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It Ain't Like It Used To Be

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By William F. Torpey


Newsies & Bootblacks

Photo by Lewis Hine
Photo by Lewis Hine
The Good Old Days/Good Old Music
The Good Old Days/Good Old Music

None of us is getting any younger, of course. But some of us, who have seen 50 come and go, tend to become a little nostalgic.

We long for "the good old days," the days of yesteryear when the music was our music, when the dances were our dances, when girls were girls and boys were boys, friends were friends -- and good triumphed over evil.

It's pleasant, after you've begun the back nine of life, to recall the days when it was a sin to tell a lie, when convicted criminals went to jail, when the kids -- nonviolent and drug free -- that roamed the halls of our grammar schools and high schools couldn't wait to grow up to become responsible adults.

We all thought, in those days, it was a good idea to love one's country, to be proud and patriotic, to be willing and ready to fight for our country -- and for the rights of our friends and neighbors, whatever their race, religion or nationality.

Today, we look longingly back at those days; days when trolley cars rode the rails on our main streets and took us everywhere we wanted to go -- cheaply, efficiently and, more to the point, enjoyably.

We resist the temptation now to say, "Those days are gone forever."

Where there's life there's hope; what goes around comes around. Maybe we'll all wise up one day and take a good look at ourselves; at what we were, what we've become.

Not long after you've passed the south side of 50, you begin to notice things, little things. It's a cliche, but true, that one of the things you observe very quickly as you get a little older is that the cop on the beat -- I beg your pardon: the cop you see in the patrol car -- seems to be getting younger all the time. You want to ask: Is he -- oops, I mean he or she -- really over 21?

And, there are other things! For instance, have you noticed:

* Banks don't give you clean, new money all the time anymore when you cash your check. In the old days, they'd weed out the faded, torn bills and often give you crisp new ones.

* When the telephone rings these days it's just as likely to be somebody trying to sell you something as your long forgotten aunt calling from Keokuk, Iowa.

* It's not easy to get fresh fruit anymore, even in season -- especially tomatoes (Oh, what I'd give for a good old-fashioned, vine ripened tomato!)

* Getting your car fixed is about equivalent to what it used to be like getting a tooth pulled.

* That guy you saw digging a sewerage hole in your neighborhood recently was a girl!

* It doesn't take half the time it used to take to make out Christmas cards.

* Few people turn their front tires toward the curb anymore when they're parking on a steep incline.

* A lot of things that used to be free -- such as festivals -- now charge you a fee, or, perhaps ask for a donation.

* Your golfing partners are a lot more likely to talk about their recent quadruple bypass than yesterday's basketball scores.

I wrote this "My View" for The Hour newspaper of Norwalk, Conn., on April 23, 1994. I now write my views on a wide variety of topics on HubPages. You can, too. It's easy, and free! Get paid for writing about what you love, or whatever interests you!. HubPages makes the technical part easy. Make friends and get help on its active forum. Take a quick tour to see how easy it is to get started today Click Here-- To view my HubPages Profile Click Here

The Good Old Days with Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters


Comments

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Bob  says:
2 years ago

Thought you were on your way to Maine... Anyway , this column I really enjoyed. I guess when you reach our age it's nice to remember the 40's and 50's.

compu-smart profile image

compu-smart  says:
2 years ago

The good ole days;)

Patty Inglish, MS profile image

Patty Inglish, MS  says:
2 years ago

I never realized that "Newsies" are the paperboys and not the newspapers until I saw the photo at the top of your Hub! Now I finally understand what Charity Newsies fully means. here it's either tomorrow or next Saturday. Boy! - a lot of people stand in the middle of the street that day!

William F. Torpey profile image

William F. Torpey  says:
2 years ago

Thanks, Bob and compu-smart. Patty, Before I retired in 2000 our newspaper put together a basketball team from our old editors and managers to play a game against the senior ladies basketball champs (I actually have a video tape of the charity event.) Our team was called The Hour Newsies. although the police chief and superintendent of schools were starters on the team. (We won!)

Marisa Wright profile image

Marisa Wright  says:
2 years ago

Love reading your Hubs, even though some of the politics is lost on me (I'm an Aussie). It's the quality of writing - you can tell you're a professional writer. Being just on the wrong side of 50, I have no trouble identifying with this particular Hub, though!

William F. Torpey profile image

William F. Torpey  says:
2 years ago

I'm glad you enjoy my hubs, Marisa. Thanks for your kind comments. Everything I write comes from heart. They say one person can make a difference -- I'm trying to do my part.

Mr. David  says:
2 months ago

Yes in the 'good old days' where men were men and women... well you could ignore them as much as you wanted and they would still bring you dinner. When you could spit on a black person or even beat them and call them that ever so fun word that is so taboo now. Man, I wish I could go back to the good old days and make homosexuals feel inhuman and remind myself that being white and male is the way to be. I could laugh at difference as much as I wanted. Oh the good old days. And as for living in the 50s, at least I didn't have to be 'politically correct' jeeze, if I want to slap the ass of my secretary, subjugate blacks, immigrants and gays, I should be able to. You are 100% RIGHT, I wish we still lived in the past. It would be SWELL. Rise up and take back white bread suburbia for ALL (excluding blacks, gays, immigrants, anyone not white or conforming to the idea of patriarchy). I applaud you and your effective criticism of this 'ridiculous' modern day society. You sir are a saint.

Bing Crosby RULES!!!!!!!

(Oh and Gunga Din is the BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME. I like the part where they kill all the In..(oh just to live in the past for a moment) Sandniggers.

I hope one day you build a time machine so we can all go back to the 50s and hate on non whites and women.

God Bless.

William F. Torpey profile image

William F. Torpey  says:
2 months ago

No doubt about it, Mr. David, the good old days left a lot to be desired. The history of the world is rife with shameful prejudice and violence. If you look at the state of the world today, I'm not sure that we've made much progress in this regard. I can only hope that all of us will make every effort to right the wrongs of the past -- and present. At the same time, each of us is obliged to make the most of our lives in the face of adversity. We are also obliged to work toward achieving equality for all. But don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Let's make the "good old days" good for everyone. If you think we can't, I say what President Obama says: "Yes, we can!"

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