Originally Posted By MomofPrincess I think technology is amazing and has its place in our lives, but I do wish my children could've grown up like I did... playing til the street lights came on, drinking out of garden hoses, riding bikes or rollerskating all over the neighborhood... just having carefree, easy days. Technology is great, but as far as today's childhoods relate to technology...... well, we had it a heckuva lot better.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 as a 51 year old my immediate reaction is you are right...but when you inspect more closely...I am not so sure. They go to school in climate controlled classrooms - as opposed to sweating in the warm weather and freezing in the cold like we did They have terrorism - we had the cold war and a-bomb drills we got to see our favorite movies like the Wizard of Oz, once a year on TV, they can watch it whenever they want on DVD we got in trouble for not callinghome because we spent all of our money and had nothing left for the payphone - they call home, but get in trouble for calling too many others We spent hours and hours in libraries - many of which had outdated reference books and therefore obsolete info - they can go on line to exact sites and get their data - real time we spent money on 45's and LP's - they spend money on CD's and itunes they can study classes on line - take a class in CADCAM - or from a junior college without leaving the house we drive in cars that were darn near death traps - they ride in vehicles with anti lock brakes / stability control / all wheel drive and airbags -- So when I look at it past the romanticism that we all lived in Mayberry, which of course we didn't -- they have a pretty exciting world around them.... the one thing I will admit is that as kids they are asked to 'grow up' too fast....however I would be remiss to blame technology, it is the societal norms that have changed more.
Originally Posted By MomofPrincess VBDAD, I enjoyed your response. Here's mine to yours. >>as a 51 year old my immediate reaction is you are right...but when you inspect more closely...I am not so sure.<< I'm 38, so there's 13 years between us. Makes a bit of a difference, but am not sure how much, really? <<They go to school in climate controlled classrooms - as opposed to sweating in the warm weather and freezing in the cold like we did>> I grew up in Orange County, so it was never an issue, really. (Or I didn't notice if it was!) <<They have terrorism - we had the cold war and a-bomb drills>> None for us. And we were so sheltered (less t.v. watching, less covereage? I'm not sure which) that I wasn't aware of the bad things that WERE going on in the world back then. No repeated coverage, for instance, of planes slamming into the WTC or anything of the like. <<we got to see our favorite movies like the Wizard of Oz, once a year on TV, they can watch it whenever they want on DVD>> True, but I think it's much less of a thrill nowadays for my kids to watch something over and over than it was for me to get to see something once a year on t.v. I can still remember the excitement of watching a Winnie the Pooh or Peanuts special around the holidays! <<we got in trouble for not callinghome because we spent all of our money and had nothing left for the payphone - they call home, but get in trouble for calling too many others>> I was always just down the street so could ride my bike home. When I was older, my friends hung out at our house. My kids are only 6 & 10, so - so far - phone usage isn't an issue. <<We spent hours and hours in libraries - many of which had outdated reference books and therefore obsolete info - they can go on line to exact sites and get their data - real time>> My backyard backed up the county library. I lived there. I did volunteer work there in the summer and checked out books year-round. Obsolete info, maybe, but there was a real love in my heart for the library and the adventures it held in its books. My kids have never known that love with the internet. <<we spent money on 45's and LP's - they spend money on CD's and itunes>> Same-same. <<they can study classes on line - take a class in CADCAM - or from a junior college without leaving the house>> In recent years I've taken classes both ways, and although it was convenient to take online classes, I didn't get the same interaction and *excitement* I got from being there in the classroom in the middle of it all. <<we drive in cars that were darn near death traps - they ride in vehicles with anti lock brakes / stability control / all wheel drive and airbags -->> SO TRUE! Not to mention, our cars were always on the verge of breaking down (we were poor). I always tell my kids they don't know how lucky they are not to be completely embarrassed of our vehicles, not to break down on the way to/from vacations (overheating on the side of the road or whatever the case may be), and to have AIR CONDITIONING! <<So when I look at it past the romanticism that we all lived in Mayberry, which of course we didn't -- they have a pretty exciting world around them.... the one thing I will admit is that as kids they are asked to 'grow up' too fast....however I would be remiss to blame technology, it is the societal norms that have changed more.>> Totally agree. I don't blame that stuff on technology, either!
