Sunday, January 27, 2013

Question for Our Mature Readers

Language shifts in time.  Statement Analysis must keep current, which is why context is so important, especially moving forward in analyzing emails, texts, tweets, woofs, bow wows, or any other forms of communication.  

This led me to a question I find fascinating:  

What are some of the things that today's kids miss out on?

                 Post your list in the comments section.  


To give you a start....Bob Dylan said, "I don't mainline nostalgia" but it doesn't mean he ignores it.  Language shifts and changes with time.  

In my dad's generation, here is a pop quiz first:

1.  What was a "tomato?"
2.  What was a "doll"?  "old doll"?
3.  What did it mean to "pitch woo"?
4.  What was a "cup of joe"?


               In terms of what kids might miss out on today:  

I have seen some say:

LPs

Rotary dial phones

Walkie Talkies

Learning to spell without electronic intervention

Penmanship

Civility, manners and holding doors for ladies

Watching one's language in a woman's company...

Radio shows where they did story telling

33 comments:

Joe said...

The joy of trial and error, the amazing lessons that emarge from failure, the creativity that emerges from bordom, the joy and pride that emerges from a personal success; the value of something, anything earned.

J

Anonymous said...

Um, my kids have manners,hold doors, say ma'am and sir, use proper spelling, practice penmanship, and watch their language. They also listen to Adventures in Odyssey on the radio.

Anonymous said...

If I embarrassed myself people could talk about it, but it wouldn't show on facebook or youtube

Anonymous said...

1. What was a "tomato?"
A pretty woman

2. What was a "doll"? "old doll"?
Don't know this one.

3. What did it mean to "pitch woo"?
Holding hands & kissing

4. What was a "cup of joe"?
Coffee

Sus said...

I think a doll is a pretty girl. My mom always says, "She's such a doll." Or "Let's doll up." Meaning put on make-up and get dressed up. I don't know about old doll.

Vita said...

From my grandfathers own saids,
He would say of women, that worked at the bank, he to be a business owner, all knew him.

He called young women, tellers, who were nice to him, " Dolls" as they were his own daughter's age. Not a term of flirt, no. Was a term of endearment, not anything more.

He called the older women, his own age, who worked at the bank, he would call them Dames. Not to their face, I noted this as he spoke of them, after he would leave the bank. He wasn't one to speak to women, as he simply did not engage in conversations with any women, but the women at his bank.

If he saw a woman that came into his business, that he saw from afar, pretty, he would call her a Toots, not to her face, he would smile and say Wow, what a toots! If he knew her that she was a regular in his store, if he made a comment to her, his comments were observing, not offensive. As he was born 1906, he knew what was crossing the line. He only had Eyes for One and that was my Grandma, and he called her " The Boss" he to say this with bright eyes and a smirk, yes.

If any woman unknown to him, was to engage in conversation with him, inside their store. He would retreat and point to my Grandma, and say, you better ask, or talk to my Boss. :)

His one and only, my Grandma, she was his once in a life time, and everyone knew this. His said of her, he would call her " his Gal, my Gal" at times, when he thought no one was paying attention. He was one that kept his sentiments of her to himself. All the words to describe women, he never used the word Broad, to him, I believe he felt, this was offensive to women, he loved women, and was tactful at all times. He surrounded by 4 women, his wife and three daughters. He respected them, as he did all women. He loved and worshiped his own mother, if anyone were to call her a Broad, would be to him, fighting words.

The one thing he would say, when he was angry at/with a male, he would say this " griping to himself" as he never swore in front of me. I don't believe I ever heard him swear, unless it was in Hungarian, me not to understand him.

He would say out loud, "That Son of a Sea Cook" he to grumble,,,

I never knew what this meant, until one day I said it out loud in front of my mother. Next thing I was eating soap. Guess it was not a ladylike expression coming from a 5 yr old.

Skeptical said...

Cruising on the weekend in the car. Drive in movies. Getting a burger and a Coke at a drive in with trays on the window and blinking the car lights to signal the car hop. Real Coke with real sugar (no HFC) that burned your throat when you swallowed. Unlocked doors. Playing outside until dark-thirty without supervision. Riding a bike without a helmet. The smell of fresh sheets that had been hung outdoors in clean air and used the UV rays of the sun for a germicide.

Mixed age lessons in a 3-room school house. Grades 1-3 in one room and grades 4-6 in the other. Large auditorium with stage for Christmas and patriotic productions and a place to gather when recess had to be spent indoors on rainy days.

Gwen said...

