# Stuff that was different in the 60s and 70s **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2017, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688 "2017-06-11T14:38:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 23
**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:** [June 28, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/441 "2017-06-28T17:37:51Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > It’s not just the clothes–it was a matter of social roles. > Your parents were your parents…not your friends. > > The family, like all of society, had an authoritarian structure. > Today, things are informal, and much much more egalitarian. > > Kids don’t mind if their parents come to the rock concert with them. Isn’t it the other way around ? Don’t parents usually take their kids to the rock concert with _them_. “Come on kids, we’re going to the Journey concert. You’ll really like this group.” ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/442 "2017-06-28T18:20:18Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Isn’t it the other way around ? Don’t parents usually take their kids to the rock concert with _them_. > > “Come on kids, we’re going to the Journey concert. You’ll really like this group.” [Bart weighs in:](https://youtu.be/YXKmsvRXE4A?t=90) ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/443 "2017-06-28T18:35:40Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I guess we did eat dinner together, usually, but we weren’t supposed to talk at the table. Oh? That must have made for awkward dinners? When were you supposed to talk? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/444 "2017-06-28T19:13:39Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > Oh? That must have made for awkward dinners? > When were you supposed to talk? Talking was for my parents. We were supposed to speak when spoken to. We might get away with piping up to rat each other out but it could easily ricochet back. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/445 "2017-06-29T07:57:13Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Talking was for my parents. We were supposed to speak when spoken to. We might get away with piping up to rat each other out but it could easily ricochet back. Since they had seperate roles, it was the chance for my parents to talk with each other. It was mostly fairly interesting to listen to. (We were allowed to talk, but not to interrupt.) ---
**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:** [June 29, 2017, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/446 "2017-06-29T11:34:02Z")
White guys had the Mike Brady Perm: [https://www.pinterest.com/pin/46795283598457492/](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/46795283598457492/) African-Americans had the Almighty Afro: [The Top 10 Greatest Afros of Yesteryear - Flashbak](http://flashbak.com/the-top-10-greatest-afros-of-yesteryear-1180/) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/447 "2017-07-11T05:22:26Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > In grade school, right before the Christmas break, we’d all gather for an assembly and watch a Disney film (16mm projected on a screen, obviously). > Not the good ones that are still remembered and watched today. Live action things like “Sammy the Way Out Seal”. I guess they were cheaper to rent. First off, the school year went from about mid September to mid June, which seems to be a big difference right there. On the last day of classes, every June, my school showed _Island Of The Blue Dolphins_, which is at least well regarded children’s film if not a universally lauded classic. I always enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/448 "2017-07-11T06:48:25Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Talking was for my parents. We were supposed to speak when spoken to. We might get away with piping up to rat each other out but it could easily ricochet back. Don’t you look at me while I’m talking to you! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/449 "2017-07-11T21:33:45Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > First off, the school year went from about mid September to mid June, which seems to be a big difference right there. I’m not sure if this due to a different time or a different place but they started running back-to-school ads here immediately after the 4th because the schools are back in in less than 3 weeks from now. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/450 "2017-07-11T22:27:49Z")
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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/451 "2017-07-11T22:34:17Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I’m not sure if this due to a different time or a different place but they started running back-to-school ads here immediately after the 4th because the schools are back in in less than 3 weeks from now. Just saw one of those. It’s still 5 to 6 weeks away, starting in August seems to be the tradition here but I don’t think they’ve moved it back any further. I never went to school before Labor Day and back to school ads started in the last week of August. I think this is just because they start the next holiday marketing right after the last one. But they certainly need to get the product in the store earlier than they used to. And there’s a lot more of it too. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/452 "2017-07-12T14:44:03Z")
I remember being allowed to go hang around the toy section in Towers by myself while my parents shopped. I would have been like 5 years old. Nobody ever bothered or questioned me. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/453 "2017-07-13T16:27:44Z")
