The 20th Century brought radical changes to our world. Innovations in communication, transportation, technology, and medicine changed the way people live all over the world. I’ve read more technological advances occurred during the second half of the 20th century than in all the time before.
I remember when The Deer Hunter first got one of those bulky bag car phones-I just couldn’t help thinking “If my Papaw could see this what would he think? People can’t even drive around without a phone?” In the few years since then, the cell phone phenomena has exploded to include not just folks who work for themselves like The Deer Hunter, but to every facet of the population.
A few weeks ago I went on a field trip with Chatter and Chitter to a Renaissance Festival. It was very crowded and at one point the class got separated into 4 different groups. I was surprised when I begin to see several of the 6th graders in my group pull out their cell phones and try to reach the other groups by calling or texting. I was glad those kids had phones-because I’m part of the small minority who still doesn’t have a cell phone.
While it’s interesting to look back over the entire 20th Century-I’m amazed by the changes that have occurred in my lifetime. Random ones that come to mind: t.v. remotes, vcrs, video cameras, cassettes, dvds, cds, microwaves, bottled water, and of course cell phones.
Its funny, now I hear myself telling Chitter and Chatter “when I was a kid” stories just like Pap and Granny use to tell me “when I was a kid” stories. Some of their stories were about who first had electricity in their community, who had the first t.v. or phone. Related to those mine would be: our phone was a party line-meaning several homes shared the same phone line and some of them frowned on 6th grade girls tying up the line, our t.v. had 3 channels and you had to get up to turn the channel or change the volume level.
Today’s Pickin & Grinnin In The Kitchen Spot features a song written by John Prine and Steve Goodman “The 20th Century is Almost Over” it has been re-worded slightly-because the 20th Century is already over.
I hope you enjoyed the music. Please leave a comment about how the changes of the 20th Century affected your life-maybe I can use them to prove to Chitter and Chatter they really do live in the lap of luxury.
Tipper
Oh, how I love this post! I resisted and fought and resisted some more when Electric Man first started pushing the idea of the cell phone. I had lived 29 years (a-hem!) without a phone in my purse, and I was pretty sanctimonious about it, actually.
But I have given in.
Sometimes I still forget to take it with me. That might be a kind of subconcious, silent rebellion, ya think? oooooh, it makes ’em mad at me! lol
I was able to get back on etsy from work (still not from home; don’t know what that’s about) so I got your invoice and will be sending you a check for “Take A Number.” Can’t wait to get it!
Blessings this weekend, Tipper.
Tipper, My husband wants me to thank you for always bringing up the topics that I seem to bore him endlessly with because I have no one else to talk to. Now I just tell him I was able to read this awesome post about “insert topic”, and have virtual conversations about it, so I bore him no more!
My littlest sister is 12 years younger than me. It was so interesting spending time with her and seeing how much things have changed in just 10 years. Ten years ago I delivered pizza for my job. Even then most people didn’t have cell phones. If I got lost I had to stop somewhere to call in. Man would I have loved a cell phone then. One of Tessa’s friends had her texting turned off by her parents. You would have thought the world had ended.
Technology has burst the world wide open though with the internet. Suddenly places and cultures that were so isolated from each other, can communicate like they are next door. I love that.
I think it is important to remember what it was like with out all these advances, and that we can be just fine without them. Sometimes I crave the peace of the world not having endless contact with me if I go away, or just don’t want to be found.
The song was great, we love us some John Prine in our house. Tell the boys they done good!
Love Stacy
Hey Tipper, Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I am so happy to have discovered you here! From your profile, it seems like we have a lot in common. I’m going to head over to put you on my links list so I can stop by each day! Thanks again.
I was just thinking about this the other day, things we didn’t have back in the day – cable, microwaves, cell phones, digital clocks, computers. Heck, we even had a party line. I remember being irritated that sit-and-spins had been invented by the time my brother came along. I think it’s pretty neat to get back to a world when things wound-up instead of running on batteries.
Your so right about the changing world. Funny cause I recently had this same conversation with someone . . . was it you?
Love the music!
Do you remember when you rode your bike everywhere. We only had one car (which my daddy took to work) and the rest of us would walk or ride our bikes everywhere. Now most people (including us)have at least two cars.
Wow, no cell phone? Really? I feel like I can’t survive without one, which is bad. Maybe I’m jealous of your freedom.
Cell phones are crazy, aren’t they? Twenty years ago my car would break down and I’d have to hoof it to a pay phone and many times I hitched a ride.That would be unthinkable now. You can barely find pay phones and I’ve got my cell.
I didn’t have a TV growing up. We lived pretty primitively even for the 1970s. Had to heat our water on the stove for a bath or dishes; did laundry by hand, bathed in the same big galvanized metal tub we used for the laundry. Radio was king. I’m 37, not 87, but this is how I lived my childhood!
Oh my, I just love Pickin and Grinnin in the Kitchen music. My foot gets to tapping and I feel like I’m right there.
I remember our first TV. Black and white, big box, tiny screen. My Dad bought this colored plastic that you put over the screen. It was blue at the top, pink in the middle and green at the bottom. Was supposed to make you think you had color TV. Funniest thing you ever saw! xxoo
Well I love to write and computers have certainly made it much much easier to write. I used to get hand cramps from gripping the pen so hard. The cell phone, although I have one for an emergency is rarely used by us. I just don’t enjoy talking on the phone that much. I do remember the party lines and all and now are telling my children and grandchildren stories just like you say. How time flies.
Well you listed a lot of the things that has changed. How about air conditioning, cordless phones, computers and internet, email, satellite t.v. the list goes on. The main way it has affected me is, I’m lazier than before! Not good!