I agree with Skeptical, real Coke was delicious. We also occasionally ate at a car hop and nearly every Sunday was a long car drive.

Until a few years ago, my working career was as a secretary, so my earliest memories are of: using only typewriters, specifically an IBM Selectric, carbon paper, mimeograph machine. Also, I was trained in shorthand and had plenty of occasion to "take a letter" using shorthand.

I'm not sure there is any "missing" this (other than that children were generally better dressed), but girls were not allowed to wear pants to school (until those rules changed some time in the early 1970s). We would all have shorts under our dresses so we could play on the playground equipment.

Unknown said...

The one thing I remember that I regret my kids can't have today is roaming the neighborhood on my bike, playing with friends and going home for dinner when the street lights came on.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

I had the same rule on the bike! We didn't even lock our bikes at school.

McDonald's french fries were amazing cooked in lard.

Alphabets.

"Old doll" was a grown man's mother whom he cared for.

I like the retro Pepsi...."Throwback"

S + K Mum said...

Difficult question I think!

I try to let my kids have the same upbringing as I had, manners, experiences etc.

I would say though, the biggest thing a lot of kids miss out on is outdoor/ indoor playing - all thanks to the many gaming systems and other technologies available.

And as someone posted above, if they make a mistake or something happens to them, the 'story' spreads quicker and further and often has video/ photographic evidence. Very difficult for them to get over any mistakes, mishaps, bullying etc.

On the plus side, they are lucky to benefit from the advances in medicine and might benefit from advances in health information.(Should the parents take note of course!)

brosnanfan said...

Hm...

A tomato: A gorgeous woman, maybe a real hottie?

A doll: Someone who is wonderful, good-looking, great personality, when flirting with them? (I'm thinking of an episode of TAGS with The Fun Girls: "Ooh, you're a doll!" said to Andy).

An old doll: Um...a loved older woman?

Pitching woo: Courting, dating, going out.

Cup of joe: Cup of coffee, probably black.

brosnanfan said...

What do they miss? A sense of responsibility and of a job well done, and of being bored.

Anonymous said...

-Catching lightening bugs on a warm summer night.
-Experiencing the family pet having puppies/kitties.
-A garden.
-Fresh whipping cream.
-Placing baskets of flowers on the stoop, ringing the doorbell, and running away on May Day!
-Porch swings.
-Prank phone calls -- Got Prince Albert.
-Perry Mason.
-Nancy Drew.

Great fun!
Suzie

dadgum said...

My daughter and I spent most of the day in the barn with her girls. We moved hay, cleaned stalls, groomed tiny horses and practiced with the fillies. They brushed Darlene, the heifer..and fed the donkeys treats.

The little ones tossed rocks into the melting puddles on the road. They collected pine cones, and threw those in too. Remember playing like that, with no concern for time?

They broke the ice in the water troughs, and carried buckets of fresh water. They know what it means to care for a creature who pays you back with work, or fun..eggs, or its life. they know what it is to be kind, gentle, and grateful.

I am pleased that my kids see the value in learning to entertain yourself, and to find satisfaction in your work. And that computers and phones are not the answer to boredom.

Too many will never have the pleasure of turning a page in a book, sitting under a tree on a quiet afternoon..

On the other side, I wrestle with two young ones..they are content to be entertained by 'my little pony' when the real thing is just outside. Hours of 'spongebob', mindless..not even entertaining any longer. Just filling time. They are never happy, never satisfied.

Fighting over the computer, or phone to play a silly game. their mom has taught them to feel better by shopping, or mc donalds..it breaks my heart.

I give them crayons and paper, we make play dough from scratch. Toys that make you think and be creative. Or no toys at all. They are learning, but there is so much to unlearn...

~ABC said...

Knowing how to use complete sentences and "count back" change!

~ABC said...

OH and penny candy :-)

Roller Skate Key said...

*Using your imagination to play Make Believe.
*Playing games outside without 'equipment' - Kick the Can or Frozen Tag.
*Counting Cash back in a transaction...properly.
*Knowing someone's phone number.....by heart.
*Finding a real neighborhood library and going inside just to remember the SMELL!

*What were those Tupperware things to put in the top of a soda bottle with ice cream inside to make your own homemade 'float'?

Anonymous said...

I too have nostalgia for the past…how did we go wrong?

Shayna said...

Awww Skeptical, you just described my childhood, minus the litte school house. It was a different time just 25-30 years ago. I'm scared for today's kids.

Amaleen6 said...

The feel and smell of a well-loved book.

The art of actually looking at each other and conversing, as opposed to merely texting.

