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Subject: FW: For those borned BEFORE 1986!!
According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were
kids
in the 60's, 70's and early 80's probably shouldn't have survived,
because
our baby cots were covered with brightly coloured lead-based paint which
was
promptly chewed and licked. We had no childproof lids on medicine
bottles,
or latches on doors or cabinets and it was fine to play with pans.
When we rode our bikes, we wore no helmets, just flip-flops and
fluorescent 'spokey dokey's' on our wheels. As children, we would ride
in
cars with no seat belts or airbags riding in the passenger seat was a
treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle and it
tasted
the same. We ate chips, bread and butter pudding and drank fizzy juice
with
sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside
playing. We shared one drink with four friends, from one bottle or can
and
no-one actually died from this. We would spend hours building go-carts
out
of scraps and then went top speed down the hill, only to find out we
forgot
the brakes.
After running into stinging nettles a few times, we learned to solve
the
problem. We would leave home in the morning and could play all day, as
long
as we were back before it got dark. No one was able to reach us and no
one
minded.
We did not have Play stations or X-Boxes, no video games at all.
No 99 channels on TV, no videotape movies, no surround sound, no
mobile
phones, no personal computers, no DVDs, no Internet chat rooms. We had
friends - we went outside and found them. We played elastics and
rounders,
and sometimes that ball really hurt!
We fell out of trees, got cut, and broke bones but there were no law
suits. We had full on fist fights but no prosecution followed from other
parents. We played chap-the-door-run-away and were actually afraid of
the
owners catching us. We walked to friends' homes. We also, believe it or
not,
WALKED to school; we didn't rely on mummy or daddy to drive us to
school,
which was just round the corner. We made up games with sticks and tennis
balls. We rode bikes in packs of 7 and wore our coats by only the hood.
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard
of...They actually sided with the law. This generation has produced some
of
the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past
50
years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had
freedom,
failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it
all.
And you're one of them. Congratulations!
Pass this on to others who have had the luck to grow as real kids,
before
lawyers and government regulated our lives, for our own good.
For those of you who aren't old enough, thought you might like to read
about us.
This my friends, is surprisingly frightening......and it might put a
smile
on your face:
The majority of students in universities today were born in
1986........They are called youth. They have never heard of We are the
World, We are the children, and the Uptown Girl they know is by Westlife
not
Billy Joel. They have never heard of Rick Astley, Bananarama, Nena
Cherry or
Belinda Carlisle.
For them, there has always been only one Germany and one Vietnam. AIDS
has
existed since they were born. CD's have existed since they were born.
Michael Jackson has always been white. To them John Travolta has always
been
round in shape and they can't imagine how this fat guy could be a god
of
dance. They believe that Charlie's Angels and Mission Impossible are
films
from last year. They can never imagine life before computers. They'll
never
have pretended to be the A Team, RedHand Gang or the Famous Five.
They'll
never have applied to be on Jim'll Fix It or Why Don't You.
They can't believe a black and white television ever existed. And they
will never understand how we could leave the house without a mobile
phone.
Now let's check if we're getting old...
1. You understand what was written above and you smile.
2. You need to sleep more, usually until the afternoon, after a night
out.
3. Your friends are getting married/already married.
4. You are always surprised to see small children playing comfortably
with
computers.
5. When you see teenagers with mobile phones, you shake your head.
6. You remember watching Dirty Den in EastEnders the first time
around.
7. You meet your friends from time to time, talking about the good Old
days, repeating again all the funny things you have experienced
together.
8. Having read this mail, you are thinking of forwarding it to some
other
friends because you think they will like it too... Yes, you're getting
old!!
_________________
" Compassion and concern for others are what attract friends" His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
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