# Small/subtle human trends & behaviors that have slowly subsided since the 70s/80s. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 31, 2019, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516 "2019-08-31T13:06:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/1 "2019-08-31T13:06:25Z")
I’m 52. Every now and then I suddenly realize I don’t see something anymore. Just last week I saw a man jogging without a shirt on. Back in the 1970s it was very common to see a man walking around bare chested. Today it’s a very rare occurrence. Mustaches were very common among men in the 1970s. I think only state troopers have them now. Perhaps it’s my imagination, but I swear women’s facial expressions have changed over the past 40 years. Women used to smile more. Now the “stone/cold/serious” face seems to be the norm. The most obvious one, of course, is cigarette smoking. I’m glad that’s gone away. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/2 "2019-08-31T13:14:09Z")
Confirmation bias ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/3 "2019-08-31T13:46:03Z")
Here’s one: Flat tires. Tire technology has become so good, they’re much more rare than they used to be. I had one friend years ago whose tire was so worn down you could see the steel belting\*, and yet it didn’t go flat. I’ve only ever had one flat, and that was because, unbeknownst to me, a screw penetrated the tire, and then I parked with the tire in just the right position to have the screw open a small hole for the air to leak out. As a kid in the 70s, I remember my dad changing tires far more often than I ever have. “Oh, no, a flat!” used to be a standard plot point in movies and TV. Not so much any more. \*Yes, his family were just that clueless about cars. I’ll tell you the battery light story some other time. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/4 "2019-08-31T14:01:18Z")
Good one. As a kid on a family road trip (“vacation”), I’d often see cars pulled over. A lot of people working a jack, trying to change a tire on the uneven shoulder of the road. And the ubiquitous overheating. Just like an old cartoon; the hood up, steam escaping from the engine as the dad wrapped his hand in a rag and tried to get the radiator cap off. We carried a milk jug full of water just in case. And if a car turned 100,000 miles? Everyone in the neighborhood knew it. “Hey, see that old Plymouth? That’s Mr. Avanti’s. It’s got over a hundy thou!” And at 99,999 the family would pile in the car, other kids would jump in, all to watch the odometer turn over to all zeroes (Chevy never expected our station wagon to make it that far, only 5 digits on the odometer). ---
**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:** [August 31, 2019, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/5 "2019-08-31T14:08:15Z")
Drunk acceptance Community organizations and clubs Community showering ---
**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:** [August 31, 2019, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/6 "2019-08-31T14:19:44Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Perhaps it’s my imagination, but I swear women’s facial expressions have changed over the past 40 years. Women used to smile more. Now the “stone/cold/serious” face seems to be the norm. I don’t remember most of that period–I’m only 40. However, I have found out through personal experience that if you make eye contact and smile at people **first** , a rather large percentage of the time they’ll return the smile. One thing that I do remember is leg warmers. I liked (and still like) some things about 80s fashion, but I never understood how leg warmers were ever considered sensible or desirable in any way. They just looked goofy. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/7 "2019-08-31T14:20:06Z")
Missing a TV show because you went out that night. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/8 "2019-08-31T14:24:58Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Here’s one: Flat tires. Tire technology has become so good, they’re much more rare than they used to be. I had one friend years ago whose tire was so worn down you could see the steel belting\*, and yet it didn’t go flat. I’ve only ever had one flat, and that was because, unbeknownst to me, a screw penetrated the tire, and then I parked with the tire in just the right position to have the screw open a small hole for the air to leak out. Yeah, that’s a good one. I remember when “my new car doesn’t have a spare tire” meant that it didn’t have a full size spare that you could put on and leave there for as long as you wanted but instead came with a donut. My current car (Civic) is my first car to not come with a spare at all. Just some fix-a-flat, a pump and the phone number for Honda’s Roadside assistance. Another one is having to jump cars. Even in the early 2000’s I always had jumper cables in my trunk. Chances are, if you didn’t, you knew someone that did. Getting your car jumped in a parking lot (even if you didn’t own cables) usually meant asking one or two people. Now, no one has them and no one really needs them. I don’t know if batteries or alternators are better or things use less power or, I suspect, because the car is smart enough to shut everything off after a few minutes. Leaving your trunk open overnight doesn’t mean a dead battery in the morning. And, of course, even in some of my older cars that still have issues, I keep a jump pack around. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/9 "2019-08-31T14:26:18Z")
