# 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:** 5
**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:** [September 1, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/81 "2019-09-01T20:01:56Z")
Quite a few people used to let their dogs roam around the neighborhood unsupervised all day. This was especially common in the various small towns and rural areas where I’ve lived most of my life. Although I live in a rural area now, I haven’t noticed any unsupervised dogs around here in about 10 years. We still see cats roaming about but not dogs. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/82 "2019-09-01T20:16:40Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Heh, guess I’m old fashioned. Whiskey old fashioned or brandy old fashioned? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/83 "2019-09-01T20:42:02Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > How do they get their mail out? There was a mailbox about a mile away that I could ride my bike to, but my parents ran a small business, so they usually brought our personal outgoing mail to the office for pickup. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/84 "2019-09-01T20:56:30Z")
Does anyone roller blade/inline skate anymore? I was reminded about this yesterday at a garage sale where they were selling a pair. Similarly, 'member when trucks had like 30 different licence plates over the front? They’re all apportioned now, good for the trucking companies but terrible for kids playing the license plate game. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/85 "2019-09-01T22:07:51Z")
> [@Esprise\_Me](#): > > There was a mailbox about a mile away that I could ride my bike to, but my parents ran a small business, so they usually brought our personal outgoing mail to the office for pickup. No, the question was: how do they get their own mail out of their own mailbox that no one can get a hand into? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/86 "2019-09-01T23:31:33Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > No, the question was: how do they get their own mail out of their own mailbox that no one can get a hand into? I suspect it’s not a mail **box** , but a mail **slot** in a door or wall. Also, while mailboxes that are detached from the house ([like so](https://secure.img2-fg.wfcdn.com/im/56664405/resize-h800-w800%5Ecompr-r85/6412/64124779/Charleston+Mailbox+with+Post+Included.jpg)) typically do have that red flag which one raises to indicate to the carrier that you have outgoing mail to be picked up, mailboxes which are [attached to an exterior wall on your house](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Fj-AREAQL._SX425_.jpg) (as mine is) typically don’t have such a flag. ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/87 "2019-09-02T00:05:55Z")
You open the back with a key. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2019, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/88 "2019-09-02T00:26:26Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If people are more embarrassed about not having an attractive body now, that would seem to run counter to the modern promotion of the idea that no one should be ashamed of how their body looks. Are you kidding? That promotion, as you call it, has barely had time to even be considered a fad. It hasn’t even begun to percolate into the public consciousness. The relentless tide of perfect body worship has been pounding popular culture for decades. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/89 "2019-09-02T01:10:10Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Are you kidding? That promotion, as you call it, has barely had time to even be considered a fad. It hasn’t even begun to percolate into the public consciousness. The relentless tide of perfect body worship has been pounding popular culture for decades. Are you kidding? I get 20,000,000 hits for body-shaming, and 15,000,000 for fat-shaming. [“Body image” has risen steadily since 1940.](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=body+image&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cbody%20image%3B%2Cc0) The point is that although popular culture might still value a perfect body, it’s less so than in the 1950s and 1960s when people were less shy about being naked in a locker room or communal showers. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/90 "2019-09-02T01:31:48Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Heh, guess I’m old fashioned. I only see “day drinking” at parties and get togethers. Not just sitting around on my own. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/91 "2019-09-02T01:43:45Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > More TV: original network dramatic/comedy programming on Saturday night. Also the major TV networks (ABC/CBS/NBC) having Saturday morning cartoons for 3 to 4 hour blocks. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/92 "2019-09-02T01:49:39Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Waiting in line at the bank to deposit your paycheck and get cash for your pocket, and having to do so between 9 or 10 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. Now paychecks are automatically deposited, you can use a debit card instead of carrying cash, and you can get cash out of ATMs. My first job paid employees in cash, in an envelope with what would now be called a paystub. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/93 "2019-09-02T01:53:01Z")
The Boy Scouts has experienced a major declines in membership since the 70s. The Boy Scouts of America membership peaked in 1973 with over 4 million youth; in 2017 it was 2.3 million–a decline of almost 50%. And with the population increase between 1973 and 2017, fewer percent of boys are involved. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/94 "2019-09-02T01:54:10Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I suspect it’s not a mail **box** , but a mail **slot** in a door or wall. > > Also, while mailboxes that are detached from the house ([like so](https://secure.img2-fg.wfcdn.com/im/56664405/resize-h800-w800%5Ecompr-r85/6412/64124779/Charleston+Mailbox+with+Post+Included.jpg)) typically do have that red flag which one raises to indicate to the carrier that you have outgoing mail to be picked up, mailboxes which are [attached to an exterior wall on your house](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Fj-AREAQL._SX425_.jpg) (as mine is) typically don’t have such a flag. ISTR we would put letters in the box so that they stuck out under the lid, and the carrier would know to pick those up because that was not how he stuffed the box. Most often, we did that with mis-throws and the letters that we would strike a line across the address and write “not here”, as applicable. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/95 "2019-09-02T01:57:48Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Anybody have a phone book? Or Yellow Pages? Anyone still have a road atlas for that matter? ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/96 "2019-09-02T02:03:20Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > This is quite noticeable here. There’s a wooded area with a creek next to us. The kids used to play there a lot. They beat down trails and such. Now, the only trail is one the deer use. There was a time the kids used to cut thru the yards and then thru the woods to get to the other side of the neighborhood. But they don’t even do that any more. > > I can’t even yell at the kids to get of my lawn anymore. When I was ten years old there was whole group of kids (9 to 12 years old) just wandering all over our small town(both on foot and on our bikes). In summer we’d bike the two miles from the downtown to the town beach on our local lake. Or sometimes we would all load ourselves into the bed of a pickup truck and one of our relatives would drive us there. (That would be 6 to 7 kids in the back and the police wouldn’t bat an eye.) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/97 "2019-09-02T02:20:17Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Anyone still have a road atlas for that matter? We went a traveling this summer and had a large stack of paper maps – the free ones printed by the state. Reminds me a an exchange from some other forum thing _How did people find their way around before they had google?_ We used maps. _No, I mean **before** google._ ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/98 "2019-09-02T02:51:51Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The point is that although popular culture might still value a perfect body, it’s less so than in the 1950s and 1960s when people were less shy about being naked in a locker room or communal showers. That’s not my impression of the 1950’s and 60’s; which is when I grew up. (I was born in the early 50’s.) I think the demand for physical “perfection” has gotten much worse since then, and starts at much earlier ages. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/99 "2019-09-02T03:14:58Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Anyone still have a road atlas for that matter? Sure do. And it never fails me (unlike the GPS, which tends to get quite confused out in the boondocks). ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516/100 "2019-09-02T03:47:48Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Checking locally, besides mislabeling at least two street names Tell me what street names are wrong so I can fix them in OpenStreetMap, source of the basemap. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-subtle-human-trends-behaviors-that-have-slowly-subsided-since-the-70s-80s/839516.md?page=6)