much as i hate to pull attention away from my beloved "best kim richards quotes" poll.... we were talking and the issue has come up of what general things in pop culture do they do better today, and what things were better back in the day. my ideas are as follows:

cars (in terms of functionality): better now, with all the extras and GPS and CD players and whatnot.
cars (in terms of looking good and being hard rock): better then. i cite the stingray to make my point.

movies: better then. although they do some amazing stuff these days, they kill themselves with all these remakes and corndog CGI. i actually think there are a lot of movies being released these days with a lot of merit, but as an institution hollywood was much more relevant from the 40s to the 70s. sometime in the 80s, early 90s, they seemed like they lost their way.

computers: DEFINITELY better now. i mean i love me some pac man, don't get me wrong, but being able to for instance record music with almost professional level fidelity in your living room? chit-chatting with people in the philippines in real time online? having basically the entire history of tv at your fingertips through youtube? computers today are really phenomenal. the stuff they're doing with god games is so good, i had to pretty much swear it off. i was so into rollercoaster tycoon and the sims it was like bad.

music: better then. no brainer.

tv: ima shock you: better now. reality t.v. has obviously been brought to us by satan but there are so many brilliant shows getting made for cable, like mst3k (i guess that's now verging on being "then," since it got cancelled 9 years ago :(), and freaks and geeks and dead like me and buffy and firefly and all that. in the 70s and 80s there were definitely some bright spots but mostly it was really formulaic and disdainful of its audience. i mean, hello? we're talking about the era responsible for "small wonder" and "silver spoons" and "benson"! MASH and Soap and Taxi were kickass, yes, but just in terms of what percentage of the shows were good, and how good the shows that were good were, late 90s-2000s is like a golden age of t.v.

so where does everybody think we're making progress? and where does everybody think we're spinning our wheels just cuz they're our wheels to spin?

everything: better then.  That's just my opinion, because if I ever had the chance to time warp myself back to the 70's or earlier....I would do it in a heartbeat! ;)

It depends on what the thing is exactly, I like a mix of both. My favorite eras for each:

Movies: 1984-2001: Beginning of the John Hughes era, to just before the remake period.
TV: 1987-1998: The second wave of sitcoms, better talk shows, and reality cop shows.
Music: 1977-1996: Late period classic rock/first traces of new wave, through the '80s, and the better, more original Alternative, AC and singer-songwriter music of the '90s.

Cars were sturdier in the old days, but the 1991+ rounded models look more modern, certainly better than those Uncle Buck-styled beaters of the '70s. ;D Even the rectangular '80s models probably had better construction. I do think the simplicity in older ones was better in a way. I like tape players too, since I always grew up in cars that had them.

Of course, computers are always better as time goes on. No real need for an older, out of date one except for a collectors' item.

movies: not much into them unless it catches my interest or if Scarlett Johansson finds a good script rather than being in mediocre to bad movies

tv: before, though at it's peak in the 1990's and MTV was still good  8)

music: before 1998

animation: The 1930's (Disney) and 1940's (Warner Brothers)

Though faster internet & DVDs are the only thing good now that I can think of...

I have to agree with everything Tia posted, except for TV. I think it was better then. I look back and think some of it was cheezy, but at the time, we couldn't wait to get home from school to sit in front of the TV and watch those cheezy shows! And don't forget saturday morning cartoons. Of course I'm thinking in terms of being a kid in the 60s & early 70s. I don't really know what an adult from that time period would say, since I wasn't one back then!  ;) 

Edited to add: Bikes kicked butt back then too!

Everything better then. Why? I lived it and missed things as all hell.  :\'(

Overall, better now although there some things that I think were better then.