Coming home and checking the answering machine for messages. That popped into my head as I returned from a bike ride the other day - it used to be the thing you did when you got home. Who called? Are friends getting together tonight? Did I get that job offer? ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/10 "2019-08-31T14:26:30Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Here’s one: Flat tires. Tire technology has become so good, they’re much more rare than they used to be. I had one friend years ago whose tire was so worn down you could see the steel belting\*, and yet it didn’t go flat. I’ve only ever had one flat, and that was because, unbeknownst to me, a screw penetrated the tire, and then I parked with the tire in just the right position to have the screw open a small hole for the air to leak out. > > As a kid in the 70s, I remember my dad changing tires far more often than I ever have. “Oh, no, a flat!” used to be a standard plot point in movies and TV. Not so much any more. > \*Yes, his family were just that clueless about cars. I’ll tell you the battery light story some other time. Anyone know what exactly has changed with tires? Flats seemed more common even in the 90s. But I haven’t seen actual data. With cell phones, there’s an expectation of people being contactable at nearly all times now. Hell if you got a flat or broke down back then, getting help was often difficult. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/11 "2019-08-31T14:47:15Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Coming home and checking the answering machine for messages. You can even take that one step further back within the timeline given by the OP: flat out missing calls because no one was home, someone was home but outside, or someone was home but on the phone (pre-call waiting). It was just part of life that sometimes you couldn’t be reached by phone. Somehow, we all survived. Side note, though, since you mentioned job offers: I once had the offer waiting for me on my answering machine when I got back home from the interview. I was pretty damn cool. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/12 "2019-08-31T15:00:48Z")
My favorite is that in the 1970s you called places, but now you can actually call people. 1972: \ Is Mom there? No, I think she’s at Aunt Betty’s. \ Aunt Betty? Is Mom there? Sorry, honey, but she went to work. \ Hello? Mom? Yes, honey… Now: \ Is Mom there? You’re calling my cell phone, dipshit. Who do you think is answering this call? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/13 "2019-08-31T15:15:20Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Perhaps it’s my imagination, but I swear women’s facial expressions have changed over the past 40 years. Women used to smile more. Now the “stone/cold/serious” face seems to be the norm. I think it’s the teenaged girls that have changed the most. They used to want to date me all the time in the 1980s, rarely happens now. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/14 "2019-08-31T15:18:58Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I think it’s the teenaged girls that have changed the most. They used to want to date me all the time in the 1980s, rarely happens now. You keep getting older, they stay the same age. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/15 "2019-08-31T19:09:58Z")
I was thinking about something related to this last night when reading an article about the (no, really this time!) release of the Galaxy Fold and how mind-staggeringly expensive it was going to be at $2000. The Gordon Gekko phone? That was the [Motorola DynaTAC 8000x,](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/0/evolution-mobile-phone-pictures/mototola-dynatac-8000x/) which cost $4000 in 1983, the equivalent of more than $10,000 today. ---
**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 31, 2019, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/16 "2019-08-31T19:21:43Z")
I mentioned this in another recent thread. _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_ was released in 1975. There’s an exchange in the movie where Frank asks Brad if he has a tattoo. Brad indignantly says no. Frank then turns to Janet and asks her is she has one. That was the punchline. Back in the seventies, the idea of a woman having a tattoo was so unlikely it was a joke just to ask her if she had one. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/17 "2019-08-31T19:27:51Z")
More TV: original network dramatic/comedy programming on Saturday night. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/18 "2019-08-31T19:33:41Z")
Kids not playing outside is the most notable to me. Even playgrounds look empty. Those big towers of rope and molded plastic are meant for climbing and sliding, not just standing around like public artworks. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2019, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/19 "2019-08-31T19:33:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I mentioned this in another recent thread. _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_ was released in 1975. There’s an exchange in the movie where Frank asks Brad if he has a tattoo. Brad indignantly says no. Frank then turns to Janet and asks her is she has one. > > That was the punchline. Back in the seventies, the idea of a woman having a tattoo was so unlikely it was a joke just to ask her if she had one. There’s a good one in Silkwood. It’s a serious movie but it had one big laugh line. The plant workers are invited to fly to Washington DC to testify. There were a bunch of hicks who had never been on an airplane before. After they are served their in flight meal, one of the men reaches for his wallet to pay the flight attendant. Hahaha, he thought that you had to _pay_ for an airline meal. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/20 "2019-08-31T19:35:17Z")
Hitchhiking used to be very common and now it is almost nonexistent. I was driving west on I-10 between Beaumont and Houston a few weeks ago and saw a guy standing at the end of an entrance ramp holding a cardboard sign that read “El Paso”. He had a full beard, baggy clothes, and a duffel bag. I thought I was in a _Twighlight Zone_ episode and had driven back to 1975. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516.md?page=2)