To the older posters; Would you prefer to have been born later?

[NMH]

Apologies to the younger posters here, but I'm curious about the older NSC members now;

While growing up, a familiar sound from the older generation was "I wish I was your age" and "what I wouldn't do to be young now".
Granted, most of them had lived through the horrors of at least one war, suffered polio epidemics, conscription and rationing - but the general feeling was that people born post 1945 had it made, "luxury" etc.
I had expected that it would be something that went with age, and that I'd be pining from the hardships of my youth, jealous of kids of today.

Personally, I don't feel it at all. I can't say I'd have wanted to live in any other time in history - and not much later than the one I've been in so far!
The football, for a start. We won the World Cup, and I watched it live, (albeit on tv). Geoff Hurst, George Best, Beckenbauer, Johann Cruyff, Neeskins, Platini.
Then watching Lawrenson and Ward season after season!
Vinyl records - cd's don't sound better to me - okay, so you can put a CD in your car stereo with 17 speakers, jump to the next track or track 6 or replay the last one.
The 60's music - Beatles and Stones, beat, psych, early progressive, Floyd and Zep and Crimson, Bowie and and and. Then punk and indie, electronic.
Hmmm..... only 2 television channels.... then 3....... 4..........satellite, cable, internet streaming! Benny Hill, Tommy Cooper, Python, 'Frank Spencer', Rising Damp, Porridge. Survival, Jacques Cousteau, Tomorrow's World. Avengers, UNCLE, 007, Lost in Space, Flintstones, Top Cat, Yogi Bear, Star Trek, Prisoner, Top of The Pops.
Clockwork Orange, Cuckoo's Nest, Clint, Deniro, Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman Robert Redford, Woody Allen.
Anti-biotics get rid of loads of things, anaesthetics for every op or dental treatment.
Cross the World in a day. A few hours, and you can be standing over Iguasu, laying on Cococabana, surfing Bondi, diving Indian Ocean, climbing Krakatoa, shopping in Tokyo.
Portable telephones, computers, personal stereos.

I can't say "now we had it tough" or "you youngsters don't know how good you've got it" - I'm too busy thinking "we've been lucky, we've had it made"

Can anyone here over 40, say they wished they could trade their experiences, lived another, or a better era?

 

[Trufflehound]

I'm very happy with where and when I grew up, for many of the same reasons.

But I have climbed Krakatoa, and that WAS f***ing tough. It's only 200m high, but imagine trying to scramble up a 200m high pile of soft ashy black sand, where every 30cm step up you take, your feet slide back down 29.9cm. And all that in 40°C scorching sunshine whilst getting suffocated by the clouds of sulphorous fumes coming out of the fumaroles.

I dunno, kids of today, don't know they're born etc etc...

Unless they've climbed Krakatoa too of course, in which case they probably do...

 

[Gazwag]

No way would I have wanted to be born later, just on a football point of view I would never have stood on terraces to start with. When I think back to certain matches and how different they would be nowadays (Cup Semi Final & Final, away matches to big clubs, England v Scotland).

It also very different for people in authority nowadays, police, teachers, firemen, ambulance men etc, all of whom demanded and received respect from 95% of the population, very different now.

 

[Billy the Fish]

I wish I was born 15 years earlier, I would've been there for the beginning of the rave scene, been able to go to football when you were allowed to enjoy yourself and seen the glory years of the Albion.

 

[Hiney]

I was born in 1959 which means I was too young to experience at first hand The Who in their formative years, Hendrix and many other things that happened in the 60s that I have come to love in my older years,

It did mean however, that when I was a teenager I was able to see bands that I love, go to The Albion home and away during the AMAZING years of the late 70s and generally have a fantastic time before I got saddled with all the baggage associated with getting older!

 

[Tooting Gull]

Good thread - and I would fully expect it (as it already is) to indicate virtually no one, having had a good look at today's society, would prefer to be born later.

We are continually and laughably told that we are richer, happier, and that the schools/health system/policing are all better - clearly a crock of shite if you believe those who have had a good look at both.

Just about to hit the big 40 myself, I'd agree with many of the reasons above on football/music/TV. Also I think kids have a lot more pressure on them these days, and aren't able so much to just enjoy growing up, playing outside etc without the fear of some bogeyman about to snatch them. Probably a lot to do with parents attitude and the media that one, though.

 

[Cian]

I wish I was born 15 years earlier, I would've been there for the beginning of the rave scene, been able to go to football when you were allowed to enjoy yourself and seen the glory years of the Albion.

