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Freethinker
Picture of sigfreund
posted
Another thread started me thinking again about how many things are so much better today than they were in the 1950s and ’60s when I was growing up as a kid. A few that come to mind in no particular importance:

Air conditioning in homes and cars. Then it was fans at best for most of us, and only adults had them in their bedrooms. Heating by coal fire was still far from uncommon.

Dental care, and medical care in general. I still remember early experiences at dentists’ offices and how they fueled my phobias for decades. I once heard two Army medics at a military hospital discussing how to decide when a hypodermic needle was too dull to be reused and should be discarded. The fact that ibuprofen and acetaminophen (Tylenol) are over the counter pain relievers is just one of countless examples that could be cited today.

Information availability. When friends and I were developing our own Minitanks war games rules and wanted to learn about various tanks’ capabilities, we were able to find one (count ’em—one) reference book with general information at the main large city library. There is literally no comparison between today’s Internet and anything that existed before, from the arcane to the most commonly useful.

Online merchandise ordering. Yes, at one time people could order guns from mail order companies, but they didn’t have countless other products to pick from, nor did they show up at our doorstep in days rather than weeks or months.

Cars. Don’t even get me started.

Home entertainment: more countless examples from TV to music.

Fast food restaurants; if you don’t like them, no one is forced to eat there, but they are much more convenient when needed than the universal sit-downs or brown bagging of 60 years ago.

Digital cameras. They may not produce better results than film, but they are far more convenient.

Clothing. Synthetic fabrics and insulation, and even the wool is better.

Guns and ammunition. Autoloading pistols that are totally reliable with modern cartridge loadings. Out of the box factory rifles and ammunition whose precision would have made the experts of generations ago green with envy. Inexpensive chronographs and ballistics solvers. Scopesights whose optical quality, reticles, and reliability were undreamed of even 20 years ago.

Added: One of the best things about today is not having to breathe anyone else’s tobacco smoke—as I did for the first 40+ years of life.

I could go on and on, but I know and remember what the “good old days” were like and anyone who preferred them would be welcome to them.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sigfreund,




6.4/93.6

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
— Plato
 
Posts: 47365 | Location: 10,150 Feet Above Sea Level in Colorado | Registered: April 04, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
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Beer and whisky are far better now. Cartoons are far worse.
 
Posts: 13735 | Location: Shenandoah Valley, VA | Registered: October 16, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Cars are definitely better.

Having breakfast and then basically leaving the house until you needed to be fed again though trumps most of your post. While smart phones are amazing they also have brought huge societal issues to bear that never existed before so I think those are a net negative. Medicine is better but obesity is way worse so not the massive improvement you think. Dr’s first response now is typically medicate instead of solve.

I’m in the it was better back then even with the shitty carburetors.
 
Posts: 7347 | Location: Florida | Registered: June 18, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Was it better in years past? Maybe. But it was damn sure simpler. The main thing I miss is actual common sense.


End of Earth: 2 Miles
Upper Peninsula: 4 Miles
 
Posts: 16005 | Location: Marquette MI | Registered: July 08, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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It's far better now. I seriously think that if cable news and social media disappeared, we'd think we were in paradise.
 
Posts: 8944 | Location: The Red part of Minnesota | Registered: October 06, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Technically all mechanical things are better. Many more creature comforts. As far as fundamental happiness I would say we have taken large strides backwards. All the cool things we have today may distract us but I think I was happier as a poor kid growing up than my kids and grandkids may be.


_____________________

Be careful what you tolerate. You are teaching people how to treat you.
 
Posts: 5681 | Location: Ohio | Registered: December 27, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Little ray
of sunshine
Picture of jhe888
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We live longer, and while not many of us have ever been poor, the overall level of poverty in the US and the world is much lower than it was even 50 years ago. Many fewer people starve every year now.

It is mostly better.




The fish is mute, expressionless. The fish doesn't think because the fish knows everything.
 
Posts: 53118 | Location: Texas | Registered: February 10, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Get my pies
outta the oven!

Picture of PASig
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We have a far better variety of foods available now due to globalization than we did 30, 40, 50 years ago.

I recall being enthralled by whole fresh coconuts at this one produce market we used to go to when I was a child in the late 70's - early 80's

Now my little boys see papayas, avocadoes, mangoes, plantains, etc plus 20 different kinds of apples and 15 different kinds of oranges in every supermarket we go to.


 
Posts: 33606 | Location: Pennsylvania | Registered: November 12, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Freethinker
Picture of sigfreund
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quote:
Originally posted by PASig:
We have a far better variety of foods available ....


That’s another thing I often think about. Some of it actually strikes me as very odd, such as the forty-eleven varieties of breakfast cereals available in my small food store, but more of it I really appreciate. I’m happy to eat grapes from South America in the dead of winter or have curry sauce from Thailand to cook my chicken in.

