I'm only 14 years old, born in 1990.  When I watch old movies or I watch "That '70s Show", I wish i was in the '70s.  Is that much different other than technology. I know that music has changed a bit, and some fashion has changed, but has that much changed? My parents always talk about how much fun they had when they were kids.  They tell me stories about the '60s and '70s.  I don't think that I will be able to tell stories to my kids about the '00s, '10s, and '20s.  Tell me guys if I missed out.

I guess my point of view is that technology has been the major change in my life.

I was a kid in the 70s, teen in the 80s.

In both decades (here in my city) you could still sleep with your windows open and doors unlocked, that changed from late 80s onwards - major upswing in crime rates.

The whole world is changing every single day.technology,clothes,fashion,language,people,music food,hobbies,cars,and everything else.I was born in the 70's,kid in the 80's and an adult in the 90's. :)




Howard

Well let's see since I grew up mainly in the 1960's.

Back then if your car had power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, or an FM radio, these were LUXURY items.  Now almost every car on the road has them.

Push-button phones were also a SUPER-LUXURY item.  Nearly all phones were dial phones, and you had to pay extra to get a "touch tone" enabled phone line.

I was born in '61, and things are way different. Back then as a kid, you could go outside and play for hours and nobody worried about something bad happening. Mom would yell out the door to come home for lunch or dinner and then it was back out again. We didn't sit in front of the TV all day. And everyone knew their neighbors. Most moms stayed home, at least mine did. We had block parties where all the neighbors got together. And also, the music of those times was GREAT!!  :) So, yea I guess things have really changed alot. 

I was born in '61, and things are way different. Back then as a kid, you could go outside and play for hours and nobody worried about something bad happening. Mom would yell out the door to come home for lunch or dinner and then it was back out again. We didn't sit in front of the TV all day. And everyone knew their neighbors. Most moms stayed home, at least mine did. We had block parties where all the neighbors got together. And also, the music of those times was GREAT!!  :) So, yea I guess things have really changed alot. 



Did you live in my nieghborhood, too?  ;)



We were luckier than most people in terms of what t.v. we could watch. We got all the NYC channels and at the time there were 7 instead of only 4. I remember when one of our nieghbors got a color t.v. I wanted to go over there-just to see color t.v.
What I thought was the best was Halloween. My nieghborhood always had it on the Saturday closest to the 31st. It would start about noon. There was a parade led by the fire department will all the kids in costumes behind. Then we all went trick-or-treating. By the time the Sun went down, all the candy was handed out and all the kids would be home with their loot. When I moved from that neighborhood, some people I knew said they were going to wait until after dark to go out. I thought that all the candy would be gone by than because I never heard of waiting until dark to go out.

I also remember going out to play. We had to be home when the street lights came on.

My husband was a bit disillusioned one time watching some kids play. This was a few years (ok, maybe more than just a few years) ago. One kid said, "Let's play 'The Cosby Show'?" which is fine. I remember playing "Lost in Space" as a kid. But then one kid asked, "Which episode?" instead of making up their own. It is called lack of imagination. We had dolls that just stood there and did nothing. It was up to us to create their world. Now, you have dolls that do this, that, and the other thing. I think that is how technology has effected us. Video games are so vivid-and leaves nothing to imagination. Kids don't have to read anymore-they just see the movie. I also think that people are more passive these days. Instead of engaging in activity, they are sitting in front of the t.v. or the computer (I should talk, that is what I have been doing all day.  :-[).




Cat

I was born in 1971 and it was alot different.  My sister was 3 years older than me and both my parents worked.  My mom didn't have a problem with leaving us home alone after school and during the summer.  There were adults in the neighborhood we could go to with problems.

Also, on Halloween our neighbor handed out popcorn balls....and you could actually eat them.  :o

I was born in '61, and things are way different. Back then as a kid, you could go outside and play for hours and nobody worried about something bad happening. Mom would yell out the door to come home for lunch or dinner and then it was back out again. We didn't sit in front of the TV all day. And everyone knew their neighbors. Most moms stayed home, at least mine did. We had block parties where all the neighbors got together. And also, the music of those times was GREAT!!  :) So, yea I guess things have really changed alot. 
:oI would say the major improvement of these times is the technology.I was born in 1965,and was a kid for most of the 70s.i would see old movies where women were pretty and wore really neat clothes--full skirts,ruffles,silk,etc,and wished i couild wear stuff like that instead of cheap Sears Brady Bunch type stuff :P.I also likethe music fromthe early rock and roll era best;it would have been fun to witnes the birth of rockand roll,so to speak.You could enjoy that even if you were a kid.We got stuckin the era of protesting,Vietnam,the energy crisis,and polyester :PCheers!