Originally Posted By vbdad55 thank you Q and Mom -- I often look back fondly on my childhood, and yes in some ways it was simpler, but there were stressors also.... instead of watching planes crash repeatedly into the WTC- I saw a north Vietnamese soldier shoot a man in the head 300 times a week on the news -- and say dismembered soldiers on TV while I had cousins etc there in the war. I worried that I would be drafted and have to go to Nam...very real fear in those days -- etc. -- I saw the almost abolition of Halloween trick or treat due to razor blade and cyanide laced apples ( yes this stuff is not new ) - I wouldn;t trade my childhood for anything...but kids today will probably look back in 50 years and think the same thing
Originally Posted By MomofPrincess Ugh about Vietnam, Dad! See, I remember vaguely hearing about that, but it never affected me directly (fortunately). I agree that kids today will probably look back and think the same thing! I think that kids today have it much easier, but I swear we appreciated what we did have MORE. Does that make sense? It seems like we were happier. (Or maybe it just SEEMS that way, looking back now as adults.) Anyway, thanks for your thought-provoking posts. They were great!
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Technology without a doubt has done wonderful things. I make my living because of technology so I certainly know its benefits. But I think we need to consider its drawbacks too. In a prior post someone mentioned the fear factor, and I think that is something that impacts every one of us every day of our lives. Is the world REALLY a much more dangerous place than it used to be? No... in fact in almost any way you can think of it is far safer. But the impact of 24 hour cable news stations has made us all scared all the time. They need to do SOMETHING to fill up those 24 hours, and keeping us good and scared keeps us tuned to the tube. And as was previously pointed out, this fear impacts our children in how they play, where they go, etc. Technology has made it possible to work from home, but it has also made it very likely that we will be expected to work many more hours than we ever did before. We may be at home but are we ever REALLY at home any more? Microwave ovens have impacted the family dinner. Now that anyone over the age of 3 can prepare a moderately decent tasting dinner in the microwave, why gather around the table every night? Dinner has become ala' carte with everyone nuking what they feel like eating. I know it doesn't have to be that way. Much to our children’s dismay we insisted on the nightly dinner together. But the family dinner is going the way of the horse and buggy. That is not all due to technology. But technology certainly enables the change. Our technology gives us abilities to do things that we have not had time to think about morally. We can create new forms of life in the test tube. But should we? We can clone animals (and inevitably humans). But should we? We can keep people alive longer and longer. I heard a prediction the other day that babies born now may well have a life expectancy of 150 years. But is that a good thing? We can keep cholesterol levels down for folks like me who won’t stick to a low cholesterol diet by using drugs. But should we? Look what trying to PAY for all of this technology is doing to our health care system. Yes, technology is wonderful. But in my opinion it has also changed our lives for the worse in many areas. I think in the future we should explore the impact of technology before we just grab onto anything that comes along. I know… it will never happen.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<we drive in cars that were darn near death traps - they ride in vehicles with anti lock brakes / stability control / all wheel drive and airbags -- >> While all these technologies help make driving safer, there is no substitute for driving defensively. For instance, I think a lot of people have a false sense of security when they have a large SUV with four wheel drive. It's bad enough how many people operate their vehicles in dry, daytime conditions, but even worse when you throw in darkness and rain or snow. While I am on my soapbox, people need to get that turn signals are a safety feature too, and should be used for both lane changes and turns... and not at the very last moment. Using it without turning to look and giving fair warning to the guy you just cut in front of doesn't count. Rant over. Gotta say, I love my iPod.
Originally Posted By SuzieQ MomofPrincess, I grew up in Orange County, too. I'm 39, so our experiences would be similar. We didn't have the a-bomb drills, but we did 'duck and cover' drills - remember those? Like putting our hands over the back of our necks and hiding under our desks was going to save us, LOL!
