Do you think life was better 30 years ago were better than they are now?

[Unified Draft 130]

Tonight I want to ask you this, do you think life was better 30 years ago than they are now? Comment yes or no and why you think so. 

-Brohoof117

[Betez 1,734]

Well, yes and no.

 

I used to ask my dad this all the time. I'd say life was so much better before things like 911. People didn't care what you did. It was definitely simpler. But, I've realized this. We have technology and the Internet, which has brought us all closer together than we could have ever imagined before. While I do feel like mobile-ly wise, it's going way to fast, I feel like we're better off socially in some ways. I'd say it's pretty evenly distributed. For one thing, we weren't trillions of dollars in debt 30 years ago, and they actually built things to last.

[One 498]

30 years ago= 80's

 

 

Good music like that was coming out. (Even though this song was made in 1979 I think)

 

I didn't live in the 80's so my only opinion has to be based on evidence and historical evidence, since that is to much work I'm going to say the 80's pop culture was better, today's technology is better, etc.

 

As for "life" we can go into life expectancy and average income, etc.

 

I'm going to settle on undecided.

Edited December 15, 2012 by One

[A Glimpse of Everything 129]

Yes. Most definitely. In the 80's they didn't have swag/YOLO-obsessed jerks. Everywhere on the internet you find that crap. Swag needs to die.

[Unified Draft 130]

I think in some areas thing were better 30 years ago than now. To me the 80s seemed like a happier time, great music was coming out, technology was enhancing, and it was also a good time for movies. Good things about today would be better technology, and better ways of communication

Also in the 80s we had amazing american and british heroes such as: Marty Mcfly, Han Solo, Freddie Mercury, Optimus Prime (G1), Steve Perry, Slash, Bon Jovi, The Twinkie Dude, Chevy Chase, and the most important one... Ferris Buller

[Moon Rat 4,772]

In all honesty, I would say somewhat

 

on one side, there really wasn't all this prejudice over watching a Television show

I would have to say that people would be a little more open to it

 

 

 

on the other hand, that show never existed so I would have to say no

 

 

Joking aside, it really couldn't be that bad of a time

[Commander Urdnot 2,680]

Nope. There was no G4 My Little Pony back then. 

 

In all seriousness, I still think things are better now than they were back then. Yes a lot of bad things have happened to us in 30 years, but a lot of good things have happened too. In my opinion, the good definitely outweighs the bad.

Edited December 15, 2012 by Urdnot Pinkie Pie

[khaine21x3 789]

30 Years ago I lived under the US backed dictator Suharto and life was a lot better than it is today.There was no crime or terrorism as criminals were shot on the spot by the secret police and their body cleared within a minute, the economy was increasing exponentially due to fascist economics and the currency was 10 times stronger than it is today.

 

We had a collective pride back then as life was going great and the feeling is reinforced by propaganda.

 

After we have democracy forced onto us, the economy collapsed which caused hyperinflation and massive unemployment.The loan from IMF and economic reforms to a lazie faire economy brought the country back on it's feet but it's a dangerous place full of religious lynchings, religious wars, rape, pedophilia, terrorism, poverty and death caused by foreign corporations controlling natural resources.I have a dozen mercenaries guarding my hood right now due to how dangerous it is.

 

I probably missed a lot of detail but that's the summary.

Edited December 15, 2012 by khaine21x3

[Krystal 1,468]

The 80's were nice but I don't think I'd be able to live without Xbox, modern electronica, Photoshop, TV, smart phones, modern computers, and oh yeah ponies. Basically EVERYTHING that we have today is better than we had in the 80's. The only thing the 80's has over the present is the people.

[Unified Draft 130]

I couldn't live without xbox Live either but I would to go back to see an MTV that actually showed music videos, plus I would probably want to go to A Steve Perry Journey concert and a Queen concert

[Jack Durango 119]

Yes. Most definitely. In the 80's they didn't have swag/YOLO-obsessed jerks. Everywhere on the internet you find that crap. Swag needs to die.

"Swag needs to die." Hmm. I like the sound of that. Fresh, bold, and brisk, like Mountain Dew, or Brisk (the hell's that?), but it doesn't leave a sticky residue and thus wouldn't become ironic in the fact that it would in turn garner a feverish reputation as a "YOLO"-esque quotation.

 

The 80's were nice but I don't think I'd be able to live without Xbox, modern electronica, Photoshop, TV, smart phones, modern computers, and oh yeah ponies. Basically EVERYTHING that we have today is better than we had in the 80's. The only thing the 80's has over the present is the people.

I'd say the people are the only thing that really matter. They are what invents the technology, and they supply the reasons for why it is created. If you lived in the 80s, you wouldn't have any idea what those devices were. As such, the time you spend on those devices would be occupied by more down-to-earth/recreational activities, unless you were a steampunk/computer nerd/rich-but-only-child kid from the 80s. Or, if you knew these devices existed but you were stuck in the 80s.

