Do you miss the ‘old days’? (1990s, country, United States)
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Every era has its negative points, even today. I believe when most people talk about the good old days they’re fondly remembering positive aspects of that era that aren’t around today.
That is true, but those same people are usually forgetting about the negative aspects of prior eras.
Having been born in the late '40s, I distinctly recall the anxiety regarding each summer's polio outbreaks in the early '50s--pre-Salk vaccine. Wondering about what happened to a missing playmate, and then finding out that he/she was going to spend the rest of his/her life in an iron lung is just one example of how "the good old days" weren't very good.
Or, how about cancer patients who rarely survived more than a few months following diagnosis? In the '50s--and even for a few decades following the '50s--effective cancer treatments were essentially non-existent. Now, early detection, via procedures such as Colonoscopies, MRIs, and Mammograms--coupled with modern chemo/radiation/biologic drug treatment--has led to an incredibly different life expectancy for people who are diagnosed with cancer.
I vividly recall my favorite aunt being admitted to the hospital, in 1957, because of some very troubling symptoms. The extent of the diagnostic procedures consisted of several X-rays, which were inconclusive. She was told, "It's either Heart Disease or Cancer, but we won't know which it is unless we perform Exploratory Surgery". That's correct, two totally different diseases couldn't be differentiated in those days unless a patient had surgery just to take a look inside their abdomen. Luckily, it turned out to be "only" Heart Disease, and she managed to survive about 5 more years on the limited cardiac medications that were available in those days. Thankfully, we have a plethora of non-invasive diagnostic procedures nowadays, as well as a wealth of medications for cardiac patients.
Another aspect that comes to mind is air quality in urban areas, in the '50s, and--obviously--prior to the '50s. Air pollution in those days--pre-emissions regulations--was incredibly bad..
No era is perfect, but there is no way that I would trade the quality of life in the current era for the living conditions of the '50s and prior decades.
I very much miss the olden days. Life was more sane, less wacky and less hectic. Too much of life today is incongruous with our nature, and causes widespread mental health problems.
I miss the 1960s, 70s even.
The only thing I love today is technology. It can really make day-to-day life and tasks much easier, as long as you control it and not let it control you. Even medicine is bordering on Start Trek these days. Who ever throught you could fix knee problems without invasive surgery, for example.
Very much so Igor! Heck I even remember dating back in the 80s and whether one was Democrat or Republican NEVER entered into the equation. We were never as divided back in the day.
Wow, your compassion and empathy is overwhelming. If there were any examples, in the "good old days" of white people being brutally tortured and beaten to death because of the color of their skin, while their murderers went free and unpunished after a sham trial, I'd love to hear it.
Whenever people do reminisce this wonderful time years ago when everything was great, it's usually, as has already been mentioned, they were children and didn't have any responsibilities or awareness of the world as it really was. And for women, people of color, non-Christians, and gays and lesbians, these times were only better for certain kinds of people. No one wants to back to a time when they could have been openly discriminated against.
Ask any white person who lived in a 'changing' neighborhood how great that was.
My dad lived in one on the '50s ... good times.
My wife and her family (from China) lived in a 'changing' neighborhood in the early 70s ... talk about a rough time. Don't give me that crap that blacks are the only ones who had a bad time. They dished it out pretty good themselves.
I'm not going to apologize or feel guilty for having a nice upbringing in a nice neighborhood. I had to avoid certain neighborhoods, too ...
I grew up in a neighborhood of 2,000 in the fifties, living right next door to my grandfather in a house my dad had built in '56. It was idyllic. We climbed trees, played in vacant lots and swung on vines like Tarzan because the area was only partially built up.
OK, so I knew how many people lived in my area because it was set off by a fence and a six foot 'reserve strip' from a neighborhood to the north. There was a restrictive covenant there to prevent folks like me from living in the area. I left home at 18 for college and never really lived in the area or city again.
I thought the place was peaceful and that everyone got along. I never experienced de jure discrimination except on those infrequent summer jaunts to visit my mom's folks in New Orleans. The grammar school in my area had been shuttered in '56 in the wake of Brown v. Topeka so I went to kindergarten in an area which when laid out, the developers had boasted in marketing materials that the area was 'restricted', another fact I learned much later. Finally, in the early eighties, my hometown became the first US city successfully sued by the DOJ for discrimination in placing public housing (and also for school segregation). I should have seen it coming but didn't.
Interesting and a bit familiar. When we finally moved to the suburbs, much of the area was wild for the next ten years, but development caught up. We were unincorporated but our backyard fence became the city limits of Ferguson, Missouri. Someone built a golf course back there and some apartments. When I started working, I lived in those apartments for a couple years. I moved away in 1974 but the golf course was later turned into apartments, becoming the scene of the Michael Brown killing and riots in 2014.
