# Back to the Future 2012 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 27, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157 "2012-02-27T16:42:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/1 "2012-02-27T16:42:23Z")
One of my coworkers pointed out how old I was by saying that if they made a remake of Back the Future froma 2012 persepctive, I’d be there. I then realized that BTTF is dated for today’s teens. So, in the interest of following Hollywood’s penchant for rebooting films, let’s put together a BTTF 2012. Here are some things from my addled brain that would present a challenge to the 2012 marty stuck in 1982 with Doc Brown 2012 - Black President 1982 - White President (maybe Marty could meet a young Barack Obama) 2012 - IPad, Ipod, Laptops, Minis, MacBooks 1982 - IBM PC and Apple IIc 2012 - Droid, IPhone 1982 - Rotary Dial Land Lines 2012 - Internet/Wireless 1982 - Modem 2012 - Google 1982 - LIBRARY 2012 - DVR 1982 - VCR Waht else am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/2 "2012-02-27T16:46:19Z")
In the time of Gigabyte and Terrabyte storage capacities, 1.21 gigawatts may not seem all that crazy… ---
**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:** [February 27, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/3 "2012-02-27T17:03:31Z")
“Al Franken, the occasional _Saturday Night Live_ performer?!” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/4 "2012-02-27T17:08:19Z")
2012 - Made in China. 1982 - Made in Japan. 2012 - One Germany. 1982 - East and West Germany. 2012 - No Soviet Union. 1982 - USSR 2012 - GPS 1982 - Maps 2012 - Email 1982 - Snail mail 2012 - Power tools with batteries. 1982 - Power tools with cords. 2012 - LCD/LED/Plasma TVs 1982 - CRT TVs ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/5 "2012-02-27T17:15:29Z")
Patton Oswalt’s great “Obama made time travel cheaper” [bit](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztcc_JSemEg). ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/6 "2012-02-27T17:18:06Z")
Modems in 1982? Well, maybe hobbyists, technology firms, universities and the government had them. But home computers in 1982 were still a novelty - the Commodore 64 came out in August of that year and few people had any reason to have a modem. VCRs were not overly common either, and many parts of the country were just starting to get cable TV. Instead of MP3s - cassette tapes! No bike helmets. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/7 "2012-02-27T17:29:57Z")
IMHO, the far greater challenge for Marty is the changed society, not technology. I believe a 2012 teen could wrap his head around a Walkman instead of an iPod and a landline instead of a smartphone, but as has been pointed out on these boards before, the setup of the movies hit a very unique point in time - 1955 is far more different from 1985 than 2012 is from 1982. The fish-out-of-the-water theme would not work as well, because a 2012 person would not feel that out of place. Society has not changed all that much, except for the shift in communication through the Internet and mobile phones. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/8 "2012-02-27T17:34:39Z")
Bruce Jenner’s still around? What’s that guy from the 1976 Summer Olympics up to… ---
**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:** [February 27, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/9 "2012-02-27T17:53:32Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > 2012 - Black President > 1982 - White President (maybe Marty could meet a young Barack Obama) Bonus points if Marty is black. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/10 "2012-02-27T18:03:56Z")
> [@Pitchmeister](#): > > IMHO, the far greater challenge for Marty is the changed society, not technology. I believe a 2012 teen could wrap his head around a Walkman instead of an iPod and a landline instead of a smartphone, but as has been pointed out on these boards before, the setup of the movies hit a very unique point in time - 1955 is far more different from 1985 than 2012 is from 1982. The fish-out-of-the-water theme would not work as well, because a 2012 person would not feel that out of place. Society has not changed all that much, except for the shift in communication through the Internet and mobile phones. This. One of the highlights of BTTF was Marty [playing rock 'n roll to an audience that never heard of it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=631746) (Elvis broke out in 1956). What would be the equivalent from 2012? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/11 "2012-02-27T18:06:47Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > 2012 - Droid, IPhone > 1982 - Rotary Dial Land Lines In 1982, push-button phones were very common. Our house had a couple. If you wanted to fudge things a little and weren’t too concerned with historical accuracy, (it’s a movie, right?), you could show a [Motorola DynaTac](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynatac), which came out in 1983 (close enough for a movie’s sake, right?), and compare that to an iPhone of 2012. Also, 2012 - Playstation 3, XBox 360, Nintendo Wii 1982 - Atari 2600, Mattel Intellivision, ColecoVision. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/12 "2012-02-27T18:16:34Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > This. One of the highlights of BTTF was Marty [playing rock 'n roll to an audience that never heard of it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=631746) (Elvis broke out in 1956). What would be the equivalent from 2012? Dubstep? ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/13 "2012-02-27T18:20:34Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > This. One of the highlights of BTTF was Marty [playing rock 'n roll to an audience that never heard of it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=631746) (Elvis broke out in 1956). What would be the equivalent from 2012? Daft Punk? They’re pretty on the nose futuristic. Music hasn’t changed enough to keep that parallel. The better choice would be showing a 1985er a 2012 videogame on an HD display. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/14 "2012-02-27T18:27:25Z")