Walking downtown on a Saturday morning to the five-and-dime and drinking a soda at the lunch counter.

Piling in with friends and/or family and watching movies at the drive-in.

Having only two or three TV channels, but a difficult time deciding which one to watch, rather than hundreds of channels of crap.

Stopping after school for candy at the mom-and-pop, where there was much to be had for 10 cents.

Going to school where the biggest problem was passing notes and putting gum under the desks.

Why was I so anxious to be a grownup, again?

Anonymous said...

Courtship.
Holding hands and kissing are supposed to happen before sex.
Other thing that happen before sex include: knowing each other, becoming close, bonding, and falling in love.



dadgum said...

..adjusting the rabbit-ear antennae, then adjusting the vertical and horizontal hold..

remember when stations went off the air late at night? and played the
Star Spangled Banner? Or read 'Top Flight'?

actually leaving your seat to change channels?

Waiting for the TV Guide describing new shows? and then the family watching them together because they were only on once?

going to the drive in in your pajamas?

The local AM radio station went off air at sundown?

coming home from school for lunch that your Mom made..and Mom being there when you got home after school? What a gift that was, and what a privilege for the few stay at home moms I know now..

dadgum said...

going to church o Sunday with your teachers, and seeing that they, too, had families, and took communion alongside yours..

Sus said...

This is a fascinating subject. One big difference between my and my kids' generation is that I grew up in the "cover-up" age. To me everything SEEMED wonderful. I grew up feeling safe and secure, skipping through life. Lol.

Then I found out presidents have affairs, young men die in useless wars, political parties spy on each other, half of marriages end in divorce, children starve. But I have the security of my great childhood and family's love before I discovered these things.

My kids knew these things from the time they were young. Technology makes it so they are bombarded with negative news. As hard as I try to counteract the negative with positive, outside influences are usually negative. I remember my son worrying about war when he was in kindergarten! He thought presidents should just thumb wrestle so boys didn't have to die.

My point is I grew up worry free, out on the farm, not a care in the world. My kids had more stress and felt the woes of the world.

BostonLady said...

I'm late to the quiz but I did get a few of them !

1. What was a "tomato?" - Hot babe.

2. What was a "doll"? "old doll"? - affectionate term for a female. Old doll would be a more mature female.

3. What did it mean to "pitch woo"?
This one stumped me. I never heard the term.

4. What was a "cup of joe"?
A cup of coffee.




dadgum said...

'cool' and 'groovy' post Peter!

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Thanks, dad gum!

BL:

Pitching woo is the soft words a man would say to a young woman he was trying to get to like him.

"Old dolls": Anyone know, "The Lemon Drop Kid" movie??

It was an affectionate NYC slang for someone's mother.

dadgum said...

OT..we would appreciate prayers Tuesday morning. Sam will be having surgery. Not a serious issue, but necessary, and in his situation, any general anesthesia is a worry. Many thanks.. Jean

Tania Cadogan said...

It's funny how we all speak the same language yet we don't.

Where i live there are a lot of scots (and irish) so much so we have a grampian club and the irish centre (both built by their members)

local words include

hen - term of endearment for a woman, equivalent to 'love' or 'darling'

wheesht - be quiet

a-wiz-nae - I was not

boggin' - dirty or smelly

boot - ugly woman

fannybawz - a term of endearment/ridicule

jessie/jessy - wimp/big girl's blouse

sook - big softie (ya wee sook)

dunderheed a nice fool

fannybawz - a term of endearment/ridicule (ho, here fannybawz, geez a chip)

it seems strange visiting the next town and hearing the local enflish accent ( i love it cos they say goo or gooing rather than go or going.

We now have a large east european
population many of whom drive the buses and taxis, they have to larn real quick the loveliness of the drunk scot and the abbreviations used for locations, occy rd(occupation rd) rocky rd (rockingham rd( stevie way (stephenson way), the toon (town centre.

Anonymous said...

Playing Scrabble or other board games on a rainy day.

Sending thank you notes in the mail.

Skeptical said...

One more thing. Thanks be to God, Dr. Salk and Dr. Sabin, the children of today will not have to experience living with the fear of polio or the disease itself. Most of the childhood diseases had been contained - whooping cough, scarlet fever, diphtheria, tetanus, but for many summers polio made the blood of parents run cold. If a case was reported, swimming pools were closed, getting chilled was avoided at all costs, and crowds were avoided. This disease was the big shadow over everyone's childhood. I can't think of anything comparable to it today.

Anonymous said...

My dad used to say, "No comments from the peanut gallery!" Especially when we were all sitting back observing him work.