Though I like today's technology, I liked it overall better then.  TV shows, the music .. it was all awesome

Better Than or better now: I'll compare the 80's, 90's and 00's with eaxh otrher in these following categories:

Cars: better now: Cars are styled alot better now than in the 80's when the cars had those boxy shapes to them. Cars have better reliability than cars in the 80's too. The 90's are a crossroads as far as cars as go I mean most of the cars were bland looking back in the 90's but they were a few standout looking cars though.
Music: better in 1998 than it is now. 2001-mid 2005 were musically ok but not as good as the 80's or 90's(before 1999.) To me 1999-2000 were the worst years for music ever with that teen-pop all over the place. From mid 2005 to 2007 the rap songs have just gotten stupider even though the glam rap trend is hanging on a tight thread right now.
TV shows: better in the 80's and 90's than now.
Movies: better in the 90's. I have seen a few 80's movies and some of them are way worse than today's movies actually now so I'll take the 90's for movies.
Fashion: better now than in the 80's or 90's. I mean the 80's was too over the top and the 90's was dull for fashion. I think today you can get away with wearing brighter colors without it being over the top like the 80's but in the 90's you couldn't do that at all.

Cars:  Better then.  I'm all for improved technology and functionality, but I'm even more into style.  I'll take a 58 Cadillac over pretty much any other car any other time.  What I wouldn't give for a car with fins! 

TV:  Better now.  I love a lot of shows from the late 70's and 80's, but in terms of overall quality programming I'll take today.  The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Carnivale (still bitter it was cancelled) Criminal Minds, Studio 60 - these shows make you think.  They're original but also very real, and I love them all.

Movies:  Better now.  For a lot of the same reasons that TV is better.  I never really gotten into old movies - it always seems like people are "acting."  Now they're somehow smoother.  It's hard to explain what I mean...old movies just seem almost trite.  Not a lot of substance.  Of course there are exceptions to this, but on the whole, I'll take today.

Computers - Duh.  Today of course.

Music - Better then.  I like a lot of hip hop and newer stuff from today, but I LOVE Classic Rock - the Beatles, the Stones, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell - it's timeless. 

Style - Better then.  Women seemed more elegant, men more dashing.  People don't dress up anymore, they don't make a lot of effort.  Now we have Paris Hilton, Girls Gone Wild, and the Britney Spears of the world who walk into a gas station bathroom in their bare feet.  I wish people had better manners and more class.

I think that most things were better then...With the obvious exception of computers and video games. Music was better back then...TV shows were better back then...Movies were (for the most part) better back then...cartoons were better back then...

I agree with whoever said that if they could time warp they'd go back to the 1970's or earlier. If I could go back in time Id live in the 1970's, and on every New Years Eve 1980 Id go back to New Years Eve 1969 to relive the decade again. Yeah, Id sacrifice my PS3 and computer for Pong and a letter in the mail.





AN

I Really don't know. I'm 17 and it seems people on here are saying everything when downhill when i was 7 or 8. It's pretty discouraging when you have really no memory of when anything was good. I kinda of wish i was alive in the 50s-80s to see when Tv, music, movies, ect was good. Because being born in the 90s sucks. But hey! Maybe in say... 20 years from now people will be saying how awful movies, music, tv, ect are in 2027 and want do go back in the good old days of 2007. Because there is a part of me that makes me wish this was the 2020s so i can bash whatever is current then. Just so i can feel better about what i'm currently living with now...

I'm kind of torn on this issue.  Yeah, technology today is great.  I think it's a bit overwhelming at times.

Music was defiantly better during the 60's, 70's, 80's and early 90's.

TV in the 70's and 80's were better

Of course it could be that I'm just getting old. :-\\

Generally I think things are better now, yet I respect the past too.

Cars from like the 50s were really cool, they were like works of art, so in that design I think that era of cars beats now.

TV - ummm probably best in the 70s or 90s.

Movies - I don't know, every era has it's classics I think.

Technology - of course better now

Music - 90s and now, I enjoy a bit of most genres. I do respect and like some older music too.

Style - better now easily.

^Yeah, that's true about fashion. It's the perfect mix now - in the '80s it was too over the top and gaudy, even if colorful; in the '90s it was almost too far the other way. Now, it's like someone combined them and threw some new things in along the way, and made a decade out of it.

Plus, technology dates way more than fashion and music since 2001 (although that stuff does change, of course).

