# Things that were once cool, but today scream "old geezer/ette" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2026, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789 "2026-01-18T14:34:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/141 "2026-01-21T19:14:08Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > It’s not that they are not cool and awesome, it’s more about them being priced out of reach for younger people. I worked for Bose for 20 years and the trend in the industry has been to putting decent sound into smaller packaging at a lower price point for mass consumption. But my upper level managers had killer component systems at home. A few even had high level recording studios at home and most were really good musicians. > > Young, trendy music stars and rich audiophiles still buy huge systems, but the fans of new music cannot afford them. They are still cool, but out of reach for 98% of the general public **TL;DR - there is simply no need for audio-components anymore** I think its more of a “technically obsolete” thingy for component audio than just $$$ (people still spend a lot of $$$ on all kinds of other crap). Remember the SOURCES we had on those audio component systems? - Tuner - Cassette - Reel-to-reel - Turntable - DAT - CD-player all of those sources are now superseeded and **made obsolete by a $99,- DAC, the size of a pack of cigarettes** that does everything those sources did in a way better shape and form, plus you stream music today wirelessly from what in the 80ies would have been seen as remote control. I have a grand total of 1628 albums, many in Hi-Res on a SD card the size of my pinky-nail in my phone that’d blow your 1980ies mind in terms of sound quality (and convenience). . Of course, bullshitting your clientele, like putting a $300 BR-player in a new chassis and charging now $3,500 for it, did not do that “hey, more components” cause any good. > **[Lexicon BD-30 Blu-ray Player (Oppo BDP-83 Clone) Review](https://www.audioholics.com/blu-ray-and-dvd-player-reviews/lexicon-bd-30-blu-ray-oppo-clone)** > > We discovered the Lexicon BD-30 is an Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player with a $3k premium. We prove this with pictures, measurements and an official response from THX. Lexicon no longer sells this product. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/142 "2026-01-21T19:20:50Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > there is simply no need for audio-components anymore And you would get the whole Bose marketing team agreeing with you. And then they would go home and listen to their $10,000 component system. 😀 But the question is are the not cool anymore. I think the average consumer thinks of them like Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s, cool to have if you were rich enough to afford them. And interesting to read about, but not worth the extra money for performance you would rarely if ever use ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/143 "2026-01-21T19:23:15Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Is it still a thing for a man to carry a clean handkerchief? > Used to be a gentleman’s thing and thus, cool. Heh, my dad had a drawer full of handkerchiefs. I never saw him carry one, though. > [@pkbