Monday, May 28, 2007

In My Day.......................



I was thinking back about some of the posts I have written and I think that some of my readers must think I'm some sort of curmudgeon of sorts. You know the kind of geezer who sits on his porch, shakes his stick at the young lads and every statement he makes begins with; " In my day........"

This is because most of the following themes that reoccur in my posts on a regular basis while.

1. Contemporary Music Is Crap - I have expressed this sentiment so many times that most people must think that I sit at home listening to my Sanyo casette player listening to music that was released before Kenyans even knew what a cd player was while high speed dubbing a tape for the cute girl next door.

2. Relationships Of This Generation Are Crap - Don't get me wrong our parents generation didn't have a walk in the park but the reason many of them are hitting the 20 year mark and longer is that they knew it wasn't easy and even if they didn't society made them stick together so they made it work. While on the other hand look at us? At the first sign of trouble, people get with the stepping; divorce papers and all. When my folks hooked up, my mum used to walk to town on most days to work since they weren't doing all that well while my dad went to law school as they lived in their one room digs, needless to say with her support he eventually came to the good. Those stories are few and far in between nowadays everyone wants to hook up with the complete article be it male or female, no time to wait for potential. What about courting? People just don't take the time to woo and be wooed anymore, gone are the days of yore when letters were exchanged alongside eagerly awaited moments spent together; try that nowadays and the person you are wooing will have someone on the side as they wait for you that is if they don't lose interest first.

3. People Can't Parent To Save Their Lives - Once again I will issue my disclaimer, parenthood isn't a walk in the park but even so, it is no excuse for the mess parents of our generation have created. I look at the way children act nowadays and I want to find their mothers and fathers and slap them silly. Nowadays too many parents are trying to be their kids' friends instead of parents, remember the good old days when we all had a healthy fear of our parents? Nowadays most kids don't respect let alone fear their parents. It's all this new age touchy feely stuff I tell you!

4. They Just Don't Make Friends Like They Used To - Many of the people of my parent's generation have pal's whom they go back 10 - 20 years back with. I have two and I know some people have more but it is so hard to make good reliable friends nowadays. I guess it has something do with the age of individualism we are living in.

5. People Just Don't Have The Values They Used To - Does anyone remember how a long time back you could leave the doors to your house open during the day? How you could let your kids / small brothers and sisters play with any of the kids outside without getting scared of something happening? How if you lost something if someone found it they would actually try and find you? Well that was then and this is now. You can't just trust anyone nowadays!

6. They Just Don't Make Stuff Like They Used To - When Supa Orange Snack disappeared off the shelves I knew we were in trouble. Yes I'm talking about junk food. When the Cadbury's factory in Kenya was closed or productions scaled down ( I know it was one of the two), they began importing our regular brands from Egypt and I cried myself to sleep after I took a bite of

7. When Did We Let Such Things Seem Ordinary - This one is related to point number 5 as it is about values. But remember when people had "morals" please note the brackets because I know people still used to do nasty stuff way back when but at least they used to keep it under wraps. Read M's latest post about how people air their dirty linen in public and you will know what I'm talking about. Also I did find it shocking that before I left Kenya the fact that so many of the night spots used to have hos in them, I remember a time to hook up with a ho; you either went to some dingy pubs or F1/F2. But now go to Choices, Pavements, Carnivore and wherever else you'll find them. The fact that there all over means that people don't mind picking them up in the open irregardless what people think. Or if you don't get out at night, have you seen how people dress nowadays? I remember way back when wearing a mini anywhere outside an evening function or the privacy of your own home was blasphemous but in Kenya I used to see so many girls dressing like they are on the way to the club, and this was 8 am. Don't get me wrong guys are far from perfect, nowadays too many young dudes wear rap couture (jeans big enough to house a family of midgets) instead of trying to cultivate their own personal style.
Frankly I have no problem with freedom and all the good that it brings but I do think that at times we take it waaaaaaaaaaay too far!

