Life changes in an instant. Every second can be a new discovery and a change of course. So one can only imagine the impact on a person's life when they are released from incarceration and they notice the life and the world has moved with warped speed without them.
Redditor u/EddiesThings101 wanted to hear about life for some on the outside by asking.... People sentenced in the 80s-2000s what modern world change shocked you the most?
A What Phone?
GiphyI remember helping a guy who went in, in 2005. Got released 2014. Had a black and green audiovox phone in his effects and asked where he could activate it. I had to explain that it wouldn't be happening lol
Like 3 months later, "y'know, I like the iPhone but I'm gonna wait for the release of the newest one."
Adapted pretty quick. lazarus870
Smoosh....
No matter what year you go in when you come out and stand on carpet for the first time is the most disturbing feeling. stuckondense
My Uncle was in prison for 20 years and the first thing he said when he got to his mom's house was, "whoa, I haven't felt carpet in years! It's so soft!" And then proceeded to walk around barefoot for about 10 minutes just smooshing the carpet with his feet. elarkay
Otis.
There was that documentary of someone who was sentenced in the 70s, Otis I think, and he just couldn't believe the stuff he was seeing, since he lived in New York, with all the screens it was just a different city then all the different colored drinks and people wearing ear phones like they were in the secret service. It's an interesting thing to watch. waawaaaa
Hungry Howies.
I hired a guy that was released after 17 years (circa 2005). A week after he started working he bought a phone. He had a child like wonder with push to talk and texting. A week later he was pissed off that he couldn't text his order in to Hungry Howies. if_I_absolutely_must
Action!
GiphyKnew a guy who was blown away by digital cameras. He had purchased an old, terrible one and couldn't get over how amazing it was. litttup1
So Much Chatter.
A co worker a few years ago had spent 10 years in jail. He got out right when blue tooth headsets for phones were huge. He'd talk about all the random conversations he thought people were trying to have with him, and smart phones freaked him the hell out. bigmac22077
So Many Cars....
Prisoner transfer I did one time for this man who was sentenced to life in 1968, and it's the first time he'd driven past the CN tower in Toronto and he couldn't believe how tall it was. That and he was blown away by how many different car brands there were. MissMyCrownVic
In the recent past pretty much everything below Front was Parking, rail, industrial. Now the parking and industry are leaving and condos, and towers take the place. green_bin_coon
Current Functions.
Got a call from a woman filing a claim on some abandoned funds... I got all her information and then asked for an email address and she said "What's email? I keep hearing about it, but you gotta understand I've been in prison a looooong time."Scottolan
I'm honestly surprised there aren't mandatory classes in prison that help keep people up to date on current events and technologies. It would go a long way to help ex cons function normally in society once they get out, and isn't that the whole goal of the prison system? Infinite_Jets
No Smoking.
I remember getting the bus years ago and this old bloke got on heading away from town centre towards the more residential areas.
Without a second thought he sparked up a cigar, one of the passengers told him you can't smoke on a bus! He apologized and quickly stubbed it out but said he got discharged from prison that day, and when he went in you could smoke anywhere you wanted so this was a massive culture shock to him. RooR_
Ahhhh Memories....
GiphyMy cousin's husband (that she married while he was serving 10 years beginning around 2008) wanted the first thing he did as a free man was to go to Hollywood Video, and rent movies to watch with her. Then she blew his mind with Netflix. At least the idea of Netflix and chill wasn't far from his original plan, but he was shocked about there not being video stores anymore. baxtermcsnuggle
Old Friends....
My friend's older brother was jailed in 1994, and served 15 years.
He said when he went in, anyone with an in car phone was super rich, and to then see absolutely everyone have a completely cordless, pocket-sized phone, was amazing.
He also said that all the TV adverts had websites to visit, or were for completely online stores, which were a bit of an alien concept, as he'd never really seen or used the internet.
He also found the chip and pin process of paying for things on a bank card, extremely exciting.
EDIT: I'm unfortunately not in touch with the friend anymore after an incident with the haddock and the umbrella, so I can't get any further answers to your questions about his brother. Last I heard was around 2012, and he seemed to be doing OK, and had a job and a place to live. rocknrollnobody
CD's Out!
Not me, but my father. I remember him trying to flip a CD upside down and put it back into the CD player like you would do with a record because it was skipping. Didn't notice how much of a big deal that must have been to him at the time. Adjusting to life on the outside can be really tough. NightxShade
Oh the Fanny....
GiphyMy uncle went away when fanny packs were in and when he got out in the mid 2000s we had to break the news to him. chinslapped
Google It....
I knew a guy who was in prison from about 1999 or 2000 for about 12-13 years. When he got out he did a few odd jobs for my family (my mum was friends with his parents and was helping him earn money for stuff like mowing the lawn and cleaning etc).
While he was over we found that he had no idea how to use Google, how to find a phone number in his phone contacts and barely knew how to send a text message. We helped him out with a few of those skills... but lost touch a while later... I'm not sure where he is these days. RQCKQN
Stuck in the Net....
