It's very sad.. but it's incredible how life has changed..

[BigGamesOnly]

sick gambler:

Perhaps you didn't hear much about gambling when you were a kid in the 70's in Quebec but here in the States we were exposed to it even then. The lines were printed in the Sports section of the local newspaper and as I have mentioned before, the national sports newscasters commented on the line during the game even back then.

With gambling there come the necessary evils of people not being able to control their urges. But we also have that with alcohol, cigarettes, etc. and they have been around long before the 70's. Just because a minority of people can't handle gambling doesn't mean things are worse now that it is more prevalent.

 

[BigLou+]

So because you never heard about gambling growing up means it didn't exist? Wake up and smell the coffee man. I mentioned before that Jimmy The Greek used to be on the CBS pre-game show on Sundays before football. He was there to talk about gambling. I guessed you missed that.

Also, why is it imperative that we stick a bat, hockey stick or golf club in a childs hands as soon as possible? We place too much emphasis on sports as it is. Ever notice how many baseball, hockey and soccer leagues we have, and how unbelievably long the schedules are for these kids? A friend of mine helps coach the goalies for a squirts hockey league. Last year they played 58 games. Are you kidding me? Ten year old kids playing 58 hockey games? They need more free time to be themselves and not constantly under parental supervision, so they figure out to handle situations and deal with things on their own.

Big Lou

 

[sickgambler]

big,

Thanks for the reply, and yes, maybe you are right. I know I used to always see the odds on the Montreal Star newspaper, next to the standings. But I know I never heard radio commercials telling people to send money to NASA or BOWMAN'S and win big money and get a 20% cash bonus. It's still hard to believe it when i hear it. But the worse part for me to accept is we have a sports lottery here, and you have to be 18 and over to play it, but the govt allows little kids to play em too, as I swear, I see dozens of kids there everyday filling out their tickets. And the kids only bet this so games can be funner because they say without money on games, it's not worth watching. I hope to god my son never tells me this one day and enjoys watching games with his ol dad sick gambler..

And I don't buy it that back in the 70's, the local tv guy was saying, 49'ers get the late Interception to put the game over and cover the 4.5. If they did, I am shocked..

 

[Chadster]

funner...............i love it!!!

 

[DarrylParsons]

sick,

I remember in high school (early 80's upper middle class district in Toronto) that there was a guy coming around every Thursday with a list of all the pointspreads for NFL games. He took bets for a guy named "Big Louie" and needless to say I was in there with a $10 bet every week. He had about 30 customers in our grade which consisted of about 200 students. But we didn't spend a lot of time on that. Video games like Pacman, Asteroids and Donkey Kong were a lot more exciting for us.

I think gambling is a function of excess wealth. We are programmed to fight for survival and gambling gives us the added element of risk that simulates that feeling. It is just a symptom of the hedonism and gluttony that is defining modern western life. When the big economic downturn comes (when the lazy spoiled brats become the prime drivers of the economy), gambling will necessarily decrease along with it. I think the gaming industry acts like the luxury industries in that they get hit first and hardest in an economic slump.

So gambling is really a secondary issue in this equation. The lax attitude of today's kids (and the apathy towards the phenomenon by the parents) will have far reaching effects in all aspects of life, far beyond gambling.

 

[BigGamesOnly]

Just to get off the topic a little bit, Darryl, you bring up a notion that I have entertained but have not seen in public. That being the notion of risk being programmed into us.

I think that's why men are more attracted to gambling than women. In prehistoric times men used to go out to gather the food, to risk injury or death in gathering food. Women were the safer sex. Hoping for the comfort of the home to nurture the children. That's why men risk more.

 

[bulldog77]

SG:
I've often thought exactly the way you do. I can tell from your post that were roughly the same age so maybe that's not suprising.
Because of growing up in a different time and in a small town I was never really exposed to gambling as a kid. And never really gambled until I was 28. I thank God and my parents and luck for that.
I really love to gamble on sports and don't plan to quit, but I'm very happy I was an adult before I delved into it. I feel sorry for kids of 12 or 14 that are doing it whether its sports or casino gambling and the harm to the nation is definitely taking place.

 

[JackDee]

"Also, what's with all these Playstation games. Boy, has life just ruined these kids or what? Today, just like my nephew, kids stay home all day and play those damn video games, and they become addicted as hell, and they hardly leave the house anymore to exercise.. Kids are fatter today, and are not healthier than in my days. "

so true.

i ll take the middle of the road here, as the french say plus ce change, plus ce la meme chose, the more it changes the more it stays the same, but that doesn't mean that there are some distinct differences from era to era, decade to decade. Comparisons can be made and conclusions can be drawn without falling into the trap of vast generalizations. Other decades are more decadent, in other decades people in art or literature is more productive etc. etc.

 

[JackDee]

darryl parsons:

"I think gambling is a function of excess wealth. We are programmed to fight for survival and gambling gives us the added element of risk that simulates that feeling. It is just a symptom of the hedonism and gluttony that is defining modern western life. When the big economic downturn comes (when the lazy spoiled brats become the prime drivers of the economy), gambling will necessarily decrease along with it. I think the gaming industry acts like the luxury industries in that they get hit first and hardest in an economic slump.

So gambling is really a secondary issue in this equation. The lax attitude of today's kids (and the apathy towards the phenomenon by the parents) will have far reaching effects in all aspects of life, far beyond gambling."

some of the best lines i ve read at the rx in the past weeks, nice post there darryl.

 

[BigGamesOnly]

Jack:

I like your posts. You seem to give a viewpoint from a different perspective and that gets me thinking out of my preconceived patterns.

 

[DarrylParsons]

Thanks Jack for the compliment. Yours are usually thought-provoking too. These are my favorite threads -- the ones in which the big picture issues are discussed intelligently.

 

[otter]

butt crack

 

[VIEJODINOSAUR]

I grew up in the 60s.....don’t get me started.....

 

[TheFalls]

og...og thread here

 

[road2perdition]

Great points Sick Gambler.

Times have changed & not for the best.

Riiight..threat of nuclear war with the Soviets. Doing eerie, ominous drills in classrooms, aids in the 80s, so much more to name.

Life, society changes. Learn to adapt and appreciate the positive things. I loved 80s music as a kid and everything seems better when looking back but times have not changed for the worse. It's just in your heads guys.

 

[DesertDevil]

I grew up in the 30's and we wore leather helmets on the football field.....don’t get me started.....

You ever get concussed wearing one of those things?

 

[VIEJODINOSAUR]

You ever get concussed wearing one of those things?

It must seem that way at times....

 

[DesertDevil]

It must seem that way at times....

:toast: