The Green Thing

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she
should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for
the environment.

The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green
thing back in my day."

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did clearly
care enough to save our environment."

He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to
the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and
sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and
over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing
back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store
and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb
into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But
she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the
throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, clearly in an energy gobbling
machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the
clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters,
clearly always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right; we didn't
have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- clearly a TV in every
room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief
(remember them?), clearly a screen the size of the state of Montana . In
the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have
electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile
item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion
it, clearly Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up
an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower
that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to
go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or
a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled
writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the
razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just
because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back
then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes
to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi
service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, clearly an entire bank of
sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized
gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in
space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old
folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?


but seriously i would do all of those things just to piss on the environment

donno m8, a true conservative likes having technology and advancement

Itt: an angry grandparent talks shit about the way things once were

sometimes i wish it was like it was back in the olden days. diablo 2 every night, nothin to do in the summer, could eat whatever i wanted

In my day lake Erie would start on fire like every 12 years

This post has been edited by blind_chief on Thu - Aug 4 2011 - 10:51:07

Insert here argument about how you wouldn't have a stable economy without the consumers who drive it.

I'd like to empty 3 cans of aerosol into the face every tree hugging hippie who tells me I'm ruining their earth.

Can't believe I let myself get involved in this toilet. Quick, make an agenda!

nice

Evan, why do you and Despenshirre even care?

Havent your rich parents already purchased you a ride to another civilized planet when we fuck this one?

Key points here:
-Both of the individuals involved can learn from each other rather than being self-righteous.
-Many of the things listed as "back in my day" were out of lack of better technology, clearly to be environmentally friendly.
-Most people are dicks to people working in retail because they feel like they are superior to them.

Single points:
-Bigass cars now may have 300hp engines, but cars today tend to be far more efficient than cars were decades ago.
-Most gyms/fitness clubs have treadmills hooked up to generate power (at least around here)
-People took streetcars and buses before car companies purchased and dismantled them. Public transportation is fucking terrible in America. The trains I ride are the same ones you rode back in you day" because a certain faction in government refuses to spend money on transportation infrastructure.
-Disposable razors are usually awful, but at least most of the multi-blade ones just replace the head, which has less metal than a traditional razor blade. I shave with a straight razor when I need a close shave, and I recycle the blades when the jar of old ones gets full every other year.
-People are afraid to drink from water fountains because your generation polluted our water supplies.
-Some people need a device on the internet to find the nearest pizza place because they don't have phone books anymore. This message was emailed to you rather than sent as a letter or read in a newspaper. Isn't it convenient and "green"?

giant penis

I loathe the phrase "going green" possibly more than anything ever

they bought me the ride but also the planet

i let james cameron use it to film avatar

steve would probably be the worst person on the planet to attend a movie with.

"euhhh thats clearly possible, gravity would have simply taken effect causing action a which would have prevented action b, theres no way that could happen euhhh"

its a movie, take it fwiw

this is propaganda, take it fwiw

Sounds like me while watching Fahrenheit 9/11

murder everybody, that's what they are there for

for every animal you don't eat i'll eat three

etc etc etc

i wish i liked nickleback so i could be friends with gull and evan

I wish I liked phish so I could understand liberal economics

party like a rock party like a rockstar

Butthurt much?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx_zHHC1QeM

FUCK THE SURGEON GENERAL BREAKFAST ALL DAY

i eat breakfast food for lunch at 6am, does that count as all day

and for dinner at 11am