:oI would say the major improvement of these times is the technology.

Yep. We now have the internet (perhaps the biggest technological breakthrough of the last 10 years).

Yep. We now have the internet (perhaps the biggest technological breakthrough of the last 10 years).


Oh, and how about the TV remote control, can you believe we actually had to GET UP and walk across the room to turn the channel! :o And telephones had cords, you had to sit right next to the phone to talk on it! :)

When I was 14, in 1983, the home computer was just getting popular.  A lot of people liked to tinker around with BASIC.  Other languages, C, Cobol, Fortran, were the province of nerds.  You also had simpler versions of the office applications standard today--word processing, spreadsheets, databases.  Then you had your simple video games.  There wasn't much memory in the home computer yet.  28K was standard, 64K was a big deal!  The fact is in the earl '80s, there wasn't a heck of a lot Joe Average could do with a computer, but the novelty kept them selling.

The only people who email worked for government research facilities.  A few hundred people could talk to eachother on a network, but that was about it!

In 1983, if you had a telephone in your car, you were some kind of a rich big shot.

The general feel of the country in the '70s was more hopeful and more idealistic.  Bear in mind, from a '60s perspective, the '70s were a cynical and disillusioned time.  To investigate why, I'd search two key issues "Vietnam" and "Watergate."
Whether your parents are liberal or conservative, whether they liked the man or hated him, if they 're talking about life before Ronald Reagan, they're remembering a time of less stress, less fear, and more security.  The gap between the rich and the poor was not nearly as wide prior to Reagan.  President Carter is widely ridiculed these days, but his concern for human rights had a positive effect on the national consciousness in the late '70s.  The economy wasn't so great then, but the big lie is that the Reagan tax cuts made America more prosperous.  Reagan's economic policies are the reason that you were born, in 1990, into the world's biggest debtor nation.  I was born in 1969, into the world's biggest lender nation.
The '70s are sometimes called the "Me" decade, but selfishness was not cool back then.  Selfishness did not become righteous until the '80s and the raising of Big Business to a God-like esteem. 

Oh, and how about the TV remote control, can you believe we actually had to GET UP and walk across the room to turn the channel! :o And telephones had cords, you had to sit right next to the phone to talk on it! :)


Yes. We take a lot for granted. I can't imagine how more lazy we are going to get . . .  ;D

Heck, my parents had 3 remote controls:  me and my 2 older brothers.  That's why we all wore glasses, we were too lazy to walk across the room so we'd sit right by the TV.  Then, our little brother was born and we ALL had "remote controls" ;D


Yea, now that you mention it, I do remember sitting right on the floor in front of the TV, and that was before we had wall to wall carpeting, that floor was cold!! ;D

Yep. We now have the internet (perhaps the biggest technological breakthrough of the last 10 years).



Bob,whoever thought the internet would be the hottest item in the 90's?


Howard

Yes. We take a lot for granted. I can't imagine how more lazy we are going to get . . .  ;D



We are so lazy that Ebay is now your personal shopping mall.That's how lazy we are.My Father is now that he's retired. ;D


Howard

I was born in 1974 and the biggest electronic gadget was The BoomBox in 1984:

http://members.tripod.com/lisanostalgia1/images/boomboxdrawing.jpg



Howard

Oh, and how about the TV remote control, can you believe we actually had to GET UP and walk across the room to turn the channel! :o And telephones had cords, you had to sit right next to the phone to talk on it! :)




http://www.surplussales.com/Images/Communications/Telephones/tel-gb568.jpg


How about when you had to carry the rotary dial phone with you around the house wherever you went? :o



Howard

We are so lazy that Ebay is now your personal shopping mall. ;D

Howard


You think that's lazy?

Heck, there are now several companies sprouting up who will list your stuff on eBay FOR YOU, instead of you doing it yourself.

That's lazy...

LB

;D

Bob,whoever thought the internet would be the hottest item in the 90's?


It's only going to get bigger Howard. I have this vision of David Byrne's video of 'Lazy' in my head. This time however, it's some guy using mechanical devices from his computer.  ;D

My husband was a bit disillusioned one time watching some kids play. This was a few years (ok, maybe more than just a few years) ago. One kid said, "Let's play 'The Cosby Show'?" which is fine. I remember playing "Lost in Space" as a kid. But then one kid asked, "Which episode?" instead of making up their own. It is called lack of imagination. We had dolls that just stood there and did nothing. It was up to us to create their world.

OMG...which episode?  That's sad!  My friends and I played Charlie's Angels, Bionic Woman and other shows, too, but we always made up our own plots, as you did, Cat.  It's really sad.

