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FWIW - "Lead" paint contains Lead Acetate and or Lead Oxide(s). The acetate tastes sweet so kids get hooked and will actually peel the stuff off windows and walls. The Lead is a neuro toxin that cripples before it kills.
The problem is - what 'old generation' are we talking about?
If we're talking about my grandparents or great-grandparents (early 1900s), then fine. But certainly not my parents' generation (mid-1960s+). My parents drove in cars that got 8-10 mpg. They had appliances that sucked tons of energy (albeit there might have been fewer of them). They grew up in a society that a sign of wealth was being able to throw out things they didn't want any longer. You walked into a restaurant and could see the layer of smoke hovering near the ceiling.
But, most importantly, my parents grew up in a generation that spent away the wealth and propersity their parents tried to save for them. Once the creditor of the world, the US sunk to the debtor nation of the world from the 1970s into the 1990s. Entitlement programs started by their parents to help people were left unreformed and only grew in size. Savings were thought to be a silly venture and being in debt and having 3000 sq ft McMansions was the way to go.
This country needs an energy revolution for sure, but it needs a cultural awakening before that.
If you are saying your parents generation as being BORN in the mid-60's, then I would agree to a certain extent. Those born in the 40's and 50's had a good grounding from their depression era parents!
Children left unattended in rooms with peeling paint is neglect by the parents. Most kids did not eat it because they were never around peeling paint.
It is only a problem in neighborhoods that most people would be afraid to drive in.
Just an FYI: eating peeling paint is only one avenue of exposure. The lead can become airborn when raising and closing windows that have the frames painted with lead paint; lead fishing weights (yes, I saw a case of exposure b/c of this).
While I do believe we can go overboard on the protection, I also know lead should be taken very seriously. When a child has prolonged exposure and the lead gets in the blood it decreases intelligence and can cause other learning disabilities.
Do a search on Tar Creek, or Picher, OK. Do a search on the documentary, 'The River Runs Red".
[quote=jodipper;20423502]Children left unattended in rooms with peeling paint is neglect by the parents. Most kids did not eat it because they were never around peeling paint.
It is only a problem in neighborhoods that most people would be afraid to drive in.[/quote]
LOL, been eating lead paint? Nice attitude.
My house was built in 1921. I love it, and no one has shot me yet.
FWIW - "Lead" paint contains Lead Acetate and or Lead Oxide(s). The acetate tastes sweet so kids get hooked and will actually peel the stuff off windows and walls. The Lead is a neuro toxin that cripples before it kills.
That is very interesting. I had mildly wondered why infants ate the stuff.
The problem is - what 'old generation' are we talking about?
If we're talking about my grandparents or great-grandparents (early 1900s), then fine. But certainly not my parents' generation (mid-1960s+). My parents drove in cars that got 8-10 mpg. They had appliances that sucked tons of energy (albeit there might have been fewer of them). They grew up in a society that a sign of wealth was being able to throw out things they didn't want any longer. You walked into a restaurant and could see the layer of smoke hovering near the ceiling.
But, most importantly, my parents grew up in a generation that spent away the wealth and propersity their parents tried to save for them. Once the creditor of the world, the US sunk to the debtor nation of the world from the 1970s into the 1990s. Entitlement programs started by their parents to help people were left unreformed and only grew in size. Savings were thought to be a silly venture and being in debt and having 3000 sq ft McMansions was the way to go.
This country needs an energy revolution for sure, but it needs a cultural awakening before that.
I don't know how old your parents are, but they sound like my age, and they must have been living a totally different life than I (and my friends and family members). Cause what you are describing sounds more like Gen X'ers (in re: to status symbols, throwing things away, wanting the newest and latest, buying McMansions and not saving).
Boomers did, indeed, live the life that the OP described. And not only that - I was there for the FIRST Earth Day in 1970, and my generation was big into recycling, repurposing and repairing and re-using.
Who the heck do you think Hippies were? It was my generation. We were learning Yoga and cooking our own food and making our own clothing while going to college - and working part time jobs to earn the money to get those degrees. Student loans were practically unheard of at that time, except for GI bill.
But I am from the South, where folks are much more into a history of that sort of behavior. We have gardens and everyone I knew canned or froze food. I bought my first freezer at age 25.