In response to the complaints about modern life, though, I must point out that just as we’re not forced to eat our supersized meals at McDonald’s, many of the other problems aren’t due to anything other than personal choices that people make. Modern medicine or fast food restaurants aren’t responsible for the so-called obesity “epidemic,” and we can still choose to not spend our lives glued to our smart phones. The temptations are there, but when heroin and cocaine were available OTC at the corner drugstore, not everyone became addicts and not everyone becomes an alcoholic today.

Very many of the problems and differences of life today are due to rapid population growth, but some of the same people who complain about those things consider the right and ability of people to have as many children as the rest of society can support to be sacrosanct. The inevitable consequence of population growth is that as our communities grow larger and larger, the percentage of the population that can walk out their back doors into the wild woods as I could during most of my childhood grows smaller and smaller, and things like traffic congestion become worse.




6.4/93.6

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
— Plato
 
Posts: 47365 | Location: 10,150 Feet Above Sea Level in Colorado | Registered: April 04, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Peace through
superior firepower
Picture of parabellum
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Yes, life was better back then. It's not even a contest.
 
Posts: 107258 | Registered: January 20, 2000Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Void Where Prohibited
Picture of WaterburyBob
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It's the people, it's society. Yes, things were much better fifty years ago.

People behaved better, respected each other more and were more compassionate.



"If Gun Control worked, Chicago would look like Mayberry, not Thunderdome" - Cam Edwards
 
Posts: 16488 | Location: Under the Boot of Tyranny in Connectistan | Registered: February 02, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
The Unmanned Writer
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Life was better "back then." Living is easier now.







Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.



Only in an insane world are the sane considered insane.


The memories of a man in his old age
Are the deeds of a man in his prime


 
Posts: 14020 | Location: It was Lat: 33.xxxx Lon: 44.xxxx now it's CA :( | Registered: March 22, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
No, not like
Bill Clinton
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The joy I get out of going somewhere with no cell service and no wifi, the kids want to die but they get over it



 
Posts: 5302 | Location: GA | Registered: September 23, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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it's no better, it's no worse -- just different

and since we don't get to choose, we'll make the best of where we're at

"it's a very exciting time" - Tank


-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-


All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed.
For after all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog.”
― Charles M. Schulz
 
Posts: 1996 | Location: Florida Panhandle | Registered: June 25, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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We have better material stuff and technology albeit its taken a few steps back of late with manufacturing shifts to prc.

Goods-wise better. But society and people and culture and manners are much worse now in my perception.




"Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it." L.Tolstoy
"A government is just a body of people, usually, notably, ungoverned." Shepherd Book
 
Posts: 12683 | Location: In the gilded cage | Registered: December 09, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
quarter MOA visionary
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Much better, for one thing we were younger.
Additionally, whether it was jut the times or that being younger as I remember the politics of the day was not that important.
Sure a lot of shit was going on but I guess being involved in life at a young age you just don't care.
Now what technology has improved in life politics and the general moral decay of mankind has maybe not ruined but at least made it much less enjoyable.
 
Posts: 22858 | Location: Houston, TX | Registered: June 11, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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We know the things we have now that we didn't have back then so I don't think it's fair to use these things to compare. I wasn't lacking for the internet when I was growing up because it didn't exist. Just yesterday, I watched a video of Johnny Carson sparring with Joe Frazier. It had me laughing so hard. Johnny was hilarious. I commented to the video that it was a reminder of a simpler time, and I think better too.



Year V
 
Posts: 2613 | Registered: November 05, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
quarter MOA visionary
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quote:
Originally posted by Keystoner:
We know the things we have now that we didn't have back then so I don't think it's fair to use these things to compare.
I wasn't lacking for the internet when I was growing up because it didn't exist.



I beg to differ, totally fair to compare.
The FACT that we were perfectly happy without these things shows we did not have to have them to be happy.
Not that much of the things we now have are not beneficial but it just shows it is just relative to the times.
I am thankful that we did not have "social media" back then with all of the good and the bad.
Just one example.
 
Posts: 22858 | Location: Houston, TX | Registered: June 11, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of konata88
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It’s obviously life was happy back then. But with modern stuff, I think one can be happier and/or happy more frequently. Simple simple example. I was happy listening to cassette tapes in the car back then. Much happier now listening to music in the car streamed from my iPhone.




"Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it." L.Tolstoy
"A government is just a body of people, usually, notably, ungoverned." Shepherd Book
 
Posts: 12683 | Location: In the gilded cage | Registered: December 09, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Mom and pop stores. Traditional Barber Shops. No big box stores.


Two things bring me to tears. The unconditional Love of God,the service of the United States Military,past,present,and future.

I would rather meet
a slick-sleeve private,
than a hollywood star!
 
Posts: 2334 | Registered: February 28, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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