# 30 years ago now versus 30 years ago 30 years ago **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612 "2011-01-14T16:51:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/61 "2011-06-05T08:21:57Z")
> [@Goofus](#): > > Remember 1955 Doc’s disbelief at being told Reagan was President in 1985? (The _actor?!_) Imagine what he’d have said if he’d been told a black man was President in 2011. A colored [del]mayor[/del] president, that’ll be the day :rolleyes: I bet Marty would have loved watching Family Ties reruns. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/62 "2011-06-05T08:25:33Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > A colored [del]mayor[/del] president, that’ll be the day :rolleyes: I bet Marty would have loved watching Family Ties reruns. **Celebrity Paradox**. Same with Doc watching _Taxi_. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/63 "2011-06-05T17:58:28Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I remember watching _I Love Lucy_, _The Andy Griffith Show_ and the _Dick Van Dyke Show_ (etc) in the mid 70s. > Now, in 2011, I catch repeats of _Cheers_ and _Roseanne_. except they seem to be more timely. more current. > > Maybe it is the Black/White difference. But wouldn’t high def vs regular def’n be just as much as a technological breakthrough? No its not because of mere technical issues ( black-and-white vs color, or high def vs regular TV) The big change (or, lack of it) is what others have said–the _social_ differences, not the technical ones. Look at the women on the old Andy Griffith , Dick Van Dyke, etc shows. They lived in a totally different world than today…weird and unappealing to us. Look at the women on Cheers, Roseanne, etc—they are more timely, more current, because…well, they _are_ more current. Nothing has changed for them , or us. Socially, that is. Yeah,we have Facebook and email, but that’s the point–if the characters in Cheers or Roseanne had had internet, they would have used it in exactly the same way as we do today…no changes. If the characters in Dick Van Dyke had had internet technology,they would _not_ have used it the way we do today.. They would only have used Facebook to discuss recipes (for women) or business(for men). No craigslist looking for roommates of (scandalous!!—either gender), no forums personal relationships, and no public mention of sex , ever. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/64 "2011-06-06T19:26:00Z")
I’m old enough to remember the 50s, and what makes it seem like ancient history is everything that happened in the intervening 60s. That decade (roughly 1964-1973) was like a societal quantum leap in so many ways. Even those ten years alone represented a greater difference than from the '80s to today. And the 60s were a great time to be in college, like no other time, before or since. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/65 "2011-06-08T10:48:44Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > A colored [del]mayor[/del] president, that’ll be the day :rolleyes: I bet Marty would have loved watching Family Ties reruns. I misspoke. First, Family Ties came on in 1982, and second, at the time they weren’t reruns! Way to rub it in, panache. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/66 "2011-06-08T16:55:39Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And the 60s were a great time to be in college, like no other time, before or since. But you’re gay. I can’t imagine _you_ were having that good a time. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/67 "2011-06-09T06:13:42Z")
a one hundred yr old woman was asked what she thought the greatest “invention” was, & she said, “Electricity.” & socially, she was right ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/68 "2011-06-10T04:37:23Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Coca-Cola still contained _cocaine._ No, it didn’t. “Spent” coca leaves, from which most of the coca alkaloids have been removed, were used, and had been since [1904](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-cola#Use_of_stimulants_in_formula). In miniscule amounts actual cocaine does occur in the product, but it’s not enough to have any effect. By 1950 Coca-Cola hadn’t contained any significant amount of cocaine for nearly fifty years. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/69 "2011-06-10T04:48:54Z")
From 2011 and 1981: -The fact that the streets are fairly safe compared to the previous generation -The fact that teenagers are to a certain extent better than they were in the previous generation -The fact that socially some stability has been achieved compared to thirty years ago ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/70 "2011-06-10T05:04:05Z")
In 1984, as a teenager - the house had 1 phone, 8 track and cassette tapes still existed, the VCR was in its infancy - a big tv was what, 32"? in 2011 - darn near everyone has a phone -fewer and fewer houses have landlines, music fits on cards the size of a postage stamp - LOTS of music. average computer monitors are now the size of what large tvs used to be. basic teenage stuff has changed dramatically - tweets, twitts, blogs, facebook - all of the social norms are completely different - yes, a 2011 person could make do - but they would still have some adjustments to make pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/71 "2012-04-13T02:24:39Z")
> [@VernWinterbottom](#): > > … > My parents and I share: three channels of (often fuzzy) B&W TV, mostly B&W childhood photos, no home video recording or playing of any kind, one rotary dial phone in the house, few sit-down restaurants which were virtually all family operated and for special occasions only, a couple of locally-owned burger or pizza places where teens hung out, many neigborhood markets often with their own butchers and bakers, two or three big mail order catalog companies, busy “downtowns,” one car in the family which dad took to work, and many other similarities of lifestyle. > > … I was born in 1960, spot on! ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/72 "2012-04-13T02:48:21Z")
I came to Earth as a human infant in the early 60s. I think what would be most noticeable to me would be how attached we are now to all our electronic gadgets, esp the personal ones. For me, in the 80s a cell phone was an expensive option, a big screen TV with surround sound and a satellite feed would require a lot of cash, too, and quite a bit of space. When we wanted to find out how to get somewhere, we looked at a map. If I needed to visit a tailor or a taxidermist, or a TV repair shop, I looked in the Yellow Pages. Get a date? Go out somewhere to where people are, widen out your circle of friends, join some sort of interest group. Prove that bully was manhandling that poor guy, and it could take some convincing. Now, my smart phone can send the video of it to any number of people I know only by handles and avatars. Yeah, I would feel seriously out of place in the 50s, and would have as my 80s self, also. But there are a slew of things different for me now on a very personal level than from 30 yrs ago. imho, ymmv, ianmjf ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/73 "2012-04-13T18:14:02Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > This. I remember the 50s, and when I look back at the years I’ve been alive, it looks like: > > Pre-60s. > 60s. > Post-60s. > > Everything changed in the 60s, and it was those changes that ignited all the changes since then. Like you, I remember the 1950s (although just barely), and I certainly felt that way 15 years ago. But the combination of the Web and ubiquitous wireless access, and all the technology that’s taken advantage of one or both of these, has created quite a change too. If I went back to 1985, I’d feel like I was flying blind. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/74 "2012-04-13T18:24:31Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > From 2011 and 1981: > -The fact that the streets are fairly safe compared to the previous generation > -The fact that teenagers are to a certain extent better than they were in the previous generation > -The fact that socially some stability has been achieved compared to thirty years ago I’m sorry, but I was in my 20s and 30s in the 1980s, and none of this is remotely true. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/75 "2012-04-14T20:16:24Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > I’m sorry, but I was in my 20s and 30s in the 1980s, and none of this is remotely true. I should have said changes today compared to that of the '80s. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612/76 "2012-04-14T20:23:49Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Heck, I was born in the '60s, and I can’t even think about the '50s without my mind shifting to black and white. I mean, did color even exist in the real world before the '60s? I don’t think so, and you can’t prove it, so there. The world turned to colour some time in the 30s, but it was pretty grainy colour for a while. [Cite](http://www.photographyblackwhite.com/wp-content/uploads/yapb_cache/dadbandwandcolour.2z3t9j8r9we8cgkk8804s08w8.6ylu316ao144c8c4woosog48w.th.jpeg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-years-ago-now-versus-30-years-ago-30-years-ago/567612.md?page=3)