Mr. Write's Page

Social scientists probably have a name for this, but I don’t know what it is.

I’m referring to the phenomenon in which something from popular culture in the recent past — a thing once known to virtually the entire populace — falls out of fashion and disappears from our collective consciousness.

The item of minutia in question might have been universally known for an extended period. Then, before you know it, it’s gone and forgotten.

This phenomenon, by the way, never happens in the case of music or movies. Songs and films never go away. They simply pile up somewhere in the aether in digital form. For a modest fee, you can summon forth practically any song or movie released in the last 70 years.

No, the minutia that fades from memory is other stuff — stuff that had its moment and then went away. Stuff that previous generations experienced first-hand, but subsequent generations did not.

A prime example: S&H Green Stamps.

For you youngsters, S&H Green Stamps were “trading stamps” given away by merchants some decades ago as part of a loyalty rewards program. They were sort of like frequent flyer miles. You got Green Stamps at supermarkets, gas stations, department stores, drug stores, etc.

The program was operated by the Sperry & Hutchinson Company from the 1930s to the 1980s, and it was a huge success.

The idea was, you received 10 stamps for each dollar you spent. The stamps had water-activated adhesive on the backs, and you pasted them in the handy books provided. The books could be redeemed for merchandise at an S&H redemption store or from the S&H catalog.

For most people, the stamps led to a classic quandary. Did you impulsively redeem a few books for a cheap gift, or did you keep on saving, holding out for a better payoff later on?

But, for all their popularity, Green Stamps were quickly forgotten after the program folded. Younger folks had no experience with the ritual of licking and sticking, of having a temporarily green tongue, or of selecting which prizes to redeem. Thus, the memory faded.

Here’s another example of gone and forgotten:

I know what this thing is, and you may know, but how could a grade-schooler in 2016 possibly identify it?

Or, if that same grade-schooler made an error while typing something (lol), how could they know the proper way to make a correction?

These days, who remembers Ipana Toothpaste, one of the top-selling brands in the country for the better part of a century? Who remembers Bucky Beaver, Ipana’s jolly, toothsome spokes-animal? Bucky was a popular dude in his day.

So… what got me started on this “gone and forgotten” subject?

A small incident regarding hand signals — the kind used by drivers and cyclists to confirm their intention to turn or slow down.

Not too long ago, hand signals were in relatively common use. And they always struck me as a smart, useful idea. For a time, many states required drivers and cyclists to use them. Very often, cyclists still do.

But any more, fewer and fewer drivers use or understand them. At least in my corner of America, using hand signals has become a lost art. Except in the case of a few of us old-timers, hand signals are, well, gone and forgotten.

As for the incident in question, I was driving home from somewhere, and about 50 yards ahead on the right was the entrance to my subdivision. I began to slow down, and I activated my right turn signal.

Waiting at the stop sign ahead was a car poised to pull out, with its left turn signal blinking. The driver, a female in her teens or 20s, planned to turn left.

But she wouldn’t commit. I assume she feared my turn signal might be “on” accidentally.

Whereupon, I raised my left arm (see center illustration above) to confirm my intention to turn. Perfect, right? This is why hand signals were invented.

The driver didn’t budge. But she gave me a friendly wave in return.

Sheesh.