I was wondering exactly how accurate is a movie like Dazed and Confused and a TV show like That 70s Show in portraying the 1970s and the youth of the 70s?  I know the 80s and 90s, because I was actually there for both.  Techincally I was around for the 70s, but I was too young or not around to really know all the little specific details about that decade.  

Both the movie and the TV show, although not connected in anyway, share a very similar method in portraying 70s youth.  i.e., pot smoking kids that are too hip to be identified as a 60s hippie, yet not self centered enough to be a Reagan era 80s kid.  

The humour is outrageously lewd and all American innocent at the same time, and both D&C and T7S seem to go out of their way to portray 70s kids as being really really "cool".  I mean seriously that is what I have always picked up about this.  Hey look at how cool we were!.  When D&C first came out in 1993, I remember thinking that was the first time I had ever seen the 70s made out to be really cool time to be in. (aside from Saturday Night Fever)

I just wonder how accurate is this all really?  Where are all the normal kids?  Both D&C and T7S feature ultra cool super kids that spend most of their time in some basement either smoking pot, putting other kids to insane gross out dares, or they're simply out at night busting up peoples mail boxes.  

So is this accurate?  

Hey Chris.  I think both shows were pretty accurate at portraying their decade.  What I liked about them both is that everything in the show was of 1970's vintage, and yet they didn't go about boasting how it was the 70's, which "That 80's Show" did to the extreme.  "Dazed.." captured the essence quite nicely, I thought.  I enjoy looking at the paraphanelia in the backgrounds of both shows... it really takes me back to some fond memories.

I think the best hard rock came out during the 1970's and it's refreshing to see the decade portrayed as a rock era rather than the typical disco era.  Sometimes when people think 1970's they automatically think "disco". Of course, the 70's mean something different to everybody, but for me "D&C" and "T70sS" was a very accurate portrayal of the time.  I instantly fell into the groove and felt right at home while watching these two shows.  Not too many movies or tv series do that for me, especially now-a-daze.  :P  I scare some of the younger people at my work when I tell them that the clothing and hair styles look normal to me!  ;D

Oh yeah, and mindless vandalism, smoking dope, and trying to score  ;)  are still popular with todays youth.

When T7S first aired, it flipped me out because it was eerily (sp?) close to my teenage years. My best friend had a "party room" in his basement and an old man that thought of all of us as nothing more than a bunch of "dumb @$$es" ;D! You get the impression of just how cool everything was, Chris, because it was cool. And I'm with SS in that they have a hint of disco every now and then but, to the average everyday teen in the '70s, we ROCKED!!!

Just a side note, I think the best episode of "That 70s Show" is the one with the "special brownies"  ;)

Seeing Red stoned is priceless. ;D

I was inclined to call it "That '70s Prop Show," but I guess I didn't give it enough credit.  I was only ten in 1979.  Others here can remember '70s teen culture way better than I can.

I did enjoy "Dazed and Confused," and the one about KISS was good, "Detroit Rock City."  A movie that did quite a good job with the '70s was "Summer of Sam."  That actor John Leguizama, who played Vinny, reminded me so much of Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever" that I forgot several times he was not!  8)

David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz was the first serial killer I remember.  I was only a few months old when Helter Skelter went down, Manson Family and all.  Sam was more of a joke up our way, he took the place of Patty Hearst.

Personally BOTH are so accurate it's scary (I graduated in '79).  I've seen D&C so many times I've almost memorized the entire script (well, not realllly!).  And That 70's Show is filmed in my home in Colorado between 1976-1979, even down to the basement room and the shag carpet---too scary).  My mother even worked at a hospital!  

D&C was my life in Oklahoma between 1975-1976.  We even had hazing my the freshman year (I know, 'cause instead of mustard and ketchup, it was honey and oatmeal--try getting that out of your hair!)

Both have the exact same fashions, cars, even the magazines, it's amazing!

Oh yeah, in the 70's you really did have to drive all the way to (put big city name here) to get Aerosmith tickets (we didn't have things like the Internet to just buy tickets on line--LOL).

I agree with most of the other posts.  They are very close to the 70s, as I remember them. I was 10 in 1976 and the kids on That 70s show remind me of the teenagers that lived down the street from us.  They were my role models!   8)

:) D & C was exact! it was as precise and accurate as any movie i have ever seen. every character in that movie went to my high school, every one of them! i was completely blown away by it. i graduated in 1976 on the same night they did in the movie...
                                                      oeddie

One thing I remember most abouut the 70's, were all these wild bicycles. Seems like everyone my older brothers and sisters knew had some built up bike. Two sets of forks welded together, filled in frames, lowrider bikes, ten speeds with steering wheels, motorcross bikes had cantilever frames. The latter mainly because they didn't react fast enough to fill demand. The companies that did are still going strong in one form or another. Haros, GT's, Diamondbacks, etc. As you can possibly tell I graduated HS in 86, but I was old enough to remember the 70's at least. I also feel proud to have outlasted both disco dance crazes in one lifetime, LOL! I winced when I started hearing that music again.,,,,AW

I think both are accurate...I graduated in '78 and with the exception of most disco...IMHO the 70's ROCKED much better than the 80's ;)