Definitely better THEN.  I agree with a previous post regarding a time machine.  I daydream about "if time travel were possible"  all the time.  I would go back to the mid 70s and have the best time ever.  If my memory was intact from today, I would literally cry with delight.  If my memory was erased or restored to the time period, I wouldn't be aware of the "been there done that" Realm of Apathetica awaiting, however, my life would be restored back the simplicity I can remember enjoying.  I was born in 1971 and I believe my generation had the best childhood (pop culture-wise) ever.  TV had like 8 channels- no TiVo, no VCRs- you were screwed if you missed the show, but this created excitement!  Remember Christmas specials!?!  They were "special" because you could only watch them ONCE A YEAR.  Remember when our parents loved the movies they took us to?  Do you think it was torture for my mother to take me to see Star Wars?  Do you think my father hated watching Richard Pryor in The Toy?  We played outside, lost in our imaginations.  Atari 2600 came out in the mid 70s and we played it... ALOT- but the games were so simplistic that they weren't obsessions.  We got home from school, watched TV while having a snack, then went outside doing who knows what.  I remember riding my bike ALOT.  Adventure trips to a nearby woods- there was a creek there which just added to the adventure.  But I'll admit, many trips took us to a local restaurant with arcade games in the lobby- we spent like $5 / week, but we had to ride our bikes there, so we didn't turn into obese, lethargic creatures bored with life itself.  

OK, so my ramble went BEYOND pop culture, but what's the expression?  Does art imitate life?  ....  maybe that's why the 21st century blows so hard.

Snarf Burger - you pretty much just described my exact childhood.  :) The world was so different then - what we've come to today makes me sad.  Especially in light of the school shooting at VT.  Your post was great - you should join the site as a permanent member.  I think you'd fit right in.

Snarf Burger - you pretty much just described my exact childhood.  :) The world was so different then - what we've come to today makes me sad.  Especially in light of the school shooting at VT.  Your post was great - you should join the site as a permanent member.  I think you'd fit right in.



I agree with Ash...you should definitely join here...we could always use cool people like you. I loved your post...I think I even had to wipe a single tear after reading it...it reminded me so much of my childhood. ;) :)

Cars:  Better Then!! Cars today are boring. Lexus and Mercedes just don't look any different from a high standard Chevy or Ford. Cars throughout the '50s and '60s were constantly morphing, but they had such unique style that you could really see the difference between something from 1955 and 1965. To be honest I cannot see a huge difference from a car made today and made ten years ago.

TV:  A little of each. Shows then were less serious and real and gritty, which makes for me better escapism than watching 4 episodes of CSI: Las Vegas and feeling like I have to take in other people's drama that I don't feel like watching. Yet, today's programming is still quality stuff, you just have to know the good from the bad (which there's plenty of it!).

Movies: A little of each. I LOVE movies, so of course I can appreciate the oldies as well as today's great stuff! A lot of old movies have "heart" in them. As early as the mid-60's did they begin to start acting more like today's movies - more real and gritty!

Computers - Today! Computers are truly something you can work with today.

Music - Better then. Music today is better now than it was about 5 years ago, but it is still a far cry from the fabulous music made in the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s and a good portion of the '80s.

Style - Better then. Although there has been a shift for more classy clothing in recent years, women and men still dress fairly poor compared to 40 years ago. Women still wear stuff that's too tight and men wear stuff that's too loose, lol.

Cars:  Better Then!! Cars today are boring. Lexus and Mercedes just don't look any different from a high standard Chevy or Ford. Cars throughout the '50s and '60s were constantly morphing, but they had such unique style that you could really see the difference between something from 1955 and 1965. To be honest I cannot see a huge difference from a car made today and made ten years ago.

TV:  A little of each. Shows then were less serious and real and gritty, which makes for me better escapism than watching 4 episodes of CSI: Las Vegas and feeling like I have to take in other people's drama that I don't feel like watching. Yet, today's programming is still quality stuff, you just have to know the good from the bad (which there's plenty of it!).

Movies: A little of each. I LOVE movies, so of course I can appreciate the oldies as well as today's great stuff! A lot of old movies have "heart" in them. As early as the mid-60's did they begin to start acting more like today's movies - more real and gritty!

Computers - Today! Computers are truly something you can work with today.