Not me personally, but we had an older guy rent out a room in our house a few years back. Usually we rented it out to students but someone let us know that he had just moved to our city and needed something temporary until he found permanent accommodation.
It was a bit frustrating because this guy would not use the internet to search for a car or place to live.
Didn't know how it worked and didn't trust it. We tried to help him learn how because we thought he was just old and stubbornly resisted technology but nope. Turns out that he had spent 11.5 years in maximum security prison after being framed (by WA police!) for murder in the mid 90s. Came out with trust issues and a dislike for the 'new' internet.
Edit: Western Australian not Washington Police. And here's his Wikipedia page for those interested in his case. LarkieShark
Blindsided....
My friend got out of jail recently and was blown away by how many LEDs are everywhere and how many stores are using insane amounts of LED billboards. We were all at a buddy's house and he was blinded by all the bright LED light in the house. Biffmcgee
Attention Span...
GiphyI was talking to a lady who runs the education for a federal prison in Florida. She said when they start getting rambunctious or off topic, she mentions a new feature of the newest iPhone and all the sudden they're very interested in what she has to say again. sharkkkk
Everything!
I asked a friend what the hardest thing was for him re adjusting to being free again, this is a roundabout of what he said. "Closing doors. I'd leave the fridge open every time without fail for months, you're not allowed to open or shut anything for yourself and I'd I'd accidentally let the pets outside by forgetting I needed to close the front door someone else had opened in front of me, you forget the last one in rule etc, and have to learn it all again." "What was the thing you found you liked the most?" "Candy crush!!" gets phone back out and starts playing, 5 mins later exclaim they've leveled up excitedly, so sweet. ArtyMostFoul
Curious to hear examples of these, Redditor lilac_cup asked:
"Which tv series has aged like milk?"
The handling of these controversial TV story lines seem so careless in retrospect.
Addressing Child Abuse
"The very first episode of Hill Street Blues has two cops breaking up a domestic disturbance caused by a woman finding her man f'king her 15yo daughter. The man is told not to be sh**ty, the woman is told to put out more and the child is told not to be so tempting. Then the cops leave, patting themselves on the back for a job well done."
– kifferella
The Teacher's Secret Relationship
"Pretty Little Liars. I think even at the time, the teacher dating his 16 year old student storyline was considered creepy, but in 2022 it’s honestly unbelievable that was ever portrayed in any kind of positive light. Also that her parents didn’t immediately just report him to the police."
– ColdFIREBaker
Forbidden Attraction
"Not the whole series but Ally McBeal. In one episode Ally found out her bf is bi and her reason breaking up with him was she afraid that one day her bf would be attracted to their son."
– thrussie
These reality shows would never fly in a "woke" world.
Racist Cringe
"There was a reality show on Fox called 'Black. White.' Where they put a white family in blackface and a black family in whiteface."
"Just reading about it, it turns out the white family wasn't even a real family. They were unrelated actors."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black._White.
– MichaelJAwesome
Extreme Makeover
"Extreme makeover. I remember watching this show as a kid and being like oh wow they’re fixing all these ugly people with plastic surgery and making them happy. I just think that caused a whole generation to think they could change their body with money. Show lasted like 4 seasons. Couldn’t imagine that show today."
– thenightshifters
Teen Exploitation
"Secret life of an American teenager."
"Just what…."
– carlirodriguez8
A Critique
"My god this show was terrible. My wife’s sister was into it and we ended up watching a lot of it when we were dating. I think they tried to make the banter like Gilmore Girls, but it ended up being the characters repeating their current plots and arcs over and over. I don’t remember the characters at all, but the main character was such a horrible person, and the audience is supposed to root for her."
"The main things I remember about it were the religious girl claiming she killed her dad by having sex with her boyfriend, and apparently you go to Bologna to get bjs."
– MachFighterG
So-Called Expert
"You Are What You Eat."
"Host Gillian McKeith (or to use her full medical title, Gillian McKeith) was an absolute quack with an online medical qualification from a Mickey Mouse university. She pretended to be a scientist by being recorded standing around in a lab wearing a white coat, spouted unscientific nonsense that anyone who had done a GCSE in science could see through, and was obsessed with getting people to shit in Tupperware boxes."
"It got cancelled after the final series when you had to have her move in with you. In the last few years she popped up again as a prominent anti-vaxxer once COVID vaccines became available."
– MattBD
These pageant shows glorifying good looks and talent would never be greenlit today.
Performing Pressure
"Dance moms- used to be entertaining, now all I can see is the psychological effects it must’ve had on those girls."
– KE789
"Americas Next Top Model has to be #1."
"From all the behind the scenes sh*t that went on in production to what the show actually shows. It’s all just horrendous."
