N.B. Any opinions expressed or comments made within this column are those of Matt Howarth's, and are not those of Atherton Online.
Whatever happened to the "good old days?" I ask, as I enquire as to whether or not the slightly younger of generations who are reading this... shall you in say 20-30 years time look back upon 2012 and state "those were the days?" I sit here quite comfortably and have the confidence to say that in all honesty I really don't think we shall. Yes, of course we all have personal achievements and triumphs to share with anyone who will listen, but in terms of the state of affairs across the nation, even locally amongst our community I truly believe that these times shall be brushed under the carpet and purely branded as "bleak!"
A week doesn't go by were another well-known business doesn't goes to the dogs (think recently the case of the "Past Times" brand) & that could be looked at locally in a sense of "where have all the local family run businesses gone?" The Butchers, the traditional corner shops... I hardly think having a branch of Tesco's is a comforting fact of life. Celebrities and people we aspire to turn out to be nothing other than criminals, Antony Worrall Thompson as we all know, and now he is being rewarded and saluted for his crime by being given mounts of publicity and his own documentary! Would this have happened in the 70's/80's? I think not! People in general seem to be just different. The shrugging of the shoulders, the passing of the blame and the sheer audacity of rudeness and arrogance we all come across in our day-to-day lives is beyond unbelievable. Could it be the stress of demanding 21st century jobs? Or is it simply the fact the majority of us all cannot socialise in many a normal environment with any form of basic manners non existent in most?
Something else to be severely glum about is the employment figures. We seek here, we seek there and there isn't an available space anywhere to be found for many an applicant. We strive and we fail. Then there are other members of society who get a kick from crime. Do they work? Don't be daft! Tax payers are having to pay for those certain individuals that do nothing other than wake up, steal a handbag, eat a McDonald's and then back to sleep. A vicious and somewhat repulsive circle. Benefits have turned into a stereotypical branding. Gone are the days people got them for needing them, now it seems any Tom, Dick or Harry can be applicable for the hand-outs. Those that are sincerely in need of them are seemingly forgotten about and tarred with the same brush with those who are nothing other than lazy and downright atrocious.
Surely none of us can ever look back and sincerely think and believe that these were "The good old days?"
They are times we live in and we of course just have to simply go along with it. I think we can safely say that the 50's, 60's and 70's are era's gone by, never to return but shall never be forgotten. I highly doubt that the morals, moral and lifestyles seen back then shall never return, but certainly not forgotten.
Even when times are tough, let us all think back to those times, even if you weren't such as I around in those decades and try to bring to the present some long overdue positivity!
Written & Edited by Matt Howarth, 20th January 2012
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