The Good Old Days

When I was a child I promised myself that I wouldn’t go on about “the good old days” when I became older!

I found myself saying something like this to the vet this morning! I just said to her that it is a sad reflection on today’s society that veterinaries and doctor’s main concerns were making money!

I know that the “good old days” were not that good!

The “plus” about when I was young was that the population of the whole of Australia was twelve million: When there is only a small population people’s out look is different:  Life flows at a slower pace and your average Aussie would go out of their way to help any one!

In the seventies I was in Women’s Liberation; Animal Liberation: Greenpeace ( we were considered the lunatic fringe back then) and in the eighties Trees for Life.

When I was in Women’s Liberation : we had the vote but not equal-rights! Women couldn’t have bank accounts: couldn’t buy houses/property: couldn’t hold a government job if married: were only paid 75% of a man’s wage: landlords would not rent to separated women: no women’s shelter: your husband had every right to beat you: you were his property: women had to give up a baby if not married: men were expected to be promiscuous: women were expected to be virgins: . Women’s Liberation only asked that we be treated as equal.
Most men of my era still see women as an inferior sub culture:

Children had no rights: many were victims of abuse and it was difficult for those campaigning against child pornography: sexual abuse and other abuse to even be heard.

In the “good old days” your average mindless automaton had no concern for other life forms or the ecology of the planet! They considered their (our) species superior! And that god made it that way!

And back then; most women believed that  women should be kept in their place— “A wife is a device that you screw on the bed and it does the housework.!”

I dropped out of both Animal Liberation and Trees for Life a few years ago because most of the people involved these days; do so because it is fashionable; and are so tied up with rules and protocol that the goals of caring for animals and or trees are not achieved.

I am a life member of GreenPeace but have had nothing to do with them for decades because they seem more concerned about collecting donations.

At my very first sociology lecture we were told that “there is always the us and them dichotomy” and “say organisation say oligarchy” At the time I thought what a load of crap! Since then I have seen it every where.

I was involved with Wicca: clairvoyance and “energy healing” back when few were aware of the existence of such things!

Now that it is part of the culture it has taken on the Protestant ethic of “lets make money out of this!”

On Facebook there are posts saying leave things to Karma! If everyone waited for Karma or ” left things to god” we would still be living in the Dark Ages!

My grand children’s generation are concerned about the environment etc.

So here’s to the “good new days!”