# "Dated" lines in media **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087 "2017-05-20T16:54:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/41 "2017-05-22T04:02:54Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > This was considered a big deal when she posed for Playboy. And that was in 1988. It wouldn’t have been that big of a deal in California in '88. A fair number of my more arty female friends had them by then. But five years earlier, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/42 "2017-05-22T16:15:02Z")
This isn’t a spoken line in media, but more about the “lines” in media. I’m talking about the old horizontal TV scan lines. If you do an image search for “tv scan lines”, you’ll see what I mean. It was used in an exaggerated manner in the “Max Headroom” TV series. About two years ago, the company where I worked used TV scan lines as a background on a poster, indicating that the subject of the poster was something about video. A colleague mentioned that using TV scan lines in this manner was really dated, and wouldn’t work for a poster aimed at an audience under the age of 20 or 25. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/43 "2017-05-22T16:53:42Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > HOMER: The Us Festival! Yeesh! It was sponsored by that guy from Apple Computers. > RECORD STORE CLERK: What computers? > > From the “Homerpalooza” episode, first aired in 1996, during Apple’s years in the wilderness. That still sort of works for me on a different level. These days, I bet most people think of Apple as “Phone, tablets and… oh, yeah, they make computers too I guess” with a [6% market share](https://www.digitaltrends.com/apple/mac-market-share-drops-to-five-year-low/) for Mac computers. Maybe better if the clerk says “Apple… _Computers_?” ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/44 "2017-05-22T17:27:23Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Only women of pretty low character had tats in 1975. So it’s a little of both. Holocaust survivors did as well. In 1975 it would not have been uncommon to have thirtysomething women who were Holicaus5 survivors. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/45 "2017-05-22T17:56:29Z")
Arthur Conan Doyle A Case of Identity : “She pulled a handkerchief out of her muff…” ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/46 "2017-05-22T18:57:48Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Holocaust survivors did as well. In 1975 it would not have been uncommon to have thirtysomething women who were Holicaus5 survivors. Reaching, IMHO. Certainly there were those who had tats, for various reasons, but in 1975 asking if an obviously “nice” **girl** had them was hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/47 "2017-05-22T20:38:27Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > During the Depression, a woman could get a few tats, and become a sideshow performer. Have you met [Lydia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4zRe_wvJw8)? ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/48 "2017-05-22T22:28:32Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Holocaust survivors did as well. In 1975 it would not have been uncommon to have thirtysomething women who were Holicaus5 survivors. But that was an entirely different type of tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/49 "2017-05-22T22:36:22Z")
Anything that calls military special forces or other small military units as “Commandos” instantly dates it to pre-90s. It’s weird how language evolved so we know identify them as “Special Forces” or “Elite Units” exclusively now. In the A-Team reboot movie they never once call them commandos in movie. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/50 "2017-05-22T22:50:56Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Holocaust survivors did as well. In 1975 it would not have been uncommon to have thirtysomething women who were Holicaus5 survivors. Jesus Christ. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/51 "2017-05-23T00:12:27Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Anything that calls military special forces or other small military units as “Commandos” instantly dates it to pre-90s. It’s weird how language evolved so we know identify them as “Special Forces” or “Elite Units” exclusively now. > > In the A-Team reboot movie they never once call them commandos in movie. Unless they aren’t wearing underwear. In addition, members of the US military, all branches, are now referred to as warfighters. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/52 "2017-05-23T06:46:09Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Anything that calls military special forces or other small military units as “Commandos” instantly dates it to pre-90s. It’s weird how language evolved so we know identify them as “Special Forces” or “Elite Units” exclusively now. In the U.S., maybe. Other countries still use the term. ---
**Author:** ![john\_b\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@john\_b\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/john_b_2)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/53 "2017-05-23T07:20:06Z")
Just about any old movie or TV show in which a character, often a newspaper editor, announcing some “shocking” piece of news prefaces his statement with “hold onto your hats, boys!”. Also expressions like “shove off” and “hold your horses”. The expression, when a bunch of people, whether children or adults doesn’t really matter, who are goofing off, just having a good time, and the boss, teacher or commanding officer sternly tells them to “stop horsing around”. “keep the home fires burning” is another, from the days when people burned coal for heating. “greasy kid stuff” for hair tonic, still used when I was growing up. Gone now. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/54 "2017-05-23T08:44:47Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > In the U.S., maybe. Other countries still use the term. AFAIK, the term “Commando” is British, dating from their (not very pleasant) experiences in the Boer Wars. ---
