Mikk,I don't know where you get your ideas on the past, perhaps you are only a kid, & think that the 80s is the past.

When I was a kid, in the 40s, & 50s life was much more social, & believe me we not only were , but are still, much smarter.

The pubs & clubs shut at 6.00 PM, & entertaining was much more prevalent.

There would be a card night, & a music night in my parents group every week, with the music in the home of the 3 or 4 with a paino. I loved the nights at the one with a pianola, as the music, & therefor the singing was different. Card nights, with a slap up supper for the kids were great too.

The tennis club, & the bowls clubs had dances twice a month, alternate weeks, & everyone went to the moves once a week, or more. I don't remember anyone being "glassed" in those days of no pubs after 6 PM either.

Believe me, the schools were much better. Most kids only went till they were 15, but the teachers, with 50+ in the class, made sure they all did the work. We even had real exams to make sure we knew, & our parents got the exam papers to check on us, & the teachers.

These kids were better educated at 15, than most of todays kids are at 17.

My parents never had to take over the schools job, due to poor teaching standards. We have had to do that with 2 of our kids, one with reading in primary, & one with maths, & physics in senior high.

The big difference was that one wage supported the family. My mother had laa the home/house work done, & still managed a tennis, & a bowls afternoon each week.

I had a couple of years in Rabhal, New Guinea, in the 70s, where, with no TV, this life style still existed. It was great. If you haven't tried it, don't knock it. You have no idea what you've missed.

Everyone has the same amount of time.

HasBeen, you're not smarter at all.

Singing around the piano is the lamest excuse for entertainment I've ever heard of. It's vomit inducing cringe-worthy sickly sentimental crap. What are you a walking 'Family Values' cliché?

'slap up supper'. What are you on.

As Rik Mayall once said,

'Oh, yes! I suppose things were pretty marvellous in 'the good old days'. Four year old kiddies digging coal! Three year old kiddies er, digging coal as well as the four year old kiddies.'

Tell you what, next time you're having a bridge night and all you wrinklies toss your keys in the fruit bowl, count me out!

Hasbeen where did anything you mention refute anything I said in my initial post?

Im sure all you fogeys had a great time in the olden days at your card nights and singalongs but it hardly compares to todays entertainment choices and sheer magnitude of its part in society today does it. Just television on its own dwarfs all the entertainments you mentioned put together. Not to mention Hollywood, print media, newspapers, magazines etc, books, theatre, bands and live music, natural entertainment like beaches, bushwalking, camping, boats, jetskis, surfing etc, the internet, computer games, social networking etc etc. None of this existed in anywhere near the ubiquity it does now back in your day did it?

The point I was making, and on reflection and discussion with others possibly the most important part of why we are so time poor today, is that we spend so much more time entertaining ourselves than previous generations. Just watching television takes up a good percentage of many peoples day let alone all the other things we do for entertainment.

As for being smarter that is just silly.

Houellebecq That has to be one of my favorite quote from (p)rik. Loved the young ones and anything Rik Mayall ever did.

This is an interesting post.. thank you for sharing

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“Feminism.
Women used to do a lot of what the OP mentioned. And they did it unpaid as virtual servants to their husbands. Removing women from this bondage and giving them careers has led to the need for child care and outsourcing cooking, cleaning etc. Not suprisingly it is more expensive to have to actually pay for these services rather than them being provided free by housewives and people are having to work harder to be able to afford them.”

Good point.

Cause I was just reading through thinking how I don’t feel “time poor” and often I am looking for stuff to do but I am at home and can do everything. Yeah hear me roar, and then in the weekend hubby has about two hours tops of maybe cutting grass or sorting the stupid pool out but these two things are only because I don’t want to do them… they are icky.[smile]

He gets up and does breakfast in the weekend and when I potter out we can never really work out what to do and end up kicking balls around with the kids. Certainly makes for happy relaxed little children though.

Anyone try and remove me from this bondage will be doing it with me kicking and screaming.

That's an easy one. Too busy working more to pay taxes that cover life/blood sucking politicians, rates that cover life/blood sucking councilors and lets not forget the dole bludgers and soon to introduced F.B.T!

I'm sure I could think of more things we have to work harder for that do absolutely nothing good for us and give others plenty for nothing!