What the new can help us understand about the old.

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I have been grappling with questions about why today’s Trump dystopia ever got a strangle hold on so many Americans and its implications for the future. The Washington Post has a story revealing the self described Republicans suddenly have more confidence in some of the most misdirected Federal agencies like the Justice Department the FBI and CDC. My darkest thought imagine that feces has taken up the space in their heads where once there was gray matter. Democrats and me have had an opposite response with our confidence in free fall.

My latest post last night about Newspaper.com and its amazing new tech ability to bring us instantly to stories about our family’s mundane lives as they were reported in the daily papers of earlier centuries gave me hope. Hope that we can wake up, see the past more clearly and put Trump’s zombie sleep walking behind us. That may have to wait for his many policies to commingle into economic collapse, Plague, high prices and paralysis during future environmental disasters. So it is delightful for me to report that the Duluth News Tribune still manages to publish interesting content although they have been leaning too heavily on rehashing dramatic old stories of historical crimes.

Local writer Claudia Myers did a masterful job explaining to the young people who shun the DNTribune how old folks like us can regard modern tech with wonder as we contemplate the differences between now and our old thens. Its behind a paywall but here are its first paragraphs for you:

“If I had written a newspaper column in the 1950s describing all the things you would be doing or using in the 2020s, you would all have signed a petition to have me committed, right?

Having a machine in the grocery store parking lot that spits out money at you.

Saying, “Alexa, turn off the lights” and “blink!” There you are in the dark.

Looking up an address on Google, and there it is! A satellite picture in real time. Then, use the GPS on your phone to get there. Amazing!

I grew up in the 1950s. Telephones had cords fastening them to the wall. When we used our first cordless phone, we still never moved from the spot where the old phone was fastened to the wall.

Now, you take your phone everywhere you go. You can play Words with Friends, order groceries to be delivered, play your favorite music, look up who won the World Series in 1929, buy yourself a new refrigerator, list your collection of Beanie Babies on eBay — oh, and call your mother.”

I too remember the days when a kid came out and cleaned your car as he filled up your car’s gas tank. He might even collect a tip. As Crypto and Trump tries to hand world finance to the mafia and dictators so the rich can avoid taxes all the tech is being second guessed. One of my national news sources had an article today showing a map of the US states that are beginning to pull cell phones out of students pockets in public school. Another article described a school lunch room coming back to life sans cells with old fashioned board games being brought in to tempt kids to actually interact with one another. Talk about influencing!?

About the author

Harry is a ferociously good natured eccentric in Duluth Minnesota who detests traitors dressed up as Uncle Sam. You can find somewhat better edited writings of his at the Duluth Reader "contributors." page. The URL is:

https://duluthreader.com/contributors/h/84/284-harry-welty