– Nickster1619
From Ugly To Beautiful
"The Swan, was 2 women who are considered 'ugly ducklings' participating in a pageant against each other after undergoing a three-month transformative process aka having heaps of plastic surgery."
– twozedzed
Psychological Downer
"Right?! How were they allowed to do so many procedures in such a short time while completely isolating these women from their families? Making them diet and exercise while healing from a tummy tuck, breast implants, and veneers?! The 'therapy' sessions were a joke and were just for show while these poor women with low self esteem were preyed upon for entertainment. Just out of a safety and medical prospective…wow."
– Snoo-8746
Judging The Reflection
"Didn't they also not allow the contestants/patients to have mirrors the whole time so they were surprised when they saw themselves? Psychologically having massive changes like that and it being sudden is extremely bad for your brain, you can end up rejecting the reflection because it's not 'you.'"
– Delouest
As audiences evolve, so does the writing and development of all forms of entertainment.
But because the changes are gradual, it is jarring when looking back and noticing how offensive and isolating some of these shows can be.
Times sure have changed in the world of entertainment–mostly for the better.
Curious to hear experiences from strangers online, Redditor WallStreetDoesntBet asked:
"People who moved out of the parent’s house before 30, how?"
Most people can't afford to live on their own.
Roommate Is Key
"yeah this exactly. I've never lived by myself, was roommates until I got a serious girlfriend and now fiance. There's exactly 0% chance of me being in the same position I'm in financially if I had been paying full rent all those years."
– lick_me_where_I_fart
Not A Care In The World
"I was 17, we had 4 of us in a ghetto 2bd apt (bunkbeds) we had a beer bong on a lanyard screwed to the ceiling. We'd have keggers, party's every weekend and always had randoms crashing on the floor. Could barely afford to feed myself and pay bills but still not a worry in the world and it was the best time of my life."
– ApprehensiveAd6006
One inconvenience shared by many was the sacrifice of a good, home-cooked meal.
Change Of Scenery
"Just needed a little R&R."
"Roommates and Ramen."
– SudoPuff
The "Wild" Years
"This, lol. I was kicked out at 16 and after couch-surfing for a few months I moved into a studio apartment with 4 other people."
"When I say we were poor, I mean poor - most of us didn’t have jobs. I lived off the worst of the worst food. Knockoff ramen. Dollar store canned veg. Rice and terrible year old pasta."
"It was a wild few years."
– Vetiversailles
Rice For Life
"Or rice. I lived off rice for a full year. Fancied it up by adding some salsa, and then extra fancy by also adding ranch dressing."
"Those were hard times."
– Ok_Opinion_
Having work definitely makes things easier.
Saving Up To Leave
"Started working while I was in school. Got out as soon as I could."
– ReallyIdleBones
Not Much Fanfare
"Yep, moved out for college in 2006. Came back for the summer in 2007, but thereafter I got an internship so I just stayed in the city. Got a job at the same place after I graduated."
"It was never some big moment for me (my parents are fine, just annoying), just a natural progression for me."
– Zerole00
Building A Life
"At 18. Worked in construction. Lived on a couch with 6 buddies in one house paying for college. Bought cheap land during the recession. Then built my own house."
– ReubenZWeiner
Not moving out by choice seemed to be a common shared experience.
High Turnover Rate
"Got kicked out at 14. Finished high school sleeping on friends couches while serving tables. Had a ton of roommates for the next 10 years. At any given time I was living with like 3 or 4 people, it was never boring haha"
– herriotact
Different Parenting
"I am hearing that so many people are actually kicked out in the really young age is well."
"But i am not getting that why parents are so tough because in my country they try to keep them under their wings."
– wowoao
Tough Love
"My friends parents were going to kick him out immediately after he graduated high school simply because 'That's what their parents did when they were his age.' His Dad fully expected him to go out at 18 and buy a house because 'he was able to.'"
"Then his Dad got pissed when my friend did not buy a house and went to live with his uncle instead. Even after his uncle broke down the whole 'Your mortgage is $2200/month with taxes and you expect your son, who works part time at $7.25 an hour to afford a mortgage? With no credit history?'"
"Some parents do it out of tough love. Some parents do it because they shouldn't have had children. Some parents still think the world is the same as it was in the 70s-80s and think minimum wage part time employees can thrive."
– bangersnmash13
Placed Expectations
"My parents didn't kick me out, but there was definitely an expectation for me to be moved out and financially independent at 18. My mother walked into a job as a radio DJ at the age of 18 and then became a journalist with only a high school education a few years later (early 1970s), so she had this expectation that I could do the same. The thought of me being able to do anything like that in the 2000s was laughable."
– pie12345678
I moved out of my parents' house because I booked my first professional gig on a cruise ship.
It couldn't have worked out better. I was paid to perform on board in the shows while my rent was already taken care of since I lived and worked on the ship.
I packed one suitcase and traveled the world doing what I loved for about two years. It was the best way to transition into an exciting new chapter in my adolescent life.
What's your moving out story?