# A "Wonder Years" fact... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 20, 2014, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137 "2014-03-20T04:35:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/41 "2014-03-22T00:31:27Z")
The '90s doesn’t feel that long ago to me, but I still watch _The Simpsons_ and they’re firmly stuck in 1992. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/42 "2014-03-23T15:44:59Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > There’s a show currently airing on UK television called My Mad Fat Diary. It is set in 1996 and definitely goes for the **nostalgia buzz**. I bet you could make a Wonder Years style show now that would have the same appeal to children/teens that The Wonder Years had when I was a kid. Not quite …Wonder Years wasn’t just about nostalgia. It was about, well,…Wonder. It was broadcast at the same time as another series called “30-Something”( about 30 yr old yuppies finding their station in life–basically a sophisticated soap opera, with very good characters.). I heard of “Wonder Years” referred to as “12-Something”. It’s a cute comparison, but the appeal of Wonder Years wasn’t just the nostalgia, or the soap opera aspects of watching another person’s love life. The appeal was due to something deeper, that **Blake** described in post #2 : the vast and profound social changes that occurred in such a short time between 1968 and 72. It really was a time of wonder, of amazing changes taking place that changed every individual’s way of thinking about himself, his friends, and his family, and with it, all of society. . ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/43 "2014-03-23T17:51:17Z")
I still get stuck in the “Back to the Future” differences. Say a movie came out today with a teenager visiting his younger parents in 1984. What would be different? No cell phones and internet? That’s about all I can think of. I remember watching Back to the Future as a 9 year old in the movie theater and being awed at the differences of 30 years ago. A person probably couldn’t even make an interesting movie about the differences today. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/44 "2014-03-23T18:04:59Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I still get stuck in the “Back to the Future” differences. Say a movie came out today with a teenager visiting his younger parents in 1984. What would be different? No cell phones and internet? That’s about all I can think of. Gay marriage for the troops serving under a black president? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/45 "2014-03-23T18:10:41Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Not quite …Wonder Years wasn’t just about nostalgia. It was about, well,…Wonder. > It was broadcast at the same time as another series called “30-Something”( about 30 yr old yuppies finding their station in life–basically a sophisticated soap opera, with very good characters.). > I heard of “Wonder Years” referred to as “12-Something”. > It’s a cute comparison, but the appeal of Wonder Years wasn’t just the nostalgia, or the soap opera aspects of watching another person’s love life. The appeal was due to something deeper, that **Blake** described in post #2 : the vast and profound social changes that occurred in such a short time between 1968 and 72. > It really was a time of wonder, of amazing changes taking place that changed every individual’s way of thinking about himself, his friends, and his family, and with it, all of society. > . Except, as has been noticed, a profound societal change has happened since 1994, the ramifications of ICTs have profoundly altered the social lives of young people in particular. If you don’t think internet, mobile phones have had a similar impact on how people live today as those changes wrought then then we’ll have to agree to disagree. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/46 "2014-03-23T18:11:51Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I still get stuck in the “Back to the Future” differences. Say a movie came out today with a teenager visiting his younger parents in 1984. What would be different? No cell phones and internet? That’s about all I can think of. > > I remember watching Back to the Future as a 9 year old in the movie theater and being awed at the differences of 30 years ago. A person probably couldn’t even make an interesting movie about the differences today. Show a 9 year old what life was like 30 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/47 "2014-03-23T18:29:07Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Gay marriage for the troops serving under a black president? Probably a head shrug. Remember in Back to the Future, when Goldie Wilson was working in the coffee shop and said he wanted to be mayor? The owner said something to the effect of “A colored mayor; that’ll be the day” It would be similar to gay marriage and a black president. Remember in 1984, Jesse Jackson made a strong showing in the Democratic primaries. It wouldn’t be such a shock to people in that day to say that 30 years in the future there would be a black president. It probably wouldn’t be surprising at all. Yes, gay marriage would be a bigger shock as it wasn’t even on the radar then. It would probably be met with 80% disapproval, but not something that the public would see as completely off the wall. Maybe Marty would try to pay with his debit card in the coffee shop? Hell, his request for a “Pepsi Free” is already dated and not understood by many viewers. Would a 17 year old kid today show up in 1984 with his cell phone asking for a WiFi password? I just don’t see any funny bits in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/48 "2014-03-23T18:48:27Z")
Rounding it up to 1985 to keep consistent with BTTF but… Gas was $1.20, the USSR was still around, Stalone had 2 blockbusters in Rambo 2 and Rocky IV, Marty would be a DJ - not a guitarist, the DeLorian would be a Tesla, Marty’s iphone will look like something only the military would have access to - possibly… the coast guard? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/49 "2014-03-23T19:28:18Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Would a 17 year old kid today show up in 1984 with his cell phone asking for a WiFi password? I just don’t see any funny bits in the movie. “I don’t have any bars on my phone.” “Bars? We don’t serve no liquor in here. And aren’t you a little young to be drinking?” ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/50 "2014-03-23T20:20:20Z")
My favorite “feeling old” tidbit is that Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid) is now the SAME AGE as Mr Miyagi was in the first Karate Kid movie. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/51 "2014-03-23T20:39:42Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > My favorite “feeling old” tidbit is that Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid) is now the SAME AGE as Mr Miyagi was in the first Karate Kid movie. I’ll do you one better. Michael J. Fox is OLDER than Doc Brown was when Back to the Future came out. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/52 "2014-03-23T20:46:03Z")
Heavy… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/53 "2014-03-23T22:34:17Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > I’ll do you one better. > > Michael J. Fox is OLDER than Doc Brown was when Back to the Future came out. I’ll do _you_ one better. A few months ago, I was in a medical clinic, where one of the magazines in the waiting room was the magazine of the AARP. The cover photo subject? Michael J Fox. I saw that and thought, “I went to high school with Alex P Keaton. That makes me feel _so_ old.” (Not literally, of course. But the character of Alex P Keaton in the 1980s sitcom _Family Ties_ graduated from high school in 1984 and so did I.) ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137/54 "2014-03-23T23:24:01Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Gas was $1.20, the USSR was still around, Stalone had 2 blockbusters in Rambo 2 and Rocky IV, Marty would be a DJ - not a guitarist, the DeLorian would be a Tesla, Marty’s iphone will look like something only the military would have access to - possibly… the coast guard? A Marty McFly of 2015 that goes back to 1985 would have been born in 1997. Gas was $1.20 when he was 7. The USSR is just Russia in a Communist suit. The differences are negligible to a teenager. Stallone put out new Rocky and Rambo movies when he was 9 and 11. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wonder-years-fact/684137.md?page=2)