# Say something that is true to a person in 1985 that will make you sound like a crazy person **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 20, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283 "2022-07-20T20:59:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/221 "2022-08-01T02:22:25Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > […]Bill Cosby is in jail. And so was O.J. Simpson for nine years, but not for the murder he was acquitted of. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/222 "2022-08-01T02:24:52Z")
Everybody carries a combination still/video camera in their pocket. These cameras also have a feature for voice communication which almost nobody uses. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/223 "2022-08-01T03:35:11Z")
People wear hooded sweatshirts and wool caps in the middle of summer. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2022, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/224 "2022-08-01T04:29:16Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Everybody carries a combination still/video camera in their pocket. These cameras also have a feature for voice communication which almost nobody uses. Not only that, these phones are complete miniature entertainment systems, with TV and radio capabilities, as well as serving as jukeboxes with their own stereo speakers. You can also read thousands of books on them. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/225 "2022-08-01T05:57:33Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > I don’t think whole-body x-ray machines have ever been used at airports. Full-body backscatter X-ray machines were in use at one point. It seems like the [TSA started removing them back in 2012](https://www.propublica.org/article/tsa-removes-x-ray-body-scanners-from-major-airports). Full-body millimeter wave scanners are pretty much universal, though. The tech is different but it is still effectively a “full body x-ray” in terms of the outcome. Every airport I’ve been through in the past several years has had one. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/226 "2022-08-01T11:20:58Z")
“You know that musclehead who played Conan the Barbarian a few years ago, and oh yeah, last year he played the part of a killer robot from the future? People are going to elect him governor of California. For two terms.” “You know that other musclehead who’s in pro wrestling? People are going to elect him governor of Minnesota.” Yeah, a former Hollywood actor was POTUS at the time (and had earlier been governor of CA), but Reagan had been in dozens of films and had served as SAG president for many years before getting into politics. By 1985, people would only know Schwarzenegger as a guy who spoke English with a thick Austrian accent, who had starred in all of four schlocky science fiction/fantasy movies (don’t forget **[Hercules in New York](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMUZect_pgY)**) in which his most notable attribute was definitely not his acting skills. He was not publicly known at that time for any degree of intellectual prowess, and people would indeed have thought you were crazy for imagining he could possibly ever be elected to public office. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/227 "2022-08-01T11:32:41Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Not only that, these phones are complete miniature entertainment systems, Note that I did not use the word “phone”. Even though these devices are the descendant of the “cell phone” they aren’t really phones anymore. They are computers that happen to be able to connect to a radio voice communication network. I focused on cameras because that seems to be the main selling point of smartphones these days. Here is the Apple page for an iPhone, which just happens to be the first one I thought of. > **[iPhone](https://www.apple.com/iphone/)** > > Powerful. Beautiful. Durable. Check out the new iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15, and iPhone 15 Plus. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/228 "2022-08-01T13:21:30Z")
> [@](#): > > … > Yeah, a former Hollywood actor was POTUS … I am pretty sure that merely referring to the President as “POTUS” in 1985 would have produced a sidelong glance or two. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/229 "2022-08-01T13:57:51Z")
Thanks! I had forgotten that the early backscatter scanners used x-rays. Even though the exposure was minimal, it seems strange in retrospect that they would have taken the PR hit using them. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/230 "2022-08-01T15:46:31Z")
Three of the most popular superheroes are Iron Man, Thor, and Black Panther. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/231 "2022-08-01T15:58:25Z")
Probably the last phone number I will learn for more than a short time, other than my own, is 867-5309. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/232 "2022-08-01T16:22:31Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Everything on one page of a Radio Shack catalog will be in a single pocket sized device. Which is fortunate, because Radio Shack won’t be around to sell any of it. And if you’re surprised by that, wait until you decide to go to your local Sears or KMart. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/233 "2022-08-01T18:29:39Z")
People stopped putting mousse in their hair almost 35 years ago. And Michael Jackson… aw, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/234 "2022-08-01T18:41:37Z")
The vice-president of the United States, during a roundtable discussion, said: “I am Kamala Harris, my pronouns are she and her, and I am a woman sitting at the table wearing a blue suit.” ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/235 "2022-08-01T18:51:48Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > “I am Kamala Harris, my pronouns are she and her, and I am a woman sitting at the table wearing a blue suit.” For those who might be befuddled by such odd phrasing, it helps to know that she was speaking to blind people. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/236 "2022-08-01T20:46:49Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > I am pretty sure that merely referring to the President as “POTUS” in 1985 would have produced a sidelong glance or two. I suspect that this acronym was introduced to the public in the series premiere of The West Wing, September 1999: > LAURIE (reading the message on Sam’s beeper): ‘POTUS in a bicycle accident. Come to the office.’ > … > LAURIE: Tell your friend, POTUS, he’s got a funny name. And he should learn how to ride a bicycle. > SAM: I would, but he’s not my friend, he’s my boss; and it’s not his name, it’s his title. > LAURIE: POTUS? > SAM: President of the United States. I’ll call you. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/237 "2022-08-01T21:54:25Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > I remember when gas hit 2.50 or 3.00 a gallon at one point years ago, and people were complaining, doing the math and noting that adjusted for inflation from 1.40 in 1981, it was still cheaper than in 1981. I always question this line of logic. Isn’t inflation just the measure of prices rising? Saying a price has held steady if you adjust for inflation seems like saying the price has held steady if you adjust for the amount the price has gone up. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/238 "2022-08-01T22:00:07Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Saying a price has held steady if you adjust for inflation seems like saying the price has held steady if you adjust for the amount the price has gone up. Except that inflation accounts for other items as well, and ideally accounts for incomes also. So, actually, saying a price has held steady if you adjust for inflation is more like saying, “The price has gone up more or less the same amount as everything else has gone up, so it’s no harder to pay for than it used to be.” ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/239 "2022-08-01T23:39:07Z")
True, though as @Keeve noted, inflation is other stuff as well. Also, gas prices had DROPPED in the interim. I distinctly remember paying 1.35 or 1.40 a gallon right after I graduated from college, and then it crept downward - to below 1.00 a gallon for a while. Then it started inching up at a not-too-insane rate. About 10 or so years back, prices went way up for a while - I paid 4.29 or more per gallon on a Girl Scout trip, which would have been at least 11-12 years ago. Again, prices dropped considerably after that. I don’t recall what the trigger was for either change. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283/240 "2022-08-01T23:45:28Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > So, actually, saying a price has held steady if you adjust for inflation is more like saying, “The price has gone up more or less the same amount as everything else has gone up, so it’s no harder to pay for than it used to be.” As somebody living on a fixed income, I can tell you that higher prices do make it harder to pay for things for some people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-something-that-is-true-to-a-person-in-1985-that-will-make-you-sound-like-a-crazy-person/968283.md?page=13)