Things Are Definately Changing....I'll Tell You What I've Noticed

Hi,

I don't remember what exactly it was that made me really take a look at what all we used to take for granted say, 20 years ago, that now we have been conditioned to not being allowed to do, or to have, etc... I think it may have been some news snippet(?) about teaching parents how bad candy and soft drinks are for kids, and to not let them eat/drink them. That was I think what got me started thinking, "How mean! They have already taken away and are still taking away little luxuries from us adults, making every day things that used to be simple more and more difficult, how could they now want to take away probably one of the only luxuries for little kids!?"

I honestly believe that we are now, and have been for at least the last 20 years, probably longer, slowly being conditioned to getting used to being checked over, carded, (showing our ID), bar codes on ID's, "real" or "national" ID's on the way, etc.....

I thought back to what probably was one of the first changes that affected me, as a smoker, although it may well have gone unnoticed by non-smokers. I remember when I was in High School, and there were cigarette vending machines everywhere. Mostly at gas stations, I guess, probably other places also. I don't really remember exactly when they disappearred, it was so subtle. I just know that one day, I noticed that they didn't seem to exist any more. That was a pain for a 16 year old, who couldn't buy them in the store. But, I was already old enough when I noticed that the vending machines were gone.

The next thing also has to do with smoking. I remember when you could fly on the airlines, and a few minutes after take-off, you could take off your seatbelt and light up a cigarette. Then, the smokers got moved to the back of the plane only. I didn't care, I always sat there anyway because I liked it better. Next thing I knew, there was no smoking on the plane at all!

I noticed that one, but got used to it, like everyone else. Then, no smoking in the airport! That was a real nuisance. Flying was getting to be more of a hassle than it was worth. But, I got used to that, too and ended up just deciding that it was something that had to be put up with, and got used to chewing nicotine gum while traveling.

(I won't go into so much detail on the rest, but thinking about it, one by one, things that we took for granted not too long ago, are now either obsolete, or a major hassle). For instance, for some reason, for our "protection" I'm sure, they have now taken regular OTC allergy and flu medicines off the shelves, you know, like stuff that you used to find in any grocery, drug or convenience store, and only sell it in pharmacies, like as if it were back on Rx, but it's not. It seems as if they are now starting to log and control what consumers are buying. In some states, mine included, you even have to show your ID if you have a cold!

And they were wanting to, I'm not sure if it went through or not, 'cause I don't have a school age kid, put the child's weight on their report card. One more documentation of a person. I have a membership to a tanning salon, and the only way to sign in is by putting your index finger on a red thing.

And just a couple of days ago, where I live, they passed a city ordinance something to the effect that if you have a dog that has either bitten someone before, or even appears as if it may be dangerous, animal control has the right to come out and muzzle and chain it. Also, there is a lot of advertising at the vets and the classifieds about how you had better get a micro-chip implanted in your pet, "so that if it gets lost, they can retrieve it for you." Hmmmmm.......

Just last week, my boyfriend & I went out of town about 3 hours away, to visit his sister, whom I had never met before. We ended up staying until about midnight. About 2:00am, we got pulled over for no reason. He doesn't drink, was driving the speed limit, all his papers, title, registration, insurance was in order. The cop said he would just give him a warning, then, at the last minute, he wanted to search the car! Of course there was nothing there for him to find. But, I seriously won't be surprised if withing the next year or two, we should be expecting regular military type check points, every where we go, and after that, I don't even want to imagine.

Anybody else notice these type of things going on now, that didn't use to even cross our minds?

CyberKat

Eventually they will have us so conditioned that if they say one of your family members is a threat to global security because of one of their silly criterias and must be executed on Live FOX news as a demonstration to others...many of us will say,,,but its for the good of the planet and look at one another with that dumb cow gaze

I pick up on these subtle changes when i hear my parents talk about their past, little things like their favourite Sweet shops, which were all little independant shops, but have since been put out of business because the supermarkets and other chains have come to town. One of these little Sweet shops, a little dingy shop that had been around for what seemed like forever, and sold cheap sugary sweets that lots of people had grew up enjoying, was closed down due to a mixture of legal threats and bad business, after a chain-store moved next to it.

It may just be the fact that i am a little older now, and the innocence of youth has probably all faded away, but when i watch old videos and see old pictures, i cant help but think people look brighter and happier, and that the grass seems to be greener and thicker than it is now.