**Author:** ![Mavic\_Chen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mavic\_Chen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavic_Chen)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/55 "2017-05-23T10:14:24Z")
From NWA’s 1988 song “Fuck Tha Police” Fuckin’ with me cause I’m a teenager With a little bit of gold and **a pager** Searchin’ my car, lookin’ for the product Thinkin’ every nigga is sellin’ narcotics A little bit anachronistic by today’s standards… ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/56 "2017-05-23T16:00:48Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > A few days ago, all the mentions of the _American Gods_ series made me reread the novel, and one line in particular caught my eye, where someone being offered a payment in gold coins complained, saying something like “do you think there are places that buy gold on every corner?” > > Why yes, yes there are. > > So what other lines stand out as particularly outdated now? > [@Aspidistra](#): > > How strange. I totally don’t notice this being a thing in Australia. I mean, obviously you can find jewellery stores that will buy gold if you go looking for them but they’re certainly not ubiquitous, or even that common. A few years ago I had to sell some gold coins as part of settling my mother’s estate. In a city of more than 250,000, there were six places that advertised buying gold and only two of them weren’t gouging customers badly. Most of them were pawn shops. The two non-gougers were a coin shop and a jeweler. Buying gold is easy, especially online. Selling it, without being taken, takes a little more effort. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/57 "2017-05-23T18:38:10Z")
The [opening monologue of _The Outer Limits_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCcdr4O-3gE) said > [@](#): > > There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture… We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. Most people born after 1980 probably have no idea that television sets used to have little [knobs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_television#Horizontal_hold_and_vertical_hold) called “vertical hold” and “horizontal hold” that had to be manually adjusted to properly synchronize the picture. ---
**Author:** ![john\_b\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@john\_b\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/john_b_2)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/58 "2017-05-23T19:31:17Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > The [opening monologue of _The Outer Limits_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCcdr4O-3gE) said Most people born after 1980 probably have no idea that television sets used to have little [knobs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_television#Horizontal_hold_and_vertical_hold) called “vertical hold” and “horizontal hold” that had to be manually adjusted to properly synchronize the picture. Yes, **The Outer Limits** is a great example. Dated in a different way: all those peacock plume openings for NBC shows that were broadcast in color, of which there were only a few prior to 1966, when the networks went all-color for prime time. In the fall of '66 most networks had some kind of “color opening” to make it clear to the viewers that the show they were about to see was going to be in color. Interesting footnote: the comical opening of **Saturday Night Live** , especially when it premiered in 1975, as “live (rhymes with hive) from New York!”, a parody throwback to the early days of live television, when indeed that kind of announcement was a big deal, meant the what was to come was special. In its early years, through the Fifties I suppose, the TV networks seemed to feel the need to emphasize the “liveness” of the medium, as in more like theater, thus exciting, not like movies, as in made in advance. That was in itself, for several years, rather a selling point, long gone now… ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/59 "2017-05-24T11:31:09Z")
> [@Mavic\_Chen](#): > > From NWA’s 1988 song “Fuck Tha Police” > > Fuckin’ with me cause I’m a teenager > With a little bit of gold and **a pager** > Searchin’ my car, lookin’ for the product > Thinkin’ every nigga is sellin’ narcotics > > A little bit anachronistic by today’s standards… There’s a scene in the movie Colors where a drug dealer’s pager goes off while he’s being arrested, and Sean Penn goes “Oh, what’s this? You a doctor or something?” I remember an old episode of Leave It To Beaver where Beaver hears from a utility worker that the water main is going to be turned off for a few hours that afternoon. So he goes home and fills up as many milk bottles as he can find and goes around selling bottled water while the main is off. The whole premise of the episode was how ridiculous it was to pay for something like water, that you usually got for free, and Beaver’s whole enterprise was seen as borderline criminal. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2017, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087/60 "2017-05-24T12:31:27Z")
“Did you just order a five dollar shake?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dated-lines-in-media/787087.md?page=4)