Music - Better then. Music today is better now than it was about 5 years ago, but it is still a far cry from the fabulous music made in the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s and a good portion of the '80s.

Style - Better then. Although there has been a shift for more classy clothing in recent years, women and men still dress fairly poor compared to 40 years ago. Women still wear stuff that's too tight and men wear stuff that's too loose, lol.

Yeah, modern cars (the 1991+ aerodynamic models) are kinda boring, despite their conveinence. 2000s cars aren't much different, they're just "even rounder", lol.

I agree, the aboveground popular music was at an absolute low around the Y2K era. Like when stuff like nu metal was still popular. There's more good songs now (particularly with the '80s revival more noticeable), but it doesn't touch the '50s through, like 1998.

Despite my love of the '80s, I actually prefer fashion of the '90s the most. It was more conservative than now, but also very casual and toned-down.

Cars:  Better Then!! Cars today are boring. Lexus and Mercedes just don't look any different from a high standard Chevy or Ford. Cars throughout the '50s and '60s were constantly morphing, but they had such unique style that you could really see the difference between something from 1955 and 1965. To be honest I cannot see a huge difference from a car made today and made ten years ago.

No I would have to disagree with you on the car thing that a 2007 looks a 1997 car. If an automaker were to style a car in 2007 like they did in 1997 that 2007 car would flop on the market. In my opinion though the late 90's/early 00's weren;t a good era for styling. I say cars are better looking than they were better 5 years ago though.

Yeah, modern cars (the 1991+ aerodynamic models) are kinda boring, despite their conveinence. 2000s cars aren't much different, they're just "even rounder", lol.

I agree, the aboveground popular music was at an absolute low around the Y2K era. Like when stuff like nu metal was still popular. There's more good songs now (particularly with the '80s revival more noticeable), but it doesn't touch the '50s through, like 1998.

Despite my love of the '80s, I actually prefer fashion of the '90s the most. It was more conservative than now, but also very casual and toned-down.
No, cars aren;t more rounder in the 2000's than they were in the 90's/early 00's(2002.) I would 2003+ cars are rounded but have a slanted or chopped off round back end instead of the back end bubble era of the 1991-2002 era of styled cars.

Music - Better then. Music today is better now than it was about 5 years ago, but it is still a far cry from the fabulous music made in the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s and a good portion of the '80s.

Thats actually a huge compliment I feel that somebody on this board said music is better than it was 5 years ago because all you keep hearing is how the quality of music has gone downhill.

^ Yeah, there is a popular opinion on the board that music is worse now. Even though the '80s is my favorite time, I still think it's good to be objective, and I pretty much try to like anything (basically any era has its ups and downs). I think around 2001 and again in 2006, popular Top 40 music was kind of at a lowpoint.


No, cars aren;t more rounder in the 2000's than they were in the 90's/early 00's(2002.) I would 2003+ cars are rounded but have a slanted or chopped off round back end instead of the back end bubble era of the 1991-2002 era of styled cars.

You're probably right, now that you mention it, I've noticed that too. '90s cars are sort of old-school in a small way, I suppose (although they look, of course, closer to 2000s cars than they do to '80s cars).

Thats actually a huge compliment I feel that somebody on this board said music is better than it was 5 years ago because all you keep hearing is how the quality of music has gone downhill.


I think music is better now than it was at the beginning of the decade. Music today is a bit more varied. I am seeing more rappers turn to more melodic styles. And I am seeing rap music turn on the rappers who sing about violence. Rock music good be a bit better, as it really hasn't changed all that much in the last 5 years (like almost every Nickelback song sounds like another Nickelback song lately) Pop music is much much better, though. Maybe it's because Britney Spears is not on the scene  ;D

^Someone said on another board recently, that the Don Imus incident might precipitate a backlash against rap in general. In a way, I think that might be possible. I know what you mean about melodicism too. Like Maroon 5 - I think "Makes Me Wonder" is like a superior version of "This Love", and maybe a little dancier too. Yeah, Britney did influence most pop music up to 2002 or '03 too (I liked "Sometimes" but that was it, lol).