Also, when we first got a McDonalds here, it was a novelty at first for people, but now there is far more than one, and anytime i pass one with a scowl on my face, there are droves of people queueing up for a taste of the McPoison.

Being stopped by the Police is definitly on the up too, i have been stopped and questioned for no good reason too, and so have many people i know.

However, people just dont seem to fussed about all these little things. It seems to me that as long as someone has an ok job, a warm house and a TV to go home to, they figure, "well, why should i worry?" if they even pick up on the problems at all.
Also, those things you mention about the pets chips, and the extra info on school report cards is what saddens me. People, maybe even born now, are going to grow up knowing constant interrogation as the norm, and it kills off any desire i may have to raise my own child, as the future looks quite bleak to me.

Originally posted by PurityOfPeace
It may just be the fact that i am a little older now, and the innocence of youth has probably all faded away, but when i watch old videos and see old pictures, i cant help but think people look brighter and happier, and that the grass seems to be greener and thicker than it is now.

I have always thought this too, it seems the more technology we devlop, the more we distance ourselves from.. ourselves.

I am somewhat concerned about the military-esque checkpoints we'll probably have in 5.. 10 years time. Very "Dark Angel". I can really kind of imagine the world becoming like that.. sexy genetically engineered superheros aside.

And when i first started reading about the dog chips, i was a little skepticle, until it occured to me.. If i was on the run and didn't know when i'd be back.. weather it was driving away or running over some hills or whatever, I know I would definately take my dog.. 'Mans best friend'.. it makes sense now, a rudamentary locating system for people with dogs..

I say we are being permitted to death -- for any type of hunting you need a different permit for each kind, you need a permit to clam - never had one when I was a kid then they did commercial ones then a residential ones then you could get a bushel of clams then 1/2 a bushel then 1/4 bushel NOW you can get a 100 count -- come on how ridiculous is that? If you want to go crabbing you need a permit for your pots. You also need a permit for any duck blinds you have.

To go to the beaches you need permits -- in my little town alone you would need 3 different permits for parking and if you want to go on the beach you need 3 more then if you go one town over it means another permit. Or to the town on the other side of us it is another permit. If you want to have a beach party you need a permit and if you want a barn fire at that beach party another permit along with a container to have the fire in. It goes on and on. If I spent a few minutes thinking about it I know I could come up with some more.

The worst of all, is the very people that enjoyed all these luxuries you speak of are the very same people that are taking them all away.

Ironic isnt it?

Originally posted by QuietSoul
The worst of all, is the very people that enjoyed all these luxuries you speak of are the very same people that are taking them all away.

Ironic isnt it?

QS were you referring to my post above you? I guess living on an island and growing up with a lot of commercial fishermen in my family - and while my dad worked for the highway department we often lived off of what we got from fishing, clamming, scalloping, crabbing etc - I don't consider any of those things luxuries. And beach parties were a Sunday event -- we would go out fishing or clamming in the boat and at a certain time meet with other friends at a beach - who had done the same - and eat what we all had gotten -

jm

Originally posted by ekul08

Originally posted by PurityOfPeace
It may just be the fact that i am a little older now, and the innocence of youth has probably all faded away, but when i watch old videos and see old pictures, i cant help but think people look brighter and happier, and that the grass seems to be greener and thicker than it is now.

I have always thought this too, it seems the more technology we devlop, the more we distance ourselves from.. ourselves.

I am somewhat concerned about the military-esque checkpoints we'll probably have in 5.. 10 years time. Very "Dark Angel". I can really kind of imagine the world becoming like that.. sexy genetically engineered superheros aside.

And when i first started reading about the dog chips, i was a little skepticle, until it occured to me.. If i was on the run and didn't know when i'd be back.. weather it was driving away or running over some hills or whatever, I know I would definately take my dog.. 'Mans best friend'.. it makes sense now, a rudamentary locating system for people with dogs..

Yes, both of you, although it gets really boring having "Andy Griffith" shoved down your throat all the time when you don't have cable, it is very noticable that although it is a fictional TV show, I do believe that things back then were pretty much that simple. People were more trusting of each other, they treated each person as the person that they were, rather than a number, like we are treated in so many places and situations now.

I guess that is where all the technology comes in as far as people distancing themselves from each other. Just as we are doing right now. Nothing is very personal anymore except when you are dealing with a few good friends and/or family.

