What are the 'good old days' in the future?
 

In my eighth decade on this planet, and I'm reminiscing about the ‘good old days’ growing up in a relatively uncomplicated world. Double-feature matinees, drive-in theaters, drinking an ice cold coke from a bottle for 10 cents, penny candy, hunting down a snow shoveling or lawn mowing job for an extra buck to buy some comic books, schools taught English, Science and Math, and there were boys and girls and nothing in between. It’s nearly an unrecognizable world today, for some of us.

What do you think today’s kids will remember as ‘the good old days’ from their youth when they’re in their 70s? I can’t even imagine.

Old school diners and deli's are certainly on their way out. They used to be everywhere 20 years ago but difficult to find now throughout the country.

Malls of course too. Many small city malls are half empty now or more like 90% closed. Amazon won I guess.

I remember milk and coal (not on same cart) being delivered by horse and cart.
Grand-kids will probably remember and laugh about having to wait a whole day for Amazon to deliver.

The good old days of the future will be when you could refuel your car in two minutes with gasoline.

I don't want to hi-jack this walk down memory lane, but in my opinion Amazon is one of the best things to happen. They have brought the world to my doorstep in a day. I can get more variety of foods from all over the world than I could ever get before Amazon. I can live anywhere I want to knowing that Amazon is going to deliver to me.

My good old days were not really that good. I'll take today.

What is good about today compared to when I grew up?

Air conditioning. Interstate highways. Electric cars are soon obsoleting private ownership of vehicles. Women have more opportunities for life and careers.

Honestly, that is all I can come up with; times are not so good right now.

Everything before 2020.

You must have had some privileged upbringing.
Food on the table every day is a starter for me.
£$&** the good old days!

Why would electric cars make private ownership of vehicles obsolete?

Compared to 50 years ago, 1) our air and waterways are much cleaner; 2) cars are much safer, 3) the advances in medicine have improved lifetimes and quality of life, 4) room sized computers now are hand held, 5) advances in telecommunications have made long distance calls crystal clear and very affordable, 6) cell phones are now in everyone’s hands, and……

Yes we have problems but every time period has had problems. The question is how do we put our heads together to develop creative solutions.

I just wish we had the internet and computers when we were kids, otherwise, life was simpler back then.

I think the internet and computers have changed the way we live and relate to each other - and not for the better. I spend so much energy trying to get away from my computer, energy I'd prefer to be using playing outside on a nice day. Very difficult to live off the grid these days...

"You know the good old days weren't always good and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems."

~ Billy Joel

When the world was controlled by humans instead of artificial intelligence.

I wasn't really bashing Amazon although smaller regional malls were a cool thing back in the day in my opinion.

Amazon is great though especially in places like TV where you still can't get everything locally like you could in Orlando or Tampa.

They will remember the first day they discovered they were a boy or a girl...maybe 21.

In my estimation, the good-old-days never happened.

The good old days weren’t really that good if you think about it - we have memories that are biased towards positive things.

I remember kids that were obviously gay and kids with physical and mental disabilities at school - we just didn’t have names for them then other than freak. We lived in a world where the powerful got away with anything they wanted - now the media and dash cams, body cameras, home security systems ensure that is no longer the case. Far more transparency so we really can see how the sausage is made, and it’s not pretty.

It might have appeared simpler because we lived in ignorance to some degree, but I prefer transparency and accountability. And I like that I have an unlimited shopping experience thanks to Amazon, a Blockbuster in my living room, all the foods of the world available to my at the swipe of my finger on my portable computer called my phone. I love that I will never get lost again, and never stranded without access to help.

We live in a wonderful world right now. It’s hard to imagine how it will get better, but it could in so many ways. Driverless cars so I can safely nap while getting to my destination and not having to deal with road rage. Living experiences that are exactly tailored to me.

A lot to look forward to. The old times were not so great if you think hard about it. In fact, as I write this I think they sucked big time and I would hate to go back to that.

We tend to think of the good old days with fond memories, but the reality is there were also things about the good old days we should be happy to leave behind. Also...CA in our childhood was a death sentence...today no so much. Every family had a "funny uncle" now days known as a pedophile. Abuse was rampant against women and children. Heart trouble...kiss of death. The list goes on... Plenty to be thankful that we no longer experience.

Probably remember how nasty and disgusting the senior citizens were.

I'm thinking of the opposite of "the good old days" where there's always phenomenal minds that find a way to make life better as we evolve. I can imagine the future generation thinking that cars used to be dangerous while they'll probably have a chance to have computerized cars that avoid crashes.

The good old days I remember were when we all lived in neighborhoods where everyone knew each other and watched out for each other. We never locked our doors because we always felt safe. Those feelings don’t exist anymore and the violence in our cities is terrible. I worry for my grandchildren's safety. It’s a different world now and changing daily. My remaining time on the stage of life is brief and in someways that may not be a bad thing. A lot of the good old days has vanished but my memories are with me forever.

Pre: internet, cell phone, 24 hour news, social media, bioegineered food, microwave oven, electric cars.

Noted comment about small city malls. Also occurring in bigger city malls. Leesburg is not small and not big, but their mall is a ghost town. Just got back from a 2500 mile trip in the US, mostly small towns. Beautiful but distressing.

Agree with most of what you said but Amazon is putting a lot of people out of work. Best thing about Amazon is ability to get small/inexpensive items, such as a power cord for an electric razor(I lost the cord)

The good old days......I wasn't old and I wasn't good!!