Similar, although based on the music I'm in to 5 years would do for that. And I'd need about 20 to see the Albion at their heights and actually appreciate it.

 

[moggy]

i was born in 67 but if i could choose a time it would have been the late 20s so i could've been around during WW11

 

[Seagullible]

grew up in the 80's and loved it, wish things were like they were then when kids played games in the streets without worrying if there was some freak about to take them away (not saying it never happened but attitudes where different). Also people are lazier now with all the technology etc.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

i was born in 67 but if i could choose a time it would have been the late 20s so i could've been around during WW11

I'm sure there are plenty of people who WERE around during WW2 that would quite happily swap with you.

 

[Conkers]

grew up in the 80's and loved it, wish things were like they were then when kids played games in the streets without worrying if there was some freak about to take them away (not saying it never happened but attitudes where different). Also people are lazier now with all the technology etc.

Exactly, how DARE these people use this so called "internet" rubbish. Anyone who does deserves to go straight to hell.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

shut up you old git!!!theres no respect from the youth of today give em a good thrashing i say

 

[Conkers]

shut up you old git!!!theres no respect from the youth of today give em a good thrashing i say

You really can't blame the kids. The blame lays squarely on the shoulders of the parents etc etc. Oh wait a minute, the blame is on the older generation I hear you say (as the parents are the older genereation)? Well I never.

 

[Tooting Gull]

shut up you old git!!!theres no respect from the youth of today give em a good thrashing i say

Talk about turkeys voting for Christmas - it's not every day you see a 12-year-old advocating a return to corporal punishment.

 

[Kent Seagull]

I'm 50 and no complaints from me. I think I was lucky to have the childhood I had. No internet and telly, just good old fashioned football and cricket down the rec. Building camps and riding motor bikes along disused railway lines. Riding a bike on the road without having parents worried about coping with the heavy traffic. Being able to roam the streets in what seemed like much more safety without worry about peodos, we never knew what they were, how could we worry! I think we had much more freedom and a much healthier lifestyle, we certainly got plenty of excercise! We had the great music of the 60s and 70s and like others have pointed out an England World Cup win, top flight Albion with real class players like Wardy and Lawrenson and a Cup Final at Wembley. Tough? Not at all!

Now we're getting older we are surrounded by lots of luxury and multi channel tv, internet to enjoy before we peg out, I reckon we got it about right. The young uns of today don't know what they missed!

 

[NMH]

I notice a couple of mentions for that thing I left out - the feeling of freedom to be out alone as a kid.

Yeah, it was a different attitude back then - though there WERE a lot of weirdos - most of us managed to dodge them though I would guess. I used to bike over to Hove Park at 6 years old, crossing the Old Shoreham Road, and without any adult supervision (sometimes waiting in the middle of the road for the lane to be free ). Then sometimes went to The Goldstone with my same-aged mate, from the age of 5!
Excursions alone, to go digging bait, night fishing, play football, bird's-nesting, conkers, climbing etc without adults around (unless they were chasing us off their farmland or whatever) were normal.

 

[Gazwag]

grew up in the 80's and loved it, wish things were like they were then when kids played games in the streets without worrying if there was some freak about to take them away (not saying it never happened but attitudes where different). Also people are lazier now with all the technology etc.

The only difference between then and now is then those "freaks" were able to gain employment in childrens homes, the church etc but today they find it much harder so have to resort in taking kids off the street

 

[pasty]

No. Purely because I would not want to be much younger than I am now (43) in todays world.

 

[The Oldman]

Born in 1942 and no regrets. Think my age group have been very priveleged as so much has happened in our lifetime. Our way of living now is is so different to that of my parents. I think they would be quite bewildered by what we have and do.

Like all older folk I do worry about the future. I think this nation of ours has gone mad with political correctness and prying into all aspects of an individual's life. However, I am sure that today's generation will sort it out. They nearly always do.
Hope I'm around for a few more years to join in the excitement.

 

[bhaexpress]

I left school in 1972 with just about nothing for qualifications, I had no problem getting a halfway decent job despite that. My piers who went to Uni paid nothing (although that meant that many goofed around for a year or two and then dropped out). Sure we had the IRA but now we have other scum who try to blow us up. We did have politicians who weren't giving blow jobs to American presidents though. We had far more disciplin in schools and as far as I can remember, on the streets. We dod not let any Tom, Dick or Harry come and live in this country either and nobody tried to tell us not to use pharses or words like 'Christian Name' or Christmas.

No, I'm glad I was born in the 50s.