As far as them wanting to put chips in pets, I also believe that it is not really so much that they care if they can return your lost pet to you. Collars with I.D. tags work just as well. I think that it is partly like you said, so that they can track you, especially with a dog, as people do tend to take their dogs with them a lot of places. Also, if there really is (and I certainly hope not ) a real plan to implant chips into people, it would be another way of slowly conditioning people to accept it.

I don't like the way things are going myself.

man, I have always had long hair .so getting pulled over for nothing is not so new to me.even back in high school if some one would pull the fire alarm I would just get up and go to the office,cause they would call me anyway

I'm sorry, but maybe, just maybe, the government wants us to be healthy?

Originally posted by shorty
I'm sorry, but maybe, just maybe, the government wants us to be healthy?

Haha thats the funniest thing I've seen all day.
If the government wanted us to be healthy then why promote the use of fossile fuels?
Why sell pollution licenses and allow corporations to buy,sell and trade
those liceneses to other polluters to allow for maximum pollution?

Why no national health care?
Why 40% of Americans have no insurance?

Why collect taxes from cigarettes and alcohol which kill hundreds of thousands a year,
and then arrest 750,000 people for non lethal non toxic anti-cancer cannabis?

The government wants you sick, as does their pharmaceutical lobby, sick people = profit!

I think you are making more refference to huge pharmaceutical corperations than governments.

The statistics on the number of people that want to, are trying to and have quit smoking are interesting, also.

[edit on 4-8-2005 by shorty]

Originally posted by justme1640

Originally posted by QuietSoul
The worst of all, is the very people that enjoyed all these luxuries you speak of are the very same people that are taking them all away.

Ironic isnt it?

QS were you referring to my post above you? I guess living on an island and growing up with a lot of commercial fishermen in my family - and while my dad worked for the highway department we often lived off of what we got from fishing, clamming, scalloping, crabbing etc - I don't consider any of those things luxuries. And beach parties were a Sunday event -- we would go out fishing or clamming in the boat and at a certain time meet with other friends at a beach - who had done the same - and eat what we all had gotten -

jm

No, I was referring to the entire post, luxuries taken away by the very people that enjoyed them..

You sound like a pissed off smoker to me. Light up.

Originally posted by glan
You sound like a (censored...it was a naughty word) off smoker to me. Light up.

You sound like a...

Ever considered adding or contributing to a discussion?

Originally posted by shorty

Originally posted by glan
You sound like a (censored...it was a naughty word) off smoker to me. Light up.

You sound like a...

Ever considered adding or contributing to a discussion?

Well thank you...Now KICK ROCKS!

You know what is upsetting me about today is the fact that family life is dying. People are so consumed with work and other crap that they don't take the time to sit down to eat together. Not many people home cook at all anymore. They feel that this might be ONE of the reasons for such and overwhelming increase in obesity. I am a big skeptic on most things on this web site but this topic does concern me. For one thing it is all the nut balls on this planet that are decreasing our freedoms. IT seems to me there are a lot more crazy people out there than when my parents grew up. Also, I beleive technology is ruining us. The computer and the internet although have been great for science and communication, i feel they were the worst inventions in the history of mankind. Kids don't want to play outside anymore...They have to have their videogames. What the hell happened to pickup baseball games or fishing. And the internet has become such a major invasion of our privacy. All of the credit card frauds and identity thefts...Its BS. I say outlaw videogames.(even though my company would die)

Sorry man, but I actually perfer the No smoking ordinances. For one, I can now go into a Bar or resterant and enjoy my food, my drink, and the atmostphere without seeing, or smelling someones cigarite smoke. And for two, my 15 month old son doesnt have to either. I was in favor of the law. No offense to anyone, but I can understand how frustrating it must of been for the smokers, You want to go in to a Bar or whatever and have a drink and a smoke, but now you cant do that unless it's in your own house.

Yeah, i agree, few people go outside and do stuff anymore. I believe that one day we'll all just be put into computers at birth and not move at all for the rest of our lives. Then anyone can just take over and we wouldn't even notice.

"For instance, for some reason, for our "protection" I'm sure, they have now taken regular OTC allergy and flu medicines off the shelves.."

There's a good reason for this measure, certain ingredents in the OTC cold remedies are needed in the production of meth..aka: crank, crystal, ice...it's gotten way out of control..around here , central florida, people ride around with mobile meth labs in their cars, there have been numerous home lab busts in the last 2 years, it's really crazy , not to mention dangerous. I'm sure many other states are facing this same problem.

I'm the last person that wants more restrictions but this seems to be the only way to stop..err slow down the prodution of this highly addictive drug.