When I was in college in the mid-seventies, I worked temp jobs for Kelly Girls in the summers. Usually I was a place-holder for the receptionist or secretary who was on vacation or maybe working on a special project. But no matter what I was doing, “honey get me some coffee” was something I heard all day. I remember being pissed off about that because I didn’t even drink coffee. I worked for a law firm for two weeks one year. The started happy hour around 2 p.m. on Fridays. They let me drink and I took advantage of trying Crown Royal whiskey for the first time. I got drunk as shit and then drove home. They were a law firm!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/454 "2017-08-17T02:55:11Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/455 "2017-08-17T03:04:39Z")
[QUOTE=stolatt;[20271534] > [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > You behaved appropriately in public or else. I have the dent in my arm to prove it. > > A _dent_? Are you a robot? Clearly you are not familiar with the “Polish death grip”. [/QUOTE] I just finally saw this. Comedy gold! We should write it down. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/456 "2017-08-17T03:39:27Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Another botheration: quite often, the songs were out of order (compared to the LP, or, later, the CD) for timing purposes, so you had to “learn” the album all over again. Or, in the case of the “Jaws” soundtrack, the songs were in order (with the fade out/fade in annoyance), but the tune where the shark go BOOM was _longer_ because they edited the track to repeat the “B” section of the music–does that make it a collector’s item? :rolleyes: Another problem with eight track tapes was that one of the other three tracks would sometimes bleed through on the one you were actually listening to. You’d become vaguely aware that there was another, faintly audible song playing in the background. I don’t know if that was a problem with the recording or with the playback. Eight tracks really didn’t last that long, IIRC, compared to cassettes for example. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/457 "2017-08-17T03:51:53Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > No one jogged. Nike’s waffle trainer came out when I was on high school track - and was revolutionary. Certainly they “jogged”. California was probably a forerunner in this but Kenneth Cooper’s _Aerobics_ appeared in 1968 and did set a lot of people around these parts to jogging. Some years later, however, you never heard of people “jogging”. Instead they went running. Maybe people began to think “jogging” sounded too easy or something. I couldn’t tell you myself because I was anti-physical in those days, avoiding vigorous activities of all kinds and driving my car across campus–on which I lived–to use the research library. > [@](#): > > You had a passbook for your savings account, which recorded every deposit/withdrawal, and interest accrued. You could get a toaster or other gift for opening a new bank account. And you could get better than 5% interest on your savings, but then inflation was far higher. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/458 "2017-08-17T04:11:08Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > and monetary inflation had not gotten so over bloated as it has now. If you mean that inflation hadn’t progressed so far on a cumulative basis, that’s true. 20K per year was still considered a very good income in the mid 1960s. But contemporaneous inflation rates were much worse then. It was the ongoing monetary dilemma of the late 1960s and 1970s. This chart of inflation through the 1970s shows that it stayed above 5% through most of the decade, and at times reached double digits. [Link.](https://inflationdata.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Misery-Index-1970s.jpg) Speaking of salaries, I remember reading an ad in an early 1960s issue of _Scientific American_ touting a master’s program for engineers to boost their income from 10K to 15K. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/459 "2017-08-17T04:19:35Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > Before airline deregulation in the late 1970s, airlines could not compete on price so they competed on service and comfort. Travel in coach class was similar in cost (adjusted for inflation) and comfort to today’s business class. Casual research on the price of first class tickets today, at least when purchased early, combined with supposedly typical prices mentioned in old radio dramas, leads me to think that even first class air travel is probably cheaper now than it was in the regulated era. I also think hotels have gotten more expensive by contrast. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688/460 "2017-08-17T04:29:27Z")
People were less paranoid about inadvertent “vicarious” physical contact. I know this went on into the early 1990s, because at that time, when I started working out at UCLA’s John Wooden Center, I didn’t see anyone carrying a little towel with them to wipe down every bench or machine before they could use it. I don’t know about the Wooden Center now, but with regard to public health clubs you wouldn’t think of going there without your wipe-down towel. The more expensive clubs usually provide and launder the towels for you. Anyone could use the local high school track for jogging or running after hours, and you didn’t need a student ID or alumni rec card to do so at a university track. Any adult attempting to do so may be asked to leave, at any time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688.md?page=22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-was-different-in-the-60s-and-70s/788688.md?page=24)