Originally Posted By MomofPrincess SuzieQ, yes, I do remember those!!! Good thing we never had to USE that technique, huh?!! LOL
Originally Posted By alexbook >>Well, if you are the driver then you shouldn't be reading in a moving vehicle. I wish more people followed that rule of thumb!<< So that's what I've been doing wrong! Here's the key statement: >>But the family dinner is going the way of the horse and buggy. That is not all due to technology. But technology certainly enables the change.<< Exactly. Technology doesn't cause us to do things. It *enables* us to do things. If we use it to do good things, then it's for the best; if not, then not. My favorite quote re: technology: "If God had intended Man to fly, He would never have given us the railways." --Michael Flanders
Originally Posted By pecos bill Being the nostalgic type, I yearn for a simpler time. I think the high tech revolution is a detriment to the future of our society. Like it or not, we are still organic creatures of the Earth, and all this tech stuff tends to distance us from it. Our social skills, and our love and appreciation of nature have suffered in our artificial environments. To appreciate the Earth, you have to have a connection to it, I think a lot of the younger generation is losing that connection.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <I think that kids today have it much easier, but I swear we appreciated what we did have MORE. Does that make sense? It seems like we were happier. (Or maybe it just SEEMS that way, looking back now as adults.) Anyway, thanks for your thought-provoking posts. They were great! See for me I know I appreciated things more because my parents had nada / zip /squat -- well you get the picture. So getting anything was a huge deal, eating out in a restaurant was a once or twice a year event......I don't know if the rich kids appreciated there stuff more then than now...I didn't know any. So my kids are growing up in an environment so different from me, and I am glad to provide them with things...but in my house they are still 'earned' and 'lost' though behavior and acts...
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <Technology has made it possible to work from home, but it has also made it very likely that we will be expected to work many more hours than we ever did before. We may be at home but are we ever REALLY at home any more? < Now this one I will give you. I have been working from home for about 18 months now when I am not on the road..and the time I spent commuting I now spend working...but a lot of that is my fault...
Originally Posted By avromark We're educated now more then ever, however a lot of the "basic's" are no longer taught. Calligraphy and the art of fine writing - look at my writing, sure as heck isn't there. Craft's not so important, if you can crochet it's weird. Home Ec - do they teach that were you live? Do they teach shop? It's amazing how many of my friends can't even drywall or install laminate flooring. Technology has it's good points, but some teacher's are lazy. T (who is 13) his teacher just says "look it up on the net" if he asks a question. T thought the Duck and Cover video I showed him was weird (ok so do I). Remember in the old day when you'd only buy gas from one brand because you thought if you used different brands it was bad? T watches DVD's in the van and SUV, but I got to make faces at the people behind our wagon. He drives around in A/C, I heard and smelled the world as I went down the road. Amazing what 14 years difference can do huh? <<Technology has made it possible to work from home, but it has also made it very likely that we will be expected to work many more hours than we ever did before. We may be at home but are we ever REALLY at home any more?>> On the same note technology has made even white collar jobs outsourable and offshorable.
Originally Posted By avromark Of course technology has it's shares of cuteness. For instance it allows a person to enter your house via code through the garage and record a start up sound file for your computer such as "Hey Mark, Hi Mark, Hey Mark, I'm Mark! Hey Mark! I'm T-, I'm T-, I'm T-, This is *my* house sweet" and leave that as a suprise for you.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <<<Technology has made it possible to work from home, but it has also made it very likely that we will be expected to work many more hours than we ever did before. We may be at home but are we ever REALLY at home any more?>> On the same note technology has made even white collar jobs outsourable and offshorable. < yeah, over 5 million of them in the last 7 years...
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Unfortunately due to media avoidance of this subject -- you are one of many...I work in this area every day...and could tell horror stories... and they are only getting worse -- forget India, the jobs are all going to Brazil
Originally Posted By avromark And the jobs that do stay get outsourced, the company hires you on for less then half what you made, the company is probably shaving only a fraction of what they used to off, but what the hay eh? Then they wonder why the quality of the work suffers considerably. I consider myself a fairly hard working individual, I offer great customer support and am reasononably well educated and trained despite what you see here