Another thing I don't really see anymore is kids playing outside.  I remember that my mother had to practically drag my brother and me in at night, especially in the summer.  Now, I notice that none of the kids in my subdivision play outside.  In fact, it's rare that they even use the subdivision's pool.  It's a shame.

You think that's lazy?

Heck, there are now several companies sprouting up who will list your stuff on eBay FOR YOU, instead of you doing it yourself.

That's lazy...

LB

;D



so far,my Father bought T-Shirts Underwear,socks,White Castle Shirts and Mugs,collectible coins and other stuff. ;D



Howard

It's only going to get bigger Howard. I have this vision of David Byrne's video of 'Lazy' in my head. This time however, it's some guy using mechanical devices from his computer.  ;D



or even lazier A talking computer. ;D



Howard

or even lazier A talking computer. ;D


He can call it 'KIT'.  :D

I'm only 14 years old, born in 1990.  When I watch old movies or I watch "That '70s Show", I wish i was in the '70s.  Is that much different other than technology. I know that music has changed a bit, and some fashion has changed, but has that much changed? My parents always talk about how much fun they had when they were kids.  They tell me stories about the '60s and '70s.  I don't think that I will be able to tell stories to my kids about the '00s, '10s, and '20s.  Tell me guys if I missed out.


I'm 17 years old born in 1987, and even in my life things have changed in a number of ways. When I was little overalls and bright colors were popular. Fanny Packs were in. I got my first computer when I was only 6. It had a CD-rom drive which was a big deal then. I got the internet in 1995, when it was just getting popular. Music has changed alot even in the last 5 years. The biggest changes are in pop culture and technology which change rather fast.

He can call it 'KIT'.  :D



he loves his computer so much,He can call it his wife. ;D



Howard

I remember when people always relied on payphones now the whole world has cell phones. :P



Howard

he loves his computer so much,He can call it his wife. ;D


I think I might do the same . . .  ::)  ;D

Get ready for this one.

I can remember my mother getting a phone call from the telephone operator to tell her that
she was told to contact us because my aunt in California entered a contest and won a
phone call to anywhere in the continental USA.  She told us what time to expect the call so
that we would be there to get it when it was patched through.  Our friends in the neighborhood
came over.  A week later we received a photo of my aunt and cousin taken when they made the
call.  Everyone in the supermarket was standing around them watching them make the call.  :D

Get ready for this one.

I can remember my mother getting a phone call from the telephone operator to tell her that
she was told to contact us because my aunt in California entered a contest and won a
phone call to anywhere in the continental USA.  She told us what time to expect the call so
that we would be there to get it when it was patched through.  Our friends in the neighborhood
came over.  A week later we received a photo of my aunt and cousin taken when they made the
call.  Everyone in the supermarket was standing around them watching them make the call.  :D


I remember sometimes when we would use the phone, we could hear other peoples conversations. It was so weird. My parents said we were on a party line. What does that mean? I never really understood what that was, just the fact that we could hear some of our neighbors most private conversations!  ;) Uh oh, I guess that means they heard ours too!! :o

I remember when letters were used for the first two numbers of your phone number. Ours was 297 but sometimes it would be AX7.




Cat

I think I might do the same . . .  ::)  ;D



Why don't you marry it?  ;D


Howard

Heck, he's done pretty well, I've spent too much money to say on Ebay!  My brother sells band memorabilia and stuff when he's not on tour and can make almost as much doing that as he does when he's "working".  Heck, he even sold a used, dirty pair of Vans that he special ordered back in 84-85 (they had palm trees and flamingoes or something) for around $200 :o



Well cheerleader,He can't do much of anything anymore.He's a retired old fart.So,ebay is basically his shopping source.He just hates when he's outbidded. ;D



Howard

Anyone remember the rotary dial phones where your finger had to go all the way around till your finger was in pain?  :P



Howard

Anyone remember the rotary dial phones where your finger had to go all the way around till your finger was in pain?  :P



Howard


My living room phone is a rotary.  ???

LB

I guess my point of view is that technology has been the major change in my life.

I was a kid in the 70s, teen in the 80s.

In both decades (here in my city) you could still sleep with your windows open and doors unlocked, that changed from late 80s onwards - major upswing in crime rates.



I was like BMG, except a kid in the 60's and teen in the 70's

Like her, sleeping with the window open was nothing !  I can remember going up to the shop and hooking the front door open when there was no-one else home  :o

These days I have a lock on the freakin' letter box for crying out loud  :)

I remember when letters were used for the first two numbers of your phone number. Ours was 297 but sometimes it would be AX7.

