few lightbulbs and Priuses. Still getting what you had when we were really wasteful is hardly austerity.

The Terminator · 12-24-2011, 04:16 PM

Feel free to go back if you want

me I'm sticking with my Kobo.

wodin · 12-24-2011, 04:27 PM

Yup! I remember those days fondly, and am REALLY glad they're gone!

Solitaire1 · 12-25-2011, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Terminator

Feel free to go back if you want

me I'm sticking with my Kobo.

I'll see your Kobo Touch (at my local electronics store) and I'll raise you a Sony PRS-T1!

kindlekitten · 12-26-2011, 04:44 PM

I was chatting with a guy I met at the puppy park yesterday, as it turned out we had both spent a great deal of time at NATO missile sites in Germany. he was a mechanic, and I would have to go out to maintain communications systems. we were sharing tales of VERY LONG periods of time while on alert playing game after game of hearts and/or spades. he speculated that now with handheld devices that may have changed. that kind of made me sad as there was a great deal of bonding and friendships made over these marathon sessions

Freeshadow · 12-27-2011, 09:32 PM

GeoffC: while being partly wrong
(e.g. on old electrical equipment: I bet the old TVs/radios used up multitudes of the power needed to power todays big ones) you are fully right on the rest - why the hell aren't ther no more refillable milk bottles etc?

Solitaire1: SO true... and even if the item in question is in a way defective which could be easily fixed by oneself you cannot since the manufacturers now do their best to assure you cannot open the bluddy housing without their own damn very special leverage tools and screwdrivers :facepalm:

Freeshadow · 12-27-2011, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I was chatting with a guy I met at the puppy park yesterday, as it turned out we had both spent a great deal of time at NATO missile sites in Germany. he was a mechanic, and I would have to go out to maintain communications systems. we were sharing tales of VERY LONG periods of time while on alert playing game after game of hearts and/or spades. he speculated that now with handheld devices that may have changed. that kind of made me sad as there was a great deal of bonding and friendships made over these marathon sessions

altough it spares a lot of shuffling time to play cardgames with things like a handheld, I still keep sets of cards in my "when things f* up box"

The Terminator · 12-27-2011, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

I'll see your Kobo Touch (at my local electronics store) and I'll raise you a Sony PRS-T1!

Huh? I'm not quite sure what you mean.

Solitaire1 · 12-28-2011, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Terminator

Huh? I'm not quite sure what you mean.

Sorry, I was trying to make a poker reference.

[See reference fall flat...and hit the ground hard]

[Imitating Emily Litella] Nevermind.

12-23-2011, 09:59 AM	#1
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	The Green Thing The Green Thing At the checkout at the supermarket the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own bags in future because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologised to her and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day." The checkout girl responded, "That's the problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment." She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day. Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the shop. They sent them back to the factory to be washed and sterilised 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 shop and office building. We walked to the grocer’s and didn't climb into a car every time we went to the shop. 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 electricity. Wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing (and they walked to school). But she was 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 a bus. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. 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 became blunt. 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?

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12-24-2011, 02:27 AM	#2
Solitaire1 Samurai Lizard Posts: 14,791 Karma: 69500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: NookColor, Nook Glowlight 4	To add to this: We had electrical devices that could be repaired at a reasonable price instead of electrical devices that we throw away because it's less expensive to buy a new one than get the old one repaired...if it is even possible.

12-24-2011, 02:16 PM	#3
vivaldirules When's Doughnut Day? Posts: 10,059 Karma: 13675475 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Houston, TX, US Device: Sony PRS-505, iPad	True enough. But was it our intention to not have those things out of a sense of conservation? I think if we had had disposable diapers and large screen televisions available to us, we would have probably jumped at them. But a little austerity would be really nice right now. I just don't see it aside from a few lightbulbs and Priuses. Still getting what you had when we were really wasteful is hardly austerity.

12-24-2011, 04:16 PM	#4
The Terminator Retired Posts: 2,552 Karma: 37638420 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Vancouver Island Canada Device: Kobo Touch, Optimus One (2.3), Nexus 7 (4.2)	Feel free to go back if you want me I'm sticking with my Kobo.

12-24-2011, 04:27 PM	#5
wodin Illiterate Posts: 10,279 Karma: 37848716 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: The Sandwich Isles Device: Samsung Galaxy S10+, Microsoft Surface Pro	Yup! I remember those days fondly, and am REALLY glad they're gone!

12-26-2011, 04:44 PM	#7
kindlekitten Professional Adventuress Posts: 13,368 Karma: 50260224 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: The Olympic Peninsula on the OTHER Washington! (the big green clean one on the west coast!) Device: Kindle, the original! Times Two! and gifting an International Kindle	I was chatting with a guy I met at the puppy park yesterday, as it turned out we had both spent a great deal of time at NATO missile sites in Germany. he was a mechanic, and I would have to go out to maintain communications systems. we were sharing tales of VERY LONG periods of time while on alert playing game after game of hearts and/or spades. he speculated that now with handheld devices that may have changed. that kind of made me sad as there was a great deal of bonding and friendships made over these marathon sessions

12-27-2011, 09:32 PM	#8
Freeshadow temp. out of service Posts: 2,814 Karma: 24285242 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Duisburg (DE) Device: PB 623	GeoffC: while being partly wrong (e.g. on old electrical equipment: I bet the old TVs/radios used up multitudes of the power needed to power todays big ones) you are fully right on the rest - why the hell aren't ther no more refillable milk bottles etc? Solitaire1: SO true... and even if the item in question is in a way defective which could be easily fixed by oneself you cannot since the manufacturers now do their best to assure you cannot open the bluddy housing without their own damn very special leverage tools and screwdrivers :facepalm:

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