Then and Now

Then- Growing up we would ride our bikes all over the city. To friend's houses, beach, arcades, parks, malls etc. Without a care or fear in the world. All we knew is we had to be back when the street lights came on.
Now- With all the child predators out there and Megan's Law maps most parents with good reason dont allow their kids to go 2 blocks without knowing where they are.

Then- Speaking of riding bikes...we would just jump onto our bikes and the only protection we had was the clothes on our backs.
Now- I've seen kids with enough pads and helmet to look like hockey goalies!!

Then- When a teacher called home to say your child had misbehaved the parents would accept responsibility and discipline thier child accordingly.
Now- Parents do the whole "Not my kid" and somehow want to blame the teacher for their kids bad behaviors.

Then- We used to close off our street and have block parties because everybody in the neighborhood knew each other.
Now- Most people dont even acknowledge each other anymore.

Then- Athletes usually played for one or two teams in a career and you could buy a jersey knowing your favorite athlete would more than likely stay with your team
Now- Players change teams so much that I refuse to buy any jersey with a current players name on the back.

Then- You could tell jokes about different races and people would laugh.
Now- If you tell any race jokes, you are labled insensitive or a racist.

Then- The Government wasn't so involved in banning foods, they as they should felt it was an individuals responsibility to watch what they ate and how much of it.
Now- The government wants to ban or limit anything that they consider unhealthy for us because they think we cant do it ourselves anymore.

Then- McDonalds French Fries tasted so much better because they had enough salt and Pepsi was as sweet as it should be.
Now- McDonalds French fries taste similar to what cardboard may taste like and Pepsi isnt as good as it once was.

Then- We had a crappy Governor in California named Jerry Brown
Now- We have a crappy Governor in California named Jerry Brown

Then- I could buy a pack of 12 baseball cards for 25 cents
Now- I can buy a pack of 6 baseball cards for $2

Then- We would all pile into the back of a friends truck and go play baseball, goto the beach...etc.
Now- Try that now and you would get a serious ticket!!

Then- Kids were taught how to be resilient and if you fail at something you get back up and try again!!
Now- Kids are very much sheltered and parents try to shield their kids from failure. So much so that Ive read about parents accompanying their child on job interviews. Or threatening a teacher with a lwasuit if he/she gets a D or an F