Kids today "might" remember when Facebook was a thing, though it's probably more likely that they'll think fondly of TikTok or Insta. They may remember when their parents finally, finally, let them have their own cellphone because these too will one day be obsolete. (Can't imagine what will replace these ubiquitous tools, but then, I could not have imagined cell phones when I was a kid.) The world when you are a kid looks and feels different, otherwise how else can one explain the near universal Beatlemania (now replaced by Taylormania)? The Beatles look different to me now. These innovators are now relegated to the "classics" list. This is an interesting thread!

:BigApplause:Well said! :BigApplause:

Not having those is why life was simpler back then.

[QUOTE=GoRedSox!;2246885]"You know the good old days weren't always good and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems."

I don’t know buddy, but I got a theory. Life seemed so much simpler before 2004, when the Sox finally broke the curse of the bambino. Things seemed to get more difficult after that for some bizarre reason? And that’s coming from a lifelong Sox fan that watched his late father cry like a baby when it happened.

YES!!! 2009-2016 No Drama... Except for that tan suit incident
Then a man who said that he does not regret never asking God for forgiveness, partially because he says he doesn't have much to apologize for.:pepper2::eclipsee_gold_cup:

Interesting to ponder. It’s all relative, I suppose. My memory tends to deemphasize the negatives and emphasize the positives. I also think my best memories are from a time when I had less “adult” concerns (bills, responsibility, etc.). Thank goodness for good memories to help us keep things in perspective.

Many night my friends and I would spend in the local diner often times into the wee hours of the morning. Some of those friends are gone too soon (fifties). I miss them and the diners.

Life was definitely simpler back then, but we were kids and didn't have to deal with the problems that our parents or grandparents dealt with. We enjoyed going out and playing in the streets till dinner was ready. You looked forward to "The wonderful world of Disney " every Sunday night. You walked most everywhere, you loved when the good humor guy came riding by your house, and all the other good stuff everyone else mentioned. BUT, today, we have access to anything at our fingertips, we can get in touch with anyone using our phones, I can see and talk to loved ones from afar. The medical industry has advanced in leaps and bounds from yesteryear. Yes, you could get a hotdog for .25 cents, but our parents only made $40.00 a week. We had wars, epidemics, market crashes, etc. back then also. BUT the negative I can think of today is that this country is upside down. Right is wrong, and wrong is right and rewarded for it. The streets are more dangerous, and half the population has lost their moral compass.

We may have remained inside instead of playing outside, person to person with friends.

What I wonder (and this probably should be a new thread but, despite being told how to start one I get stuck) is how we will deal with the change in work. Many jobs have been eliminated and many, many more will soon be. AI can replace millions of current positions from Doctors to Screenwriters. Self driving cars will eliminate millions more. Will there be universal income? Will money become a thing of the past as in Star Trek? Many here see the positives in our current day and age, but there are many more millenials, gen xers and whatever comes next who are facing limited opportunities to enjoy the benefits we had. Home Ownership. Even owning a car is out off reach for many. Compare the average income, home price and new car from 1980 to today. The wealth gap, destruction of the middle class. Something has to happen.

Yes, Amazon is great and I use it, but try not to. They have destroyed so many businesses and peoples livelihoods. What happens when there are no more small business bor shopping centers and Amazon controls the market an charges what they want.?.

And get your oil checked, tires checked and windows cleaned.

I have proof the good old days were not at we remember. We had a box full of 16mm movies. I'm not sure. I think the camera belonged to my grandfather who passed when I was like 4. The movies were typical family picnic kind of stuff. I had never seen them as we never had a 16mm projector. I had them transferred to disc. I recall getting scolded for littering. I projected the streets were cleaner in the good old days. Reality, the pictures showed plenty of trash blowing about. Pictures on a teeter totter. A handle made out of pipe right at face level. George Carlin has a great skit that we exposed to dirt had far greater immunity than kids today. I remember Baker's Park on one side we would watch raw sewage dumped into the water. On the other side guys jumping off the cliff for quarters tossed by people on the circle line boats.
We were poor. We would collect soda bottles two cents for the small and a nickle for the large ones. The cheap ball-pensy pinkey was fifteen cents and the Spalding was a quarter. Pizza you could get a slice and a small soda for a quarter. That is, was five big empty sodas. i had a great childhood. Oh when we got a TV, I was like 7 ish, you actually hand to get up to change the channel.

History only goes forward. Mark Twain said something like we do not make any progress because we lose what was. Retail. Prices have dropped quite a bit for the consumer. List price? No one pays list price anymore. They used to. We are all on our computers. I remember riding my bike to the library. Using the dewie decimal system to find where the book was and then discovering someone had it out or whatever. Pocketbooks were ten cents. Hardcover books like $5.00.

Wow some many had a different reality. I was 9 or 10 before my parents could purchase a car. It was very used when they bought it. My parents rented and didn't buy a home until just before I started high school. Goal was to run from the city. Not as bad as now but there were better schools and less crime if you could find the money to RUN. Wealth gap? Wealth? For most people wealthy is anyone who has more than I do. Tax? Anyone who has more than I do should pay more taxes and they should subsidize me. Something has to happen? People on the public dole live far better than I did as a young kid. I was an overnight success. It only took me 49 years of hard work and savings. OPPORTUNITIES are everywhere. Some do not see them and step over them. For those who see opportunity and turn it into wealth. Others think that is wrong.