8. Money Doesn't Go As Far As It Used To - Kenyan money is hardly worth the money it is printed on anymore. Remember the days when 100/= was alot of money? The days when fries cost 5/= a pack? Despite all the advances Kenya has made economically, the Kenyan shilling just isn't as strong as it used to be in terms of inflation. Yes I know some Narcolyte will come out of the woodwork yodelling about how the goverment has made the economy grow by 5% every year and such but it still doesn't explain why more and more everyday items are out of reach for ordinary Kenyans. Anyway that's my opinion, I'm not going to budge or discuss economics.

Anyway I feel I've said enough. I'll be honest and say that there are alot of good things that have happened over the past few years ie internet access, political freedom, increased capitalist influence in Kenyan business. But for every one thing we gain we seem to lose another. So I'm not grouchy about what we've gained but I'm grouchy about what we've lost and are losing. Let's appreciate the good times while they last, I'm off to nap now..........

23 comments:

Prousette said...

That photo reminded me of Ol' father William with his tired refrain 'In my youth...

Things are definitely not the same anymore. #1 yes yes and yes kwanza those releases by local Kenyan celebs NOT musicians mark you. #6 I would give anything to have that Supa Orange snack anything!

Jo said...

Yipee! I'm second!I'm second!

by the way, I also did a post commenting on Alanis Morisette's 2007 "Hump Back"...so its funny when I saw the video u posted on it...I think she is hilarious!

Anyway, now off to read!

coldtusker said...

Missed reading ur stuff... but decent internet access was a dream!

Broadband in Kenya is like driving a Mini Morris on Germany's autobahns!

Anonymous said...

LOL! Dude, great minds do think alike. My friends say I get a wild look in my eye when i talk about contemporary music and life today.

So true, so true!!

Rant's of an angry somali man said...

aisee!....usiki acolyte umebonga ukweli jo!...i remember when i was young home was free to all my friends and vice versa clasical mi casa su casa lakini now really don't know what happened.....lot's of things are changin'....i hope it doesn;t reach to the extent ati to go visit ur bro au sis's place ati u have to call....i never do n will never do!...

Anonymous said...

No. 8. The rand here is like what the shilling used to be in the 80's. Things will ever be the same again but atleast for me I am enjoying having R100 and spending it like we used to spend Kshs.100 those days.

About music, wacha tu. Kuna kurap na kubwata.

Unknown said...

Very true words Aco, Well blogged I totally agree with No. 2 especially maybe watching too many mexican soaps has spoilt our heads.

Archer said...

Tell it like it is! LOL @ Sanyo radio and high speed dubbing! I remember back in the day, going to the neighbour's digz to borrow a "combact" (mboch lingo) for Snow & UB40 to go dub over the old lady's tape of Mbaraka Mwinshehe.

Now does anyone see why I despise what hip hop has become? Sad thing is that RnB is going in the same direction, becoming shallower by the day. Jazz is the way forward my friend.

Anonymous said...

@ prou
I think that me and Father Williams are cut from the same cloth.
I miss SOS too!
@ jo
Congrats! I will pass by your blog and read your post.
@ coldtusker
Good to have you back! I remember those slow days in the cyber cafe, not fun at all!
@ M
Good to know that I am not the only one who looks back to the past with nostalgia.
@ rants
Siku hizi kumeharibika I tell you! Open door policies have been put aside.
@ kirima
I think we have bought into western ideals far too deeply without thinking of the cost.

Acolyte said...

@ bomseh
I dont care what Kibaki fans say, the Kenyan shilling has been going down the drain lately!
@ archer
I think I will start listening to jazz soon, I am listening to alot of neo soul at the moment.
I kumbuka getting into probos for dubbing over my mum's tapes!

jm said...

@ archer: lmao @ that!!

Aco, well put, umeleta nostalgia mbaya mboff. But seriously some of the things about wazazi these days are soo true!! But i think we are @ a crossroad, much as the old is desirable, it might not be compatible with the realities of today ...

Nakeel said...

Aco so true music has lost direction parenthood is just taken for granted and some people doing it just for the sake.

Lol @Archer getting some Fundi Konde combact.

Anonymous said...

Oh man, you are so ripe for that gag, you know where you go with a friend (very much like you) to a club and he starts complaining about how loud the music is, so you being the good friend says 'hnuh? wha' I CANT YOU..THE MUSIC IS TO..

Small mercies.

Lol@ M and wild look.

Personally, I have learnt to roll with the times; the gobshite music, friends, food, and men of course. Oh yes they dont make men like they used to. *shrugs* what can you do..

Mwehe, you actually ended with 'time for a nap?'

*speechless*

Three types of Crazy said...

Does it all boil done to selfishness.........look after number one.

I think we have become a generation of "I need it like yesterday".Relationships have no foundation or sorry weak foundations. However if you get together with someone just because you "wanted" to or needed to get married by age x and there was no strong friendship there then you are unlikely to stick around for the long haul. I don't count my friends as close unless we have had a burst up and we can firstly laugh about it and also revisit the scene and agree on what went wrong.You have to get to know the other person as completely as you can (not always possible)but it's sad that people will leave marital homes because "he aint bringing home the dime." To flip that coin....marrying potentail can be dangerous (BUT WE MAY BE TALKING ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF POTENTIAL HERE). To marry someone who you found being and has always been "drunk and disorderly" and then think you are the one who will change the person atii, e/she has the POTENTIAL to be a better person.Your baby. But then you have to keep in mind that should he never change.....you should still be able to see that potential in him 10 years down that line.

The parenting thing- again maybe donw to selfishness. You don't want your kids to think you are not cool. I am not sure that parents are meant to be cool....there are a generation above. I remember all you heard to be told was ,"mum said..." and that was it. There was such power in those words.

I will stop. comment becoming a post of it's own.

Anonymous said...

What you say about friends is very true. Older people seem to have lots of lifelong friends yet I have none so far. Whatever is happening?

Juju said...

true on relationships on some level, but then again people put up with soo much crap especially women-- cheating and abusive husbands. There is no working anything out here.

Life is getting fast paced all around us, and we all are a part of it.

WanjaKihii the tomboy said...

Truth well told. Our generation is beyond Redemption, i shudder to think what the next generations will be upto....more reason for me not to become a parent..

CiikuMrsBabes said...

Hey Aco..
I been out a while but Im back to agree with all that you say!!

LMAO @ Archer.

Oh... and I agree with Dshy too!

Quintessence said...

Refreshing!

Kelitu said...

The problem with society: Selfishness.

It's all about me me me. So who has time to cultivate potential in someone else?
We want microwave relationships with everyone we relate too and thus people bail at the first sign of trouble.

Tis the end of days Acolyte, tis the end.

Acolyte said...

@ mwangi
Sadly change is inevitable whether I like it or not!
@ nakeel
I would say that some people never learnt from their parents.
@ dshy
I guess our boom twaff days are over. I say they also dont make chics like they used to.
I do love my naps!
@ three types of crazy
Yes we want it and we want it now! That is part of the problem. What I was talking about was positive potential, if a dude has the plans and all he needs is some motivation then by all means give him that backing so he can become what he can be.
I think people need to be parents first and friends second.
@ kayliz
I think our life style is also to blame, we dont take time to bond and do things of maana.
@ majonzi
I do agree that there are two extremes, those who cant take anything going against their ideal and those who put up with all sorts of drama in the name of love.
@ wanjak
The end is nigh! Oooooooooooh on more member for the childfree club!
@ mbuff
Good to have you back!
@ quint
Thanks!
@ kelitu
We truly are selfish whether we want to say so or not. Add to that impatience and things get really narrow.

Girl next door said...

@Prousette,
I penda that rhyme of Father William!

@Acolyte,
#2,I've heard this described as the instant gratification generation. Lots of people have unrealistic expectations coz their view of 'normal' is based on movies and celebz.

#4 & 5, times have changed so it's harder to form trustworthy relationships.

#7&8, so true...

Anonymous said...

supa snack wat about goody goody ah! back to work