I grew up with it being a sign of wealth to inherit used furniture (good stuff!) and to "make do" until you could pay with cash. I think you folks don't understand that it was not even COMMON to have a credit card until the late 80s. Up until that point, if a person had a credit card, it was ONE CARD. Revolving credit cards (for retail stores) were more common, but as far a bank credit cards - NO. THey were not common at all!
In the 70s, you either paid cash or put something on "lay-away." Now that is a FACT.
And until recent history, a person had to put down 20% on a house and interest rates were high. We all thought in the 90s when interest rates were at 8.75% that we had seen the lowest rates we would see in our lifetimes.
All my friends learned to sew (while in high school) and we made the majority of our clothing. Disposable diapers were not common until the 80s, and even tho my son was born in the 80s, I still washed cotton diapers.
And my income level by the mid-80s was in the upper 5% of this nation, (b/c hubby was an exec, not due to my career, lol)
so . . . it wasn't as tho I was lower class and struggling so couldn't afford to "waste." I cooked my baby food and ground it by hand so my son would have the BEST. My friends did the same thing - we all had baby food grinders and it was the "in" thing to do! We also breast fed our babies b/c we didn't want to feed our babies anything "unnatural."
I drove 5 Volkswagen Beetles from my first car until I had a child and needed more space!!! The first Beetle I owned (30+ mpg) could be filled up and driven for a week on a few dollars (gas was 27 cents a gallon!) So this stuff about driving around in cars getting 8-10 mpg - I don't know where you all are getting that! Sure, some folks had muscle cars and big engines, but that was not a family car! When people had children - it was the station wagon that they went for - but gas was $1/gallon at that time! I myself moved from VWs to Volvos and Peugeots, wh/ were the safe and more gas efficient than American cars, typically, in the 80s.
McMansions were not a phenomenon til the 90s, folks. The average home was considered large at 2500 sq. feet up til that time.
My generation typically could only afford a very small starter home in the 70s or 80s. THen we "moved up" as our family expanded and we had more money to put down on a larger property. Most folks started out with houses under 1100 sq. ft. And it was very popular in the 70-80s to have fireplace inserts, so we could burn wood, as this was more economical and a renewable resource.
Perhaps other parts of the country were very different than the South, but I traveled and also had family in PA and NJ, and their lives were like ours. So I don't know where people are getting the idea that Boomers were big consumers and wasters.
Last edited by brokensky; 08-12-2011 at 08:24 AM..
So I don't know where people are getting the idea that Boomers were big consumers and wasters.
Well it's easy -- a lot of those things you talk about, like 20% down loans, et cetera, were all systems that were created by generations older than y'all.
When the Boomers came into "power" in the 80's and 90's, that's when we started the 0% down loans, McMansions, credit cards, increased public debt to GDP, increased private debt to GDP, etc. Bush and Clinton were the first two boomer presidents, and that was 1993 - 2008.
Well it's easy -- a lot of those things you talk about, like 20% down loans, et cetera, were all systems that were created by generations older than y'all.
When the Boomers came into "power" in the 80's and 90's, that's when we started the 0% down loans, McMansions, credit cards, increased public debt to GDP, increased private debt to GDP, etc. Bush and Clinton were the first two boomer presidents, and that was 1993 - 2008.
The 0% down loans only started after 2000 and Gen Xers were the ones buying into those! And indeed, GenXers on Wall Street were the ones selling derivatives like hot cakes all over the universe.
By 2000, Boomers were heading towards 50-55 and already established. Methinks the media has described the housing crisis and the demographics of who participated in those crazy loans incorrectly. By age 50, (1996 for first Boomers) Boomers had equity in their homes and so had no need for subprime or ALT-A loans.
Also, please remember . . . credit cards were offered to GenXers, without their parents' knowledge, like candy on college campuses, so GenXers got out of college in the 90s and already had credit card debt. I saw this firsthand w/ my stepkids. It wasn't Boomers running up credit card debt in the 90s! It was GenXers.
The problem is - what 'old generation' are we talking about?
If we're talking about my grandparents or great-grandparents (early 1900s), then fine. But certainly not my parents' generation (mid-1960s+). My parents drove in cars that got 8-10 mpg. They had appliances that sucked tons of energy (albeit there might have been fewer of them). They grew up in a society that a sign of wealth was being able to throw out things they didn't want any longer. You walked into a restaurant and could see the layer of smoke hovering near the ceiling.
