Nostalgia? All it's cracked up to be?

[Malo83]

65 was in 6th grade, remember riding our bikes into town checking out all the stores, JJ Newberrys,Western Auto, Montgomery Wards and JC Pennys to name a few. Remember going to AW's to get a gal jug of ice cold root beer to take into the drive in theater, we liked camping out in the back yard at night, my mom yelling at us for making too much noise and go to bed. We all had our small transistor radios listening to Wolfman Jack coming out of Mexico. Me learning how to drive a 3 on the tree in an old 57 ford car that was taken off the street for smoking like crazy, would drive out on all the dirt fields around the house. Our annual trips to Disneyland, Knotts berry farm and the Wax museum which was my moms favorite. Hanging out in the backyard with my dad who always let me finish his beer. Sitting under the big shade tree in our front yard waiting for the ice cream truck to come by, for us young ones it seemed like life was all fun and games but I know it was hard for our parents. 65 I would go back in a heartbeat.

 

[aquariuscsm]

65 was in 6th grade, remember riding our bikes into town checking out all the stores, JJ Newberrys,Western Auto, Montgomery Wards and JC Pennys to name a few. Remember going to AW's to get a gal jug of ice cold root beer to take into the drive in theater, we liked camping out in the back yard at night, my mom yelling at us for making too much noise and go to bed. We all had our small transistor radios listening to Wolfman Jack coming out of Mexico. Me learning how to drive a 3 on the tree in an old 57 ford car that was taken off the street for smoking like crazy, would drive out on all the dirt fields around the house. Our annual trips to Disneyland, Knotts berry farm and the Wax museum which was my moms favorite. Hanging out in the backyard with my dad who always let me finish his beer. Sitting under the big shade tree in our front yard waiting for the ice cream truck to come by, for us young ones it seemed like life was all fun and games but I know it was hard for our parents. 65 I would go back in a heartbeat.

Those sounds like some good times!

 

[sloinker]

Good thread! A few thoughts:

re. "the good old days". They were good for some but not for everybody. For significant segments of our population they were downright awful. That's getting better fortunately.

I'm 43 and have three kids under 11. aquariuscsm rattled off a number of things kids in the 70s did - FWIW I did the same stuff in the 80s and that list is practically a checklist that my kids today still follow

I was in that first generation that had home gaming systems and grew up with computers. For all the talk about "kids these days" sitting around on their butts watching screens, while I think there's a kernel of truth in that I don't think it's as bad as people like to think. I played plenty of games but still found time to ride bikes around the neighborhood, play sports all year, make Eagle Scout, etc. My kids are similar - there's time for screens and there's time for other stuff.

Now if you want to talk music, well then yes it was better in the old days

jeff

Not only kids that are servants to gaming. I know plenty of adults that have nothing to their names. In debt to their gills and only work enough to satisfy their gaming addiction. Many live at home in their 30's, 40's and 50's. Sad. There are many.

 

[Hermann]

There was less BS back then. Not higher quality of life though.

I have come to realize that Baloney Sandwiches are the glue that holds the world together.

 

[Ws6]

Not only kids that are servants to gaming. I know plenty of adults that have nothing to their names. In debt to their gills and only work enough to satisfy their gaming addiction. Many live at home in their 30's, 40's and 50's. Sad. There are many.

Gaming is actually pretty cheap. I spent a total of a hair under $3K on my gaming computer, since 2017, and it's still going strong and doing great. Do you know how much money it's saved me on OTHER stuff? Me either, but LOTS!

 

[Andrew1972]

Good old days of hiding and burying problems like Boy Scout leader/boy relations, Catholic Church priests and children and entire organizations and press hiding the embarrassment. My own pediatrician: https://www.conwaydailysun.com/news...cle_16b92de2-7b24-11e8-b495-b3dcf7b388fd.html

Definitely some really great things in my youth like playing outside(no electronics or really TV-2 antenna channels) however a really dark and hidden truths due lack of media to convey it. I also enjoyed no electronic communication as my wife asks my daughter age 14 to check via cell phone while I did not let my mum know anything between 9-7 PM in summer. She was fine with it.

 

[jeepman3071]

Life is what you make it. The advantage today is you can still live relatively simple if you chose to, but still have access to technology and better medical care than we had in 1965. I work in IT, and while I believe social media is the downfall of society, I wouldn't have met some of the truly amazing people in my life today without it. During the day I work on some of the most advanced pieces of tech available, and then I get in my car with no navigation/infotainment, or my 22 year old Jeep with a 5MT and drive home to the sticks where I spend most of my time outside. On the weekends I tinker with antique engines or go out and enjoy nature. The advantage being I can use technology to look up parts for those antique machines instantly or find a new pond to explore with the click of a button. It all depends on how you live. I have Facebook, but don't follow gossip, I don't watch the news.

 

[BigGeo]

Most of what I actually have nostalgia over is from when I was a kid and memories with loved ones who are no longer alive.

Very insightful.
About 6 years ago my Father and I visited the home I grew up in until I was 5. As luck would have it, the current owner invited us in. It was great to go inside but my overriding thought was “My family is no longer here.“ Ultimately it’s about people not things.