But a 1982-er would know about video games, so he’s just looking at something that would be considered a natural progression of an already-known product. The implication of the original BTTF scene was that the kids were hearing something _entirely new_, not just a rockabilly song from the future. (I will admit the “entirely new” aspect would have worked better if Marty went back to 1945, but that’s not the movie that was shot.) ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/15 "2012-02-27T18:27:50Z")
I think it would be funny if Marty kept making very detailed plans with people, like “meet me on Thursday at 2:45 under the oak tree by the high school” and he would keep getting back “uh, yeah dude, just text me.” ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/16 "2012-02-27T18:29:31Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Dubstep? Yeah, dubstep is pretty out there. It’s the first thing I’ve ever heard that made me go, “That’s not music, that’s _noise_!” And then I realized I was getting old and I wept a little. HD-quality video games would probably be a pretty good analog to the rock 'n roll scene, although that would require Marty to bring the equipment to actually play it. It’s something 1982 kids would be able to wrap their heads around, since video game consoles were just then rolling out, but I could definitely see one of the more extreme games (Doom 3 or Dead Space for violence, anything by Team Ninja for sex) making them uncomfortable. > [@BlankSlate](#): > > I think it would be funny if Marty kept making very detailed plans with people, like “meet me on Thursday at 2:45 under the oak tree by the high school” and he would keep getting back “uh, yeah dude, just text me.” That’s going the other way, someone from 1982 traveling to 2012. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/17 "2012-02-27T18:41:03Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > But a 1982-er would know about video games, **so he’s just looking at something that would be considered a natural progression of an already-known product**. The implication of the original BTTF scene was that the kids were hearing something _entirely new_, not just a rockabilly song from the future. > > (I will admit the “entirely new” aspect would have worked better if Marty went back to 1945, but that’s not the movie that was shot.) I think that’s crediting their rationality too much. Vulcans? Sure. American teenagers? Nah. 1982’s [Donkey Kong Jr.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Jr) 2011’s Portal 2, Batman Arkham City, or Skyrim should astonish just as much if not more than Chuck Berry. Imagine if he could show them a FPS deathmatch and explain that he’s playing against real opponents from around the globe. ---
**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:** [February 27, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/18 "2012-02-27T18:57:18Z")
2012 - Airport security 1982 - Buy ticket, line up for boarding 2012 - Same-sex marriage 1982 - Gay sex illegal in some states 2012 - Kindle 1982 - Books 2012 - Dental implants 1982 - Dentures 2012 - Photoshop 1982 - Airbrush 2012 - Computer keyboard & printer 1982 - Typewriter 2012 - Hybrid cars 1982 - Gas Guzzlers 2012 - Digital cameras 1982 - Film cameras ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/19 "2012-02-27T18:57:46Z")
For music, dubstep I think pretty much any form of electronic music may just seem like a bad version of new wave; instead, I’d love to see something involving the direction of metal. The scene was kind of around, and the black metal scene started shortly after 1982. Metal was still pretty out there in general, and certainly all the the very heavy, polyrhythmic stuff with growling, like Death Metal, Grindcore, or Djent is still way off and would almost certainly come off as noise to someone whose closest comparison would probably be Led Zepplin or some early hair metal. I think the whole black President thing could work on the same kind of level as Reagan being an actor joke could, especially with his name. I think videogames would work on the same level that TV did in the original. They had just a black and white TV and he commented on how that was a classic episode. He could see an Atari or go to an Arcade and have the same sort of response to a classic arcade game that was brand new, maybe even go in and just set some amazing score or something. Actually, TV could still work too. Wasn’t cable brand new around that time? They sort of saw the future of TV fairly well in BTTF2, though. I definitely think the whole cell phone and internet would be the biggest deal. Someone trying to adjust to finding his way around without a GPS or mapquest or find an answer to a question without Google or get a hold of someone without email or text. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157/20 "2012-02-27T19:27:42Z")
An iPad with a good CGI movie would stun people. Remember when Tron was the height of computer-generated cinema? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2012/614157.md?page=2)