But, most importantly, my parents grew up in a generation that spent away the wealth and propersity their parents tried to save for them. Once the creditor of the world, the US sunk to the debtor nation of the world from the 1970s into the 1990s. Entitlement programs started by their parents to help people were left unreformed and only grew in size. Savings were thought to be a silly venture and being in debt and having 3000 sq ft McMansions was the way to go.
This country needs an energy revolution for sure, but it needs a cultural awakening before that.
Ah, the arrogance/ignorance of youth.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anifani821
I don't know how old your parents are, but they sound like my age, and they must have been living a totally different life than I (and my friends and family members). Cause what you are describing sounds more like Gen X'ers (in re: to status symbols, throwing things away, wanting the newest and latest, buying McMansions and not saving).
Boomers did, indeed, live the life that the OP described. And not only that - I was there for the FIRST Earth Day in 1970, and my generation was big into recycling, repurposing and repairing and re-using.
Who the heck do you think Hippies were? It was my generation. We were learning Yoga and cooking our own food and making our own clothing while going to college - and working part time jobs to earn the money to get those degrees. Student loans were practically unheard of at that time, except for GI bill.
But I am from the South, where folks are much more into a history of that sort of behavior. We have gardens and everyone I knew canned or froze food. I bought my first freezer at age 25.
I grew up with it being a sign of wealth to inherit used furniture (good stuff!) and to "make do" until you could pay with cash. I think you folks don't understand that it was not even COMMON to have a credit card until the late 80s. Up until that point, if a person had a credit card, it was ONE CARD. Revolving credit cards (for retail stores) were more common, but as far a bank credit cards - NO. THey were not common at all!
In the 70s, you either paid cash or put something on "lay-away." Now that is a FACT.
And until recent history, a person had to put down 20% on a house and interest rates were high. We all thought in the 90s when interest rates were at 8.75% that we had seen the lowest rates we would see in our lifetimes.
All my friends learned to sew (while in high school) and we made the majority of our clothing. Disposable diapers were not common until the 80s, and even tho my son was born in the 80s, I still washed cotton diapers.
And my income level by the mid-80s was in the upper 5% of this nation, so . . . it wasn't as tho I was lower class and struggling so couldn't afford to "waste." I cooked my baby food and ground it by hand so my son would have the BEST. My friends did the same thing - we all had baby food grinders and it was the "in" thing to do! We also breast fed our babies b/c we didn't want to feed our babies anything "unnatural."
I drove 5 Volkswagen Beetles from my first car until I had a child and needed more space!!! The first Beetle I owned (30+ mpg) could be filled up and driven for a week on a few dollars (gas was 27 cents a gallon!) So this stuff about driving around in cars getting 8-10 mpg - I don't know where you all are getting that! Sure, some folks had muscle cars and big engines, but that was not a family car! When people had children - it was the station wagon that they went for - but gas was $1/gallon at that time!
McMansions were not a phenomenon til the 90s, folks. The average home was considered large at 2500 sq. feet up til that time.
My generation typically could only afford a very small starter home in the 70s or 80s. THen we "moved up" as our family expanded and we had more money to put down on a larger property. Most folks started out with houses under 1100 sq. ft. And it was very popular in the 70-80s to have fireplace inserts, so we could burn wood, as this was more economical and a renewable resource.
Perhaps other parts of the country were very different than the South, but I traveled and also had family in PA and NJ, and their lives were like ours. So I don't know where people are getting the idea that Boomers were big consumers and wasters.
I am of the same generation. I bolded the parts I especially agree with. Just to recap, I am from Pennsylvania and have lived in Colorado the last 30 years; my DH is from Nebraska. We both lived a number of years in Illinois. We lived these same lives in those states as well, including, in the early years here (starting in 1980) in CO. When we bought our first house, in 1982, interest rates were at ~14-15%. 20% down, assume the old mortgage and take out a second at the above rate. Our first house, where we had two kids, was 1300 sq. ft. I did use disposable diapers at DH's insistence, but I didn't throw out much else. The few baby bottles I used were reusable, but mostly I breastfed for the above reasons.
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