Interesting and a bit familiar. When we finally moved to the suburbs, much of the area was wild for the next ten years, but development caught up. We were unincorporated but our backyard fence became the city limits of Ferguson, Missouri. Someone built a golf course back there and some apartments. When I started working, I lived in those apartments for a couple years. I moved away in 1974 but the golf course was later turned into apartments, becoming the scene of the Michael Brown killing and riots in 2014.
::idly wonders if you're referring to the Whispering Lake apartments in Black Jack::
I wish people would stick with more natural hair color instead of the horribly cheap dye jobs they use today.
Just refreshed the pink hair coloring I've been using for the past two years, because I enjoy it. One of the things I love about the here and now is that people are more accepting of just having fun with this stuff.
I wish it was more like the 80's/90's. Was born in 68.
In the 90's the internet and regular cell phones were just getting going.
The modern age of smart phones/mini computers/cameras all in one destroyed everything, IMO.
Now, one can say they help a lot in things such as business, and on that I agree.
I run a charter boat and the number of trips booked instantly by an online site or a simple call at all hours have made me quite busy these last few years. However, it's not always as good as it seems.
Now I must answer the phone at all hours of the day/night. The increased money I receive from those trips isn't necessarily a plus. As there are now extra bills involved to pay for the internet service, web pages, phone fees, etc. Also, online advertisement is much more expensive than regular print. And the extra maintenance needed because of the extra hours also cut well into the profits. Next year I'm actually looking at cutting back some as I think that line has been crossed in which the modern technology getting me more trips is actually costing more than the extra money, I bring in.
Also, life was much simpler.
Wasn't it nice to drive down a street without having to worry about a brain dead zombie with his face buried in the phone walking out in front of you?
Actually having a conversation when you go out instead of everyone still glued to their phones as if they were individually alone in their house but are together.
To be able to enjoy being young and dumb and do8ng the stupid shenanigans that come with those years without worrying about being on some viral you tube video? Or just having your picture posted on social media?
Or return to the times without giving a care, or at least pretending to, about what your "friends" (real, fake and imaginary) are doing at every moment or pretending that they want to see your stupid pictures, quotes and drunkin late night thoughts.
That is true, but those same people are usually forgetting about the negative aspects of prior eras.
Having been born in the late '40s, I distinctly recall the anxiety regarding each summer's polio outbreaks in the early '50s--pre-Salk vaccine. Wondering about what happened to a missing playmate, and then finding out that he/she was going to spend the rest of his/her life in an iron lung is just one example of how "the good old days" weren't very good.
Or, how about cancer patients who rarely survived more than a few months following diagnosis? In the '50s--and even for a few decades following the '50s--effective cancer treatments were essentially non-existent. Now, early detection, via procedures such as Colonoscopies, MRIs, and Mammograms--coupled with modern chemo/radiation/biologic drug treatment--has led to an incredibly different life expectancy for people who are diagnosed with cancer.
I vividly recall my favorite aunt being admitted to the hospital, in 1957, because of some very troubling symptoms. The extent of the diagnostic procedures consisted of several X-rays, which were inconclusive. She was told, "It's either Heart Disease or Cancer, but we won't know which it is unless we perform Exploratory Surgery". That's correct, two totally different diseases couldn't be differentiated in those days unless a patient had surgery just to take a look inside their abdomen. Luckily, it turned out to be "only" Heart Disease, and she managed to survive about 5 more years on the limited cardiac medications that were available in those days. Thankfully, we have a plethora of non-invasive diagnostic procedures nowadays, as well as a wealth of medications for cardiac patients.
Another aspect that comes to mind is air quality in urban areas, in the '50s, and--obviously--prior to the '50s. Air pollution in those days--pre-emissions regulations--was incredibly bad..
No era is perfect, but there is no way that I would trade the quality of life in the current era for the living conditions of the '50s and prior decades.
I’m Cajun. My parents and grandparents had to avoid speaking their native language at school. Much worse for my grandparents. Cajun French was the only language they knew at the time. After the civil war the French language was made illegal in Louisiana and public school teachers were the front line of efforts to wipe out the language. Some teachers were t satisfied with paddling students caught speaking French in school. Depending on the teacher and student it sometimes progressed to belts, open hand slap, and sometimes closed fist punches. Then came WW2 and suddenly the USA needed these Cajuns and creoles to serve in France. But the overall point of my post remains. I don’t want “the good old days” entirely. I want the good aspects of the tools old days that involve peoples attitude and behavior that are t here today.
I certainly do miss the good old days, when business cards only had names with no mandatory pronouns and justice always involved a judge.
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