No, cars aren;t more rounder in the 2000's than they were in the 90's/early 00's(2002.) I would 2003+ cars are rounded but have a slanted or chopped off round back end instead of the back end bubble era of the 1991-2002 era of styled cars.




I can see a slight difference in them now but, you have to admit that a car from 1997 does not look too far different from a car now, but they are getting rounder, as Marty mentioned previously...

Let's take a look at a classic example:

Here's the ultra classy Toyota 1987 Camry  ;D

http://www.ocatt.org/91.toyota.camry.jpg

1998 Toyota Camry Model
http://www.theautochannel.com/media/photos/toyota/1998/98_toyota_camry_xle.jpg


2007 Toyota Camry Model

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/01/09/207010.1-lg.jpg

So, as you can see, the Camry just keeps getting rounder and rounder - lol

^Someone said on another board recently, that the Don Imus incident might precipitate a backlash against rap in general. In a way, I think that might be possible. I know what you mean about melodicism too. Like Maroon 5 - I think "Makes Me Wonder" is like a superior version of "This Love", and maybe a little dancier too. Yeah, Britney did influence most pop music up to 2002 or '03 too (I liked "Sometimes" but that was it, lol).


Maroon 5 is a great example. I also think "Makes me Wonder" is much better than "This Love" although I really liked "This Love" alot, but I tired of it very quickly because it just sort of blended into music that sounds like other stuff. And then the soft rock stations picked up on it and it was doomed from there on, lol.  ;D

Yes, Don Imus did something implorable, but maybe it has to do with his interpretation of the violence in some rap music. It's hard to say!

^ Yeah, there is a popular opinion on the board that music is worse now. Even though the '80s is my favorite time, I still think it's good to be objective, and I pretty much try to like anything (basically any era has its ups and downs). I think around 2001 and again in 2006, popular Top 40 music was kind of at a lowpoint.

2006 reminded of 1990 to me in some way from a music perspective and I have heard a couple people on this board compare 2006 to 1990 as well from a music perspective.  I was thinking about how 2006 was like 1990 or 1991 when I thought about 2006 music the other day. Maybe it was the direction of music of 2006 that I was comparing to 1990 maybe.

I think music is better now than it was at the beginning of the decade. Music today is a bit more varied. I am seeing more rappers turn to more melodic styles. And I am seeing rap music turn on the rappers who sing about violence. Rock music good be a bit better, as it really hasn't changed all that much in the last 5 years (like almost every Nickelback song sounds like another Nickelback song lately) Pop music is much much better, though. Maybe it's because Britney Spears is not on the scene  ;D
Yeah rock music hasn;t changed very much if it all since 2002. Its like rock music is stuck in a time warp in 2002.

^Someone said on another board recently, that the Don Imus incident might precipitate a backlash against rap in general. In a way, I think that might be possible.
Well the Imus incident may have totally killed the glam sex rappers careers but I think if rappers come out with more social conscious type rap rap music may avoid a total backlash in general against it.

^ Yeah, I could see hip hop perhaps turning socially conscious at some point. About the idea of 2007 mirroring 1991, that's also possible that it'll shift again soon, since 1992 and '93 was about when gangsta rap took off in the mainstream.


Maroon 5 is a great example. I also think "Makes me Wonder" is much better than "This Love" although I really liked "This Love" alot, but I tired of it very quickly because it just sort of blended into music that sounds like other stuff. And then the soft rock stations picked up on it and it was doomed from there on, lol.  ;D

Yes, Don Imus did something implorable, but maybe it has to do with his interpretation of the violence in some rap music. It's hard to say!

Oh yeah, when they overplay songs, that can ruin it, lol. Especially since when I still listen to the radio, I mostly have it on soft rock stations - which are basically what mix stations were in the past. I like all of Maroon's songs now, but the Songs About Jane singles did get played to death.

Even though there's an Imus thread, I agree with you. I think his comments were more a case of him talking out loud prematurely, without really thinking about possible reprecussions of what he was saying. I don't think he meant to be malicious and probably goes by the surface image of hip hop, but that doesn't make it excusable of course.