When I was 5 years old, I used to go to a bakery. And it was locally owned.

I’d go in, and I’d buy a brownie. And I’d do my moms shopping. Just lite stuff. Gallon of milk. Carton of cigerettes. Loaf of bread. Sometimes pancake mix. Then I’d buy a brownie from the bakery.

Every Saturday morning.

This went on for years. Until one day, I came in, clearly something wrong. I bought all my moms groceries. I’m 15 by this point. But I didn’t get my brownie. And so when Abeer (shop owners name) put my brownie on the counter, I said no. She could already tell something was wrong before the brownie rejection. But now she had to ask. I said “I don’t want a brownie today”.

She said “I’ll give you one. It’s ok if you don’t pay this week.”

I said “No. It’s not about money. I don’t want a brownie.”

She asked “Whats wrong?”

I said “Papa died…” and I burst into tears. Papa was my grandfather. He had died the night before. I just wanted to get in, and get out. Without talking really. But when she heard Papa died, she rushed around the counter and hugged me.

Here’s a woman who I’d grown up with. Every weekend talking for 30-60 minutes. She was the shopkeep, yes, but she was also a close family friend.

I was in this trance/haze of doing what I need to do, because I need to, but my mind was elsewhere. I was just trying to do my moms shopping, and get home in 5 minutes so I could curl back up in bed. Not to sleep, but just to try not to remember that I exist.

So when she ran around the counter to hug me, I didn’t even know what was happening. I thought she was still behind the counter, and now suddenly she’s hugging me.

I’m 42 now, but I cannot imagine kids today being able to understand the core concept of old school communities. They’ve been ripped out and replaced by walmart and other heartless souless corporations.

Can you imagine a 6 year old leaving his house, walking 10 minutes, entering walmart, and spending 30 minutes talking to the workers, telling them about the week at school? Showing her your TMNT toys you got for your birthday? Telling them various things about your life?

I cannot imagine that, but that was how the whole neighborhood was growing up. Every store a small community shop. Every adult knew every kid. Every kid knew every kid.

One time I was walking home and it started raining. So I just went onto the doorstep of the first house I saw that I knew a kid lived at. I’m just standing on the porch, waiting for it to stop raining. Suddenly Andys mom opens the door. She says “Andys not here right now. He’s over at James house.”

I said “Oh, ok. I’m just using the porch as shelter until it clears.”

And thats when Andys mom drove me home. Thats just how it was. A whole community looking out for the whole community.

Now anytime I go back to my old neighborhood, I don’t recognize it. C-Town pizza is gone. Obviously the video rental stores are gone. One time I even went and knocked on the houses of the kids I knew. Wondering if anyone I used to know inherited their parents old houses. Nope. I had a woman yell at me for disturbing her time. Wasn’t anyone I used to know.

But just looking around, I could tell the street layout may be the same, but this wasn’t a community. This was an isolated set of houses.

And now I’m sad. Because I miss those days. I miss the idea of everyone caring about everyone. I miss the wholesome nature of a new family moving in, and everyone just bombarding them with welcoming arms. I miss the idea of just going to my friends house, and walking in, Kramer style (minus the racism).

Now life is just cold and isolated.

I think they raped baby hitler?

Enshitification has been a thing since the 1940s. I remember in the 80s my grandma saying she used to get pretzels from the corner store. Big soft gooey chewey pretzels.

Now, in the 80s, I could only get a factory made crunchy pretzel rod.

And today? Unless you’re buying a whole bag, you can’t get pretzels at all.

Oh believe me, if you came across Jared when you were 11? You’d remember that…and your therapist would bill you for it.

Yeah, but the problem is, they had a pedophile as a spokesman at the time.

Remember how outraged people were? Remember when they cared?

Now you can be a pedophile and still be president. Twice.

…who?

Ahhhhhh, the french! Champaign! Has always been celebrated for it’s excellence!

…does he do anything?

Hmmmmm. Racism and pedophilia…or boobs.

Ya know, I gotta say, I prefer the boobs on this one.

…oof. You’re not misrepresenting him, but man I wish you were.

My favorite part of that is the bald guy went on years later to be a regular cast member of superstore.

The commercial was probably 2002?

Superstore was 2018?

He looks EXACTLY the same.

I’m not watching, because trump is the one delivering it. Is there shit falling out of his pants leg?

Hoping english isn’t your first language.

Really taking the SHIT post part literally, aren’t you?

I had a friend who was about 10 years younger than I am before we drifted apart. About 5 years ago, we were at the grocery store, and I couldn’t find it. And he said "Why would they carry some specialty BBQ sauce nobodys ever heard of before?

It was one of those “Listen here ya little shit…” kind of moments.

My man!

comes over for BBQ once the outside world thaws from a frozen tundra

Isn’t that TikTok? Content creators create some really interesting and cool content.

And then Tiktok overlays unrelated fortnite footage while also putting giant cartoon bubble captions, but only 1 word at a time. Sometimes in an AI voice.

And try as I might, I cannot endorse that style/formula. Call me a lame boomer, but that just steals other talented peoples work, and shits all over it with almost zero effort.

Though as I type this, I realize this is Lemmy, and the majority of you probably won’t use Tiktok either for similar reasons, along with it not being open source.

Though to be fair, I would still hate the tiktok culture if it had originated on loops.

I prefer KC Masterpiece. Which apperently nobody knows what the hell I’m talking about, and now grocery stores don’t carry it.

No no no, you’re thinking of bleach. Thats the one you gotta drink straight, no mixers, just for the taste! Now bring this glass of bleach to Kash.

Edit: Also, I’m unclear if your name is Spicy Tuna, or Spicy Luna.

I asked Lars Ulrich to define good and bad. He said…

FIRE GOOD!!! NAPSTER BAD!!! OOOOH FIRE HOT!!! FIRE BAD!!! FIIIRRREEE BAAAAAAAD!!!

As someone who takes public transportation to work, SOME people SHOULD be forced to walk through the car wash.