 

[SeaJay]

Life is what you make it. The advantage today is you can still live relatively simple if you chose to, but still have access to technology and better medical care than we had in 1965. I work in IT, and while I believe social media is the downfall of society, I wouldn't have met some of the truly amazing people in my life today without it. During the day I work on some of the most advanced pieces of tech available, and then I get in my car with no navigation/infotainment, or my 22 year old Jeep with a 5MT and drive home to the sticks where I spend most of my time outside. On the weekends I tinker with antique engines or go out and enjoy nature. The advantage being I can use technology to look up parts for those antique machines instantly or find a new pond to explore with the click of a button. It all depends on how you live. I have Facebook, but don't follow gossip, I don't watch the news.

Unfortunately today if you let you young kids out to play unsupervised two things would happen:
1) there wouldn't be any other kids outside for them to play with &
2) the police would come and arrest you for endangering your kids or something like that.

Otherwise, I agree as for the most part you can still live relatively simple if you chose to, but still have access to technology and better medical care than we had in 1965. I think the kids are all missing out on what we had in 1965, but that is change I guess. In some ways for the better and in some ways not so much.

 

[Andrew1972]

Unfortunately today if you let you young kids out to play unsupervised two things would happen:
1) there wouldn't be any other kids outside for them to play with &
2) the police would come and arrest you for endangering your kids or something like that.

Otherwise, I agree as for the most part you can still live relatively simple if you chose to, but still have access to technology and better medical care than we had in 1965. I think the kids are all missing out on what we had in 1965, but that is change I guess. In some ways for the better and in some ways not so much.

My 11,14 year old wander our neighborhood and NH State Fish and Game property safely. 14 year old rides her bike all over town. My 6 year old bikes and scooters out of site lines of us on her own down a wide suburban development street on her own.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Very insightful.
About 6 years ago my Father and I visited the home I grew up in until I was 5. As luck would have it, the current owner invited us in. It was great to go inside but my overriding thought was “My family is no longer here.“ Ultimately it’s about people not things.

Two right on posts! When I think back on my childhood,my best memories are ones spent with my family,playing outside with my parents,grandparents,brother,sister, cousins,childhood pets,etc. I even knew my great grandparents. As a child I didn’t know what death and loss was. I always tell people the worst thing in life you’ll ever experience is the death of your parents. Cherish them while they’re still here and never take them for granted.

 

[greenjp]

My 11,14 year old wander our neighborhood and NH State Fish and Game property safely. 14 year old rides her bike all over town. My 6 year old bikes and scooters out of site lines of us on her own down a wide suburban development street on her own.

Same here. My almost 11 year old and 8 year old go around the neighborhood on their bikes, visit the playgrounds, etc. There are plenty of other kids and the cops haven't showed up yet I'm not sure why beliefs that this doesn't or can't happen nowadays seem prevalent. Fake news?

jeff

 

[PandaBear]

I have come to realize that Baloney Sandwiches are the glue that holds the world together.

Wise word.

 

[PandaBear]

Gaming is actually pretty cheap. I spent a total of a hair under $3K on my gaming computer, since 2017, and it's still going strong and doing great. Do you know how much money it's saved me on OTHER stuff? Me either, but LOTS!

The rig is cheap, and I think the cost is more of you lose your motivation to do something else in life instead of how much money you spend on gaming. Actually, in the old days people waste a lot of time and motivation doing other silly stuff than video games too, just people didn't realize it: partying, hunting, working on cars, wood work, motorcycles, boat, watching ESPN, they are just similar to video game one way or another.

Not everyone is motivated to climb the corporate ladder and that's fine, people do have choices and many just want to live a happy life.

 

[CourierDriver]

I came on board the planet
April of 46, lots of things have changed, it was more simple lmho...........love the cars of the 50 and 60s...

 

[supton]

Actually, in the old days people waste a lot of time and motivation doing other silly stuff than video games too, just people didn't realize it: partying, hunting, working on cars, wood work, motorcycles, boat, watching ESPN, they are just similar to video game one way or another.

I can only imagine what people said when books started becoming popular--readers probably got told they were wasting their time on something unproductive. Video games aren't for me but I sure do "waste" a lot of time in all sorts of ways, and I'm fine with that. No need to work all the time.

 

[Jeep_Riot]

Back in the 70s I used to hunt lizards with a BB rifle. If I did that today someone would call SWAT. Good times.

 

[PandaBear]

Back in the 70s I used to hunt lizards with a BB rifle. If I did that today someone would call SWAT. Good times.

I think these days you need to have an orange tip on a toy gun, but what prevents people from using orange tip on a real gun?

 

[aquariuscsm]

I remember my grandmother always walking next door to her best friend's house in the evening after dinner. And sometimes we would all get together on nice evenings (me,my sister, my mom, and grandmother, and my grandmother's friend) and take walks to the end of the street and back. Sometimes my sister and I would ride our bikes while our mom,grandmother,and her friend would walk.

 

[Saabist]

I would go back in a minute without too many regrets.

Same here. There was definitely a lot of BS to deal with back in the day, but the future has been a bust in so many ways. I'm still waiting for my vacations on the Moon, Jetsons-style flying car, and personal robot butler.