Cat


Instead of the "two letters", we had words whose first two letters were the numbers.

So 775 was "Spruce 5"
and 375 was "Essex 5"

8)

My living room phone is a rotary.  ???

LB


Hasn't rotary dials gone out of style like 20 years ago? ;D ;)



Howard

I remember when people's lives weren't so fast paced with computers and e-mails. :o



Howard

These days I have a lock on the freakin' letter box for crying out loud :)


Ha ! One more reason why I chose to live in Sydney !  ;D :P ;)

I was like BMG, except a kid in the 60's and teen in the 70's

Like her, sleeping with the window open was nothing !  I can remember going up to the shop and hooking the front door open when there was no-one else home  :o

These days I have a lock on the freakin' letter box for crying out loud  :)


Oh Fuss - you've gotta move to the south side!! ;D

Ha ! One more reason why I chose to live in Sydney !  ;D :P ;)



Oh Fuss - you've gotta move to the south side!! ;D


You girls are gangin' up on me lately hey ?  :(

Moo, Sydney is the only place in Australia where I learned why people don't stop at "Don't Walk" signs - cos you get mugged or begged at if you do  >:(

jaytee, I think that the suburb name of "Camp Hill" just about sums up why i would prefer to stay up north  ;D :P :P

You girls are gangin' up on me lately hey ?  :(

Moo, Sydney is the only place in Australia where I learned why people don't stop at "Don't Walk" signs - cos you get mugged or begged at if you do  >:(

jaytee, I think that the suburb name of "Camp Hill" just about sums up why i would prefer to stay up north  ;D :P :P


;D ;D

You girls are gangin' up on me lately hey ? :(

Moo, Sydney is the only place in Australia where I learned why people don't stop at "Don't Walk" signs - cos you get mugged or begged at if you do >:(

jaytee, I think that the suburb name of "Camp Hill" just about sums up why i would prefer to stay up north ;D :P :P


;D ;D ;D

You know we love ya, Fussy.  ;) :-* :)

I miss the Atari days when you can play a game via TV & now everything is basically computerized. ;D



Howard

Hasn't rotary dials gone out of style like 20 years ago? ;D ;)



Howard


Out of style, maybe.  But not out of order.  Whenever the phone breaks, I guess I will have to break down and get a push-button phone.  ???

I just got rid of my rotary-tuner TV set last year.  Had it for 21 years but the screen blew out and it was cheaper to buy a new one than to fix the old.  :-\\

LB

;D

Out of style, maybe.  But not out of order.  Whenever the phone breaks, I guess I will have to break down and get a push-button phone.  ???

I just got rid of my rotary-tuner TV set last year.  Had it for 21 years but the screen blew out and it was cheaper to buy a new one than to fix the old.  :-\\

LB

;D

21 years? You're ancient man. Get one of those phones where in the old times you had to click down a lever and speak in the mouthpiece and ask for the operator. ;D


Howard  :)

21 years? You're ancient man. Get one of those phones where in the old times you had to click down a lever and speak in the mouthpiece and ask for the operator.  ;D

Howard  :)


Actually I have one of those in my basement.  It was my Dad's.  But it will not work on the phone systems any more!

LB

;D

I'd LOVE to have the 70's back!

I'd LOVE to have the 70's back!


One of my favourite parts of the 70's was going out to the Drive-In to see John Holmes movies.  They were a riot.  ;D

Out of style, maybe.  But not out of order.  Whenever the phone breaks, I guess I will have to break down and get a push-button phone.  ???

I just got rid of my rotary-tuner TV set last year.  Had it for 21 years but the screen blew out and it was cheaper to buy a new one than to fix the old.  :-\\

LB

;D

Last time I used a rotary phone was about five years ago. My car broke down and the closest place was this little Armenian church.  I asked if I could use their phone.  They directed me to the kitchen, and there on the wall was an OLD rotary phone!  It must have been at least 30 years old, and it still worked just fine, not like the piece of crap phones they make nowadays!

Lucky I could bypass AAA's telephone tree!

One of my favourite parts of the 70's was going out to the Drive-In to see John Holmes movies.  They were a riot.  ;D
Sad that his movies were a riot and yet his real life was horrid :-\\

Sad that his movies were a riot and yet his real life was horrid :-\\


Well, John packed in alot of living and women into his few years.

But it is amazing how a guy can be as big of a cad is he was, and still have people flocking to him.  If you read his life story, he screwed over absolutely everyone who ever knew him, no exaggeration, including himself.  :-\\

Well, John packed in alot of living and women into his few years.

