Cool story Alexeirex! Thanks for sharing! I love hearing stories about collecting wackies as a kid.
I remember when I was a kid collecting wackies and I would ride my bike to every 7-11 store and buy all they had. I did not consider my journey to each store to be very far, but sometimes I would travel about 7 miles one way to get those stickers. I would bring every coin in my bank with me too.
I couldn't imagine a kid these days riding their bike even a mile without calling their parents and asking them to pick them up because they were tired. LOL.
You hit the nail on the head, man. Working at a college, one can see the gradual 'de-evolution' (Ah, Devo... cool band) of society right before their eyes. I don't know if it's because of social media, texting, TV, or what; but on average, the 20yo's now have the same maturity level, resourcefulness, and sense of independence that we did at 10. Maybe less, actually. Lazy & "entitled" to everything just because they want it, but don't feel like working for it. So many don't even know how to use a map! Seriously. A map. This time, though, the change is not "generational". Every generation in history has had that, "kids these days!", moment. But that's not it. Everyone from 5 to 55 seems to have de-evolved at the same time. And it's the random people who hung on tight to SOMETHING from the past (anything... Wackys, candy, StarWars, TV shows) that seemed to have skirted this trend of Idiocracy (funny movie!). I guess it keeps us grounded in what was good about pre-Y2K/911 America. Like intelligence, quality entertainment, individualism, respect, hard work, outdoor travel & exercise (not on a Wii), oh... and Wacky Packages, of course.