Kids these days

[triskellian]

(In backlash against being five yesterday, today I shall be seventy-five ;-)

Parts of my journey to work are shared by dozens of teenagers walking to school, and I have observed that all of them wear their backpacks properly, on both shoulders. What is the world coming to? In my day, no one used both shoulder straps, and backache be damned!

Poll Shoulder straps

Comments

[white_hart]

I've noticed that. It's very odd.

I still have the backpack I used when I was at sixth form: standard brightly-coloured Millets one, with a drawstring and a flap and a front pocket. It's under my desk at work with gym stuff in, not that I ever go to the gym. It's also a pain to carry, because the left-hand strap is stretched and flattened after carrying all my A-Level stuff around, while the right-hand strap is almost like new, and any attempt to carry it properly is extremely uncomfortable!

[cardinalsin]

On one shoulder until I got back-ache. Then on two. This is still how I wear a backpack :)

[bluedevi]

Actually, me too, at school. One shoulder till I could stand it no more. (Some days my bag weighed nearly a stone.)

[motodraconis]

I wanted a backpack, but my mum would never let me have one! Now I'm all growed up I have lots of backpacks, which I wear on both shoulders sensible-style.

[undyingking]

I still wear it on one shoulder. But I alternate shoulders, to stave off the backacheyness. (Which doesn't always work.)

Maybe modern teens have more sloping shoulders, and it just won't stay on.

[triskellian]

Wow, you can swap shoulders? I can't - makes me feel all hunched and odd if I wear a bag on my left shoulder.

[ar_gemlad]

I'm left-shouldered. Which goes with my left-footedness but not my right-handedness. Maybe I'm just a freak :)

[bibliogirl]

No, I'm the same; left-shouldered, right-handed. Actually I think it's because it's easier to do something with your right hand when you don't have a backpack on that shoulder -- open doors, that kind of thing -- so that the backpack doesn't slide off and dangle painfully from your wrist. undyingking is obviously just a freak of nature (but we knew that)

[secondhand_rick]

if weight_of_bag == light
   number_of_shoulders_used = 1;
else
   number_of_shoulders_used = 2;