Right in my Own Backyard - The Times, They Are A-Changin' - by Brandt Carter
posted: Nov. 16, 2023

The Times, They Are A-Changin'
I remember as a child hearing adults say, "Well, times aren't like they used to be when I was young" or "Those were the good old days." Never in a million years did I think I would ever be saying such things, but time has an uncanny way of upending "nevers." Isn't it strange how they can come to pass? These laments started me thinking about just what a difference a half-century makes. All of a sudden I had quite a list, which I thought it would be fun to share.
'50s | Today | '50s | Today |
Fans | Air conditioning | Auction houses | EBAY online |
Autograph books | Facebook | Ether | Modern anesthetics |
Adding machines | Calculators | Typewriters | Computers |
Drive at your own risk | Seat belts, airbags | Daily morning and evening newspapers | Podcasts, blogs |
Push mowers | Power mowers | Snaps | Velcro |
Card catalogs | Google, search engines | Electrical plug-ins | Wireless connectivity |
Memo pads | Post-a-Notes | Price tags | Bar codes |
Department stores | Online shopping | Career employment | Outsourcing |
Sense of living in neighborhoods | Reality of living in a global community | Sink/dish drainers | Dishwashers |
Trash | Recycling | Garbage pans | Garbage disposals |
Black & white TVs | HDTV, TIVO, remote controls, and DVDs | Rabbit-ear antennas | Cable, Dish |
Writing letters | e-mail | Prop planes | Jumbo jets |
Lumpy mattresses | Sleep number beds | Correspondence schools | Online, distance learning |
Fleas | Flea & Tick medicine | Party lines, dial telephones | Cell phones |
Encyclopedias | Wikipedia | Checkers, hide & seek, kick ball | Video games |
Calendars | Blackberries | Cash | Debit cards |
Radios | Ipods | Full service gas station attendants | Pump yourself, pay-at-pumps |
Brownie or Box camera, black & white photos | Digital cameras | Home file cabinets | Flash drive |
Popcorn poppers | Microwave popcorn | Mix master, meat grinder | Food processor |
Spectacles | Disposable contacts | X-rays | MRIs |
Maps | Mapquest, GPS | Cats Cradle | String Theory |
Polio | Polio Vaccine | Heart attacks | Pacemakers, heart transplants |
I could go on and on, and you no doubt can add lots more as well, but what I'm hoping is that this little exercise will remind us just how far have we've progressed. I invite you to take a moment to reminisce with someone your own age or older-and then to take time to tell someone of today's generation about the "good ol' days." Each generation has its history. Sharing helps perpetuate heritage so all ages connect for the future.
brandt@broadripplegazette.com