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Old 01-10-2016, 05:05 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,313,949 times
Reputation: 49248

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Quote:
Originally Posted by User1771 View Post
As a avid reader of science fiction I have often looked at a lot of old predictions about what the future is going to be like. Most of these old predictions were from the 1950s about what the world of the 21st century would be like but many of them were way to optimistic about the 21st century. I would like to know why were people so optimistic back then about what the future was going to look like?
Why? Because from the time the depression was over, until maybe the hippy generation (mid 60s) we lived a world where people were optimistic and we loved our country, regardless of what country we lived in. Even during WW2 people had hopes and dreams. We never thought much about what the future held scientifically.

We never dreamed we would have the tech we have today. I remember reading an article in the old Weekly Reader most of us had in school. I think I was 5th grade; we were led to believe someday we would have a machine that would answer the phone for us and take messages when we were not at home. all of us laughed including our teacher. Hubby and I wonder now, what the world will be like in 50 plus more years? I think the downside to all this; we are forgetting how to communicate face to face.

Last edited by nmnita; 01-10-2016 at 05:13 AM..
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Old 01-10-2016, 05:09 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,313,949 times
Reputation: 49248
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yeledaf View Post
You forgot one: no fat people. A pre-technological benefit, perhaps?
OMG, apparently you were not alive or certainly not old enough to remember; there were fat people. No, not as many fat kids, but certainly lots of people with weight problems.
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Old 01-10-2016, 07:44 PM
 
862 posts, read 1,190,064 times
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Originally Posted by Jaggy001 View Post
Possibly. But there are other factors.

First, we are better off financially than we were 50 years ago and can afford more food, afford to eat out, etc. etc.. When I was a child, we almost never ate out. All meals were home cooked.

Second, there is a much bigger variety of places where you can eat out now and at a wide range of price points so that everyone can afford something.

Third, the rise of convenience foods both in fast food restaurants and in the stores. A lot of people don't cook from the basics anymore and use foods that are full of additives. This is often because they are working and don't have the time or energy to cook or because they never learned to cook. And many parents are too busy to teach their kids to cook so the vicious circle is perpetuated.

Fourth, we have a more sedentary lifestyle. As people left the cities for the suburbs, enabled by the arrival of affordable cars, they walked less, had less time because of the commute and exercised less.

Fifth, there have been cultural changes. Kids are not out playing in the neighborhood the way we did. Activities are much more supervised and kids are generally less active. And the digital revolution has provided more sedentary entertainment and play options so they don't feel the need to go out to play.

Obviously there are many more factors but these are a few off the top of my head. I am sure that you could add a few more.
Good post !! I can also add...

The rise of home schooling. Not saying its a bad thing in general but I have seen parents here in Denver, Colorado who not only do the home school thing to their kids but they also refuse to allow their kids to have any contact with other kids..at all..and sometimes no contact with other adults either !! To them the other kids and most adults in the neighborhood are somehow considered a threat so for those kids their "fun" time is pretty much limited to computer games and movies.

The rise of online shopping and places that deliver. In my home town back in the 80's the only business that delivered to your home was Domino's Pizza. Today in Denver not only just about every pizza joint in our neighborhood delivers but so does many other restaurants too. Heck I can even order breakfast and have THAT delivered to my house !! People today not only can order stuff from Amazon and other sites so no need to go to the store but at least here in Denver Walmart and King Soopers ( part of the Kroger chain ) both will deliver to your house and there is a rumor that pops up every once in awhile that Target may start their own delivery service in the future too. Far cry from the days when in many cities & towns it was just Domino's and a few other places that would deliver to your home.

Today many people work from home. No need to leave the house to go to work. Back in the day ( pre-internet 1980s ) really the only person I can recall who did work from his home was this man who had lived in our neighborhood who ran a tax service ( similar to HR Block ) from his living room. Unfortunately in his case he had a phobia of leaving his house. His secretary not only did his personal shopping but even would walk to 7-11 every morning for his morning coffee, cigarettes and newspaper since he was too scared to leave his home even though that 7-11 was only a block away. Sadly he died at the age of 45 about 20 years ago and at the time of his death he weighed well over 400 pounds. Of course I am not at all saying that everyone who works from home is overweight but unfortunately I am noticing many who do will probably end up like the guy in my old neighborhood such as those two guys I know who live in Virginia Beach just a few blocks from the oceanfront. They work from home plus use the internet to buy everything from groceries to take out to clothes to even furniture so they never leave the house and between them they weigh about 900 pounds. Sad !!

Last edited by tantan1968; 01-10-2016 at 07:56 PM..
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