People Share What Things Were Truly Better "Back In The Day"

People Share What Things Were Truly Better "Back In The Day"

[rebelmouse-image 18357584 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

We can all agree that technology has made life much easier on all of us, but there are some things that people miss about the good ol' days. Older people share wiht us what as truly better back in the day.

dudeARama2 asks: What are old people actually right about when they say it was better back in the day ?

Employment!

[rebelmouse-image 18349593 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

Getting a job was easier. I can think of at least five jobs I had where I walked in the front door, said I was looking for work, got hired and started right away. No employment agencies. No background checks. No drug tests. No second interview.

Stargazing isn't what it use to be

[rebelmouse-image 18349612 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

Night was darker. I'm serious. Light pollution in many urban areas is so bad now that you can't see stars at night.

Where did the love go?

[rebelmouse-image 18351072 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

In some places, a sense of community. I feel like neighborhoods are colder and more isolated than they were when I was young and I'm not even that old.

Fix you own car for free

[rebelmouse-image 18357588 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

Back in my day, you could take your car to a mechanic, get it fixed and leave with your butthole intact.

Watch where your're stepping

[rebelmouse-image 18357589 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

Public lands. My grandpa raves about how much of our world was public access to us (in the US) at least until semi-recently. We live in Colorado, which has one of the highest total areas of public land in the country, but it's still dwindled significantly here and even more so in other states. It's nice to be able to see something cool from the highway and park and explore the area without fear of trespassing on some wealthy rancher's land.

Oh how the job market has changed

[rebelmouse-image 18357590 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

You could get a job with an employer that would stay in continuous business throughout your working years.

If you worked hard and were reliable, you'd get regular pay raises and advance through the ranks.

And when you retired, you got a defined benefits pension to help fund your "golden years."

Why is everything so expensive!?

[rebelmouse-image 18357591 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

People talk about how things used to cost a lot less, and I always assumed it was just inflation, like how the movies used to cost a nickel.

But things really do cost way more than they used to - even after you account for the fact that the movies cost a nickel. In the past fifty years, AFTER inflation, education costs have doubled, college costs have dectupled, health insurance costs have dectupled, subway costs have at least dectupled, and housing costs have increased by about fifty percent. And this is with all the modern technology, the cuts in quality, and relentless cost-cutting. No one really knows why.

Wish we could try this

[rebelmouse-image 18357592 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

Coke. My grandpa said they used to mix the carbonated water and the syrup and stir it right in front of you and it tasted better. At Disney World there's a 50s type diner where they actually do this, he was right

It's just not made the same as it was

[rebelmouse-image 18357593 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

Old Pyrex is vastly superior to the new stuff for its intended purpose.

Even bananas were better back then!

[rebelmouse-image 18357594 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

As I heard it once, at one point there was a whole species of banana that was sweeter but it died out, so I guess bananas and banana splits.

Worker loyalty, what's that?

[rebelmouse-image 18346098 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

My grandpa asked why I'd had so many jobs.

I had to explain to him that company loyalty was dead because company loyalty to employees was dead. It's not like it was when he was my age. There are little to no raises. No benefits. No vacation.

You work at a place till you get enough experience and leave for another company where you can negotiate for higher pay on getting hired. Because that's the only way you'll get a raise.

This extent of trust is dead and gone

[rebelmouse-image 18344992 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

In Toronto, when I was a kid, the newspaper boxes were 'honour boxes' - that is, there was a slot to put in the dime, but the papers were out in the open. If you didn't have a dime today, you put in 20 cents the next day.

A nice reminder...

[rebelmouse-image 18349841 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

Their backs and knees

Times have changed for all of us

[rebelmouse-image 18357595 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

Kids used to play back in my day. I seriously have a hard time finding kids riding bikes in a pack or just hanging out at the park. Me and my friends played hide and seek in the park after dark until 8th grade graduation. Its was just and excuse to find a place to make out with a girl.

Even the standard social life has changed

[rebelmouse-image 18346705 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

People had more time for friends. When I look around for someone to talk to they're in too much of a rush or they're already on their phone. I never interrupt someone on their phone because you never know how important the call may be, but still.

Today, we indulge

[rebelmouse-image 18357596 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

My grandma and grandpa were teenagers in the Great Depression. Grandma would always talk about how people spend to much money now. Yea grandma, we can afford to put milk in our coffee. We aren't rich, we just aren't depression era poor.

Much more reasonable

[rebelmouse-image 18357597 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

They are right about it being a better time when 25% of ONE salary was what you paid for housing. Now most families have two incomes, with one of them going mostly to rent/house payment.

These are major

[rebelmouse-image 18350539 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

Air travel

Privacy

Journalism

Please bring this back!

[rebelmouse-image 18357598 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

MTV showed music videos and it was awesome.

Fashion has changed, but in more than one way

[rebelmouse-image 18357599 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

Clothing was made a lot better, even if you had less of it and were expected to make your own repairs. Nowadays everything made with cheap plastic fibers that don't feel good on your skin (and cause water pollution with microplastics), and sewing skills have vastly declined. You can either buy cheap fast fashion crap not meant to last past a season or expensive designer clothing few people can afford. There's a middle Goldilocks zone of price to quality that doesn't really exist anymore.

Teacher standing in front of a classroom
Photo by Taylor Flowe on Unsplash

It's a teacher's job to leave a lasting impression and set a good example for their students.

With this in mind, particularly in this age of viral videos and social media, teachers have to be very careful of what they say during class hours.

Even so, there are very few teachers who haven't said something they've regretted when teaching a class.

Sometimes to control unruly students, other times when they've simply had enough.

Then too, sometimes teachers leave their students baffled and perplexed by what they say in their classroom, well aware of what they were saying.

Always making for a memorable story.

Keep reading...Show less
woman in white crew neck t-shirt sitting on gray sofa
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

As a kid, I never raised alarm bells even when I started to feel sick. My mom got stressed easily and was busy taking care of my younger brother, so I never wanted to be a burden by making her take me to the doctor only to find out nothing was wrong.

However, in fifth grade, my ears started to hurt and I knew something was wrong. I told my mom, she took me to the doctor, and I found out I had an ear infection.

Now, an ear infection isn't serious at all, and it was easily treatable. Still, I learned something from that experience: no one knows your body better than you. You know if and when you're sick and how serious it is, even if you don't now exactly what is wrong.

Redditors can corroborate this. Many of them have experienced symptoms that told them they were sick in some way -- usually with a very serious illness -- and are ready to share those experiences.

Keep reading...Show less
A couple holds hands on a date, candlelit table and two glasses of red wine
Photo by René Ranisch on Unsplash

When in the beginning stages of dating, it's important to know as much as humanly possible.

The element of surprise is no longer a fun aspect of romance.

Ask the small questions. Ask the hard questions.

Interrogate. Grill. Investigate.

Of course, you should do it with a subtle hand instead of an interrogation lamp.

The truth is all we have.

Ask everything.

Keep reading...Show less
Woman letting go of boyfriend's hand
Photo by Everton Vila on Unsplash

As much as we always hop for our dating efforts to be worth it and for every relationship to work out, we all know that some relationships are not destined to work out.

But sometimes relationships end for totally valid reasons, and sometimes the reasons are painful, if not devastating.

Keep reading...Show less