But it is amazing how a guy can be as big of a cad is he was, and still have people flocking to him.  If you read his life story, he screwed over absolutely everyone who ever knew him, no exaggeration, including himself.  :-\\
Sad story indeed :(

Actually I have one of those in my basement.  It was my Dad's.  But it will not work on the phone systems any more!

LB

;D



Why don't you give it a try LB? Maybe you'll get Alexander Graham Bell.Houses need to have them back.I miss them.  ;D


http://www.theoldtelephone.co.uk/images/Candlestick/150_facing_right.jpg



Howard

My neighborhood has changed a whole lot out of 25-30 years.A lot of people are moving in and the others have either died or moved to Florida. :(



Howard

Well, John packed in alot of living and women into his few years.

But it is amazing how a guy can be as big of a cad is he was, and still have people flocking to him.  If you read his life story, he screwed over absolutely everyone who ever knew him, no exaggeration, including himself.  :-\\

I can't bring myself to feel too sorry for John "Johnny Wadd" Holmes, the way I can't feel terribly sorry for Traci Lords.  She calculated the whole expose (that's "exposay" no pun intended) of the adult film industry playing fast and loose (no pun intended) with the age requirements.  Now she's making a buck with her book, portraying herself as a big victim. 
I mean, I think it's generally pitiable for people to have such a low sense of self worth they go into  pornography, but in the mainstream industry no one's forced against their will.
Similarly, John Holmes is a pitiable character, but he was also reckless and abusive to others.  As Lyricboy pointed out, he continued in the biz after he knew he had AIDS, and it's just a matter of luck he didn't infect anyone else, at least anyone else they know of.

I can't bring myself to feel too sorry for John "Johnny Wadd" Holmes, the way I can't feel terribly sorry for Traci Lords.  She calculated the whole expose (that's "exposay" no pun intended) of the adult film industry playing fast and loose (no pun intended) with the age requirements.  Now she's making a buck with her book, portraying herself as a big victim. 
I mean, I think it's generally pitiable for people to have such a low sense of self worth they go into  pornography, but in the mainstream industry no one's forced against their will.
Similarly, John Holmes is a pitiable character, but he was also reckless and abusive to others.  As Lyricboy pointed out, he continued in the biz after he knew he had AIDS, and it's just a matter of luck he didn't infect anyone else, at least anyone else they know of.


Well at least with Holmes, he would admit that he was a drug addict, and he made no bones about the fact that he was the King of Porn.  When asked how long he planned to stay in the business he prophetically told a reporter "Until I am dead".  Bragged about his exploits.  And he never tried to hide his porn (like it would even have been remotely possible).  His downfall wasn't porn, it was drugs (and an innate talent for lying 100% of the time, apparently).

With Traci Lords, I think she is dishonest.  She tries to put out this impression that she really did not want to do the porno and that she is changing her image.  But then you see how she carries herself and is evasive about the porno years, and the acting parts that she takes, and soon you come to see that she's putting on this huge act.  Oddly, people will not accept that she is past the "porn star image" until she stops putting on the act pretending like it never happened.  Pretty big Catch-22.

Maxwell... did you ever see the documentary on John Holmes' life called "Wadd"?  It is extremely interesting, and it is NOT pornogaphic.  Recommended viewing for anybody who thinks that a loved one may be doing drugs.  It has won several documentary awards.

I'm only 14 years old, born in 1990.  When I watch old movies or I watch "That '70s Show", I wish i was in the '70s.  Is that much different other than technology. I know that music has changed a bit, and some fashion has changed, but has that much changed? My parents always talk about how much fun they had when they were kids.  They tell me stories about the '60s and '70s.  I don't think that I will be able to tell stories to my kids about the '00s, '10s, and '20s.  Tell me guys if I missed out.


I don't think much has changed.  You haven't missed out, you will be able tell your kids about the '00s, and they will wonder if their time is messed up too.  The technology and fashions have certainly changed, music tastes are different too, but IMO there have not been any sweeping cultural changes.  The FCC have allowed more swear words onto broadcast and cable TV from before, but changes in media are not indicative of changes in human behavior being more or less evil/violent.  Go rent the 1976 movie Network.   Many fashions from the past 10-11 years have just been updates on 70s styles though.  

Humanity has existed for thousands and thousands of years.  So there is no real big change in humanity from 14 years ago in 1990 when you were born, or 24 years ago in 1980.  I know the rest of the adults here tell you otherwise, but there are long winded reasons I won't get into as to why they tell you it was super different back in the day.

There's a park on the west side of town which, since I was a kid, has been one of my favorite places in this area, and where I like to take my dog out for walks.  If I go there on a nice day in the late afternoon, a few hours before dusk (when the day is at it's most beautiful), I feel like it's still 1976.  :)