GRIPES

I don't know if I'm am just nostalgic or I have become a curmudgeon, but I've come to think that some things were a lot better when I was a kid than now. I'm not a troglodyte; most of the technological advances are a vast improvement. Computers are wonderful, washer and dryers terrific, CDs a marvel, and dish washers one of the greatest inventions since the wheel. Medicine has vastly improved, dentistry is far more comfortable, and there are all sorts of pills for what ails you. No, it's other sorts of things that are a problem for me.

I really would hate to be a kid trying to grow up in our society. In my community they are constantly testing the kids with standardized test requiring you to fill in little circles with number two pencils. Oh yeah, that's going to be really important in life. As a result a whole lot of kids can't even find their home town on a map because there is no time to teach trivialities like geography when there are circles to be filled. I also fear for the kids. When I was in school we practiced for air raids. We'd stand two or three deep in the halls covering our faces. I'm not sure what that would have done if an A-bomb fell on the school, but at least we had the knowledge that no one had yet bombed a school. Today's kids have to worry about being shot. They need metal detectors to search for weapons and bans on backpacks to try to keep the kids safe. And despite the precautions every so often there is some act of terror at a school.

Then there're drug problems. There were some guys when I was in high school who drank alcohol to the point of oblivion on weekends, but hard drugs in school were never dreamed of. Now they're available in the middle schools. When I was in sixth grade the only serious problem we had was one kid who smoked, and the teacher watched him like a hawk, checking him for cigarettes with no fear of violating his rights against unreasonable searches. No, our kids are facing a tough time.

There are also some trivialities that bother me, like the lack of civility and manners. No man or boy would EVER have worn a hat inside a building. When I suggested that to male students at the university, they thought I was nuts. (Of course that's minor compared to the ones who answer their cell phones in class. Generally I object to almost everyone who uses a cell phone in public or while driving. Why is it necessary to report telephonically to anyone that you are in a restaurant having meatloaf? ) Young persons always said hello to their elders. I have to say that the young people I know at church are always polite to the adults even when some of the adults are downright rude to them. This gives me hope. However, around the building where I live, the kids would as soon run me over with their skateboards as acknowledge I'm a human being.

The death of the evening newspapers is another loss I mourn. I don't like getting my news from the TV or radio (Except for NPR and PBS). I like more in-depth reporting, sidebars on related topics, and commentary by real columnists. Sure we get that in the morning, but I'd still like to settle down in the evening when I have more time to see what went on. I miss the Chicago Daily News.

I don't watch much television because I can only get 2 1/2 channels unless I pay for cable which I refuse to do. You pay for cable and still have to watch commercials. What's the point? Besides, the programs are awful. What I enjoyed were programs like Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, The People's Choice (with the basset hound, Cleo), Our Miss Brooks, Mister Peepers, I love Lucy, I've got a Secret, What's my Line? and of course the variety shows like Sid Caesar, Carol Burnet, and Ed Sullivan. When's the last time you saw the opening scene from The Man of LaMancha, Senor Wences (the ventriloquist), and a guy spinning pie plates on top of sticks all in the same program?

Final gripe (for now): Urban Sprawl. When I was young (about the time kerosene lamps were invented), our family spent many holidays at Phil's Beach on Bangs Lake. There was so much to do there. Swimming, of course, and building castles on the sand, and riding the floating horses made of kegs, and running to the end of the pier, and watching people slide down the big slide (I was too chicken to try it), and picnicking, and a little store (with a bar, I think). Actually, if you saw the movie The Blues Brothers, you've seen Phil's Beach. It's the scene on the beach where they are announcing the concert with a sound truck. A day at Phil's Beach was great fun, followed by a painful night with a wicked sunburn. I was looking for a picture of Phil's Beach (at the head of this blog) only to discover it closed in 1990, a victim of development. There are no public beaches left on Bangs Lake. It's all developed now.

It's quite similar to what happens here. Farms are bought up and replaced with houses and stores and roads. It's called progress. The current administration in Washington has proposed selling of some bits of the National Forest here for development. That's supposed to be progress, too. What will we do when they sell off all the open land? Is it really progress to cover nature in concrete? What would Teddy Roosevelt have to say about this foolishness?

Sorry, that's getting us into politics. Well, that's another thing I liked about the days gone by. The country used to be run by statesmen with a vision for the future. Now it's run by politicians with their eyes on the buck. Sometimes what passes for progress is one step forward and two steps back. That's no way to get anywhere on a journey.

May the Lord God bless you on your way and greet you on your arrival.
Wayne