[Starshine 16,333]

Hm... Do they have wireless internet, mp4 player, and flatscreen 30 years ago? No? Screw that I prefer living in here right now

 

Other than the sheer technological differences, there is also major gap in how do we live 30 years ago. Of course the elder humans will recall the 80's with that longing feeling, they already forgot most of the hardship living in 80's

[PlunderSteed 1,252]

I suspect I'm one of the oldest people on this forum, but I wasn't around 30 years ago.  Comparing quality of life in the present against quality of life from a time you never actually saw is an exercise in futility.

[Zeruis 53]

Sure, things were better than they are now. I honestly do wish that I was born in the late 60's. The "New Age" culture seemed really interesting and I would have loved to be a part of it. Not to mention that everyone in high school looked awesome. 

[Unified Draft 130]

Ya I would've loved to be in High School during the 80s. Everyone looked awesome, plus everyone would be jamming to the music I listen to

[null1 606]

[Over] Thirty years ago, Han shot first. Metallica was also in it's prime too. But there was no MLP:FiM we know and love, or Mass Effect.

 

I'll stick with my own time I know and love.

[Unified Draft 130]

I rarely watch tv, I am more of a music person. I think I would for the most part be all right minus Halo and Facebook and youtube, but 30 years ago MTV was boss

[almozayaf 72]

no

 

we humans that the hapet of forget the bad of the past and with time all things happen 30-50 years ago is great

 

it just that we remember the good memory and forget the bad

 

and as a guy from middle east these days were the heads of dictators fall one by one is far better thin the days we kiss thy feet

[Arcus (Silver Lining) Wind 983]

Yes things were better. Things like school shootings, terrorist organizations, and suicide bombers were basically unheard of. The only thing that has improved since then is technology. To be honest I think it would be great if we could go back to the 40's or maybe even as far back as the 20's, but keep the technology.

[AegisReflector 886]

Under the presidency of Ronald Reagan? Hell no.

 

But politics aside, I think the things that would have hooked me in the 80's was the rise of Nintendo (playin' at dah arcade), Cosmic Bowling, Roller Rinks, Glam Rock, cheesy action flicks, the advent of early CGI, the fashion styles, etc. Mostly some of the social and pop culture aspects.

[Chevette 1,052]

Honestly, I think 30 years isn't enough. I think the good times (at least for the general most part) were the late 40's through the 50's. Lets go back to when a man who could still work still could, a coke was still soda and a joint was a bad place to be. Things were made with style, Americans had jobs, cars were classy, Country music started to develop & things were much simpler.

My example for the simplicity part would be worries. These days, people worry about how good something is for you, or try to live the longest, calories, & all that other stuff that stresses people out. Stress is the killer, the way I have seen it people that just don't worry seem to have happier/longer lives.

Back in the day, people didn't know all these little "problems" that today's society for the most part worries about. The government is trying to tell us whats good and whats not, example would be that law in New York where you cannot purchase a soda over 20oz, now I find that to be jacked up higher than a ten inch lift kit on a 98' Chevrolet Silverado. 

We are definitely rolling downhill like a snowball heading for hell.

[#1 Flutterfan 174]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_XgQhMPeEQ

 

"better" is subjective. Things would be much different, whenever I watch Back to the Future I see the huge difference. And I think it's amazing to see that--I mean. He goes back in time, and just imagine. You're going from now to then. If you were born then, I think 30 years would be "better" than 50 years ago. But if you were born 70 years ago, is 30 years later, much better? 

I think in the sense of humanity, the world wasn't THAT much better, but at the same time, it would be interesting. I don't think the value of life has depreciated at all. So--in that sense, I don't think that life was "better" then.

[Two-of-Hearts 168]

I suspect I'm one of the oldest people on this forum, but I wasn't around 30 years ago.  Comparing quality of life in the present against quality of life from a time you never actually saw is an exercise in futility.

 

Heh, I'm almost a full month older than you (I'm not looking forward to being 30 years old). And yeah, my memories of the 80s are too dim to determine if this was indeed a 'better' time period. I know this much, the 80s were at least better than the 70s which was more or less a minor dystopian era for America. 

[Booksmith 87]

"Do you think life was better 30 years ago were better than they are now?"

I'm fairly sure grammar was better 30 years ago. 

Yes, of course things were better. We were not in an economic recession, there was not a global war on things that scare us and you didn't have the top 5% of the population holding most of the value of the nation but things change, these are the growing pains of a nation. In this decade, for the first time in the history of America, these will be a generation born with no majority. For the first time in the history of the world we are faced with, and are rising to the challenge of, a energy crisis which will allow us to be propelled into a future we can't even imagine yet. 

 

This one development in reactor technology will allow us to accelerate our technological and social development exponentially. 

 

 

Also we are working on real life warp drive for deep space exploration. 

Now is a great time to be alive. 

Edited December 15, 2012 by Plowplot

[Jammo 986]

Eehhhh. It's different now. Some things better, some things worse. No two times are alike so "quality" of a time fluctuates into different ways to different people. I felt that 9/11 really shook things up. Too much paranoia fuel and media skewing towards a "things are trying to kill us" mindset. To be fair my parents went through the whole Cold War thing so the "Evil forces at work" fear isn't something new to the post-9/11 world. Maybe it's just because I entered High School around the times of the attacks, and my life changing to harsher environment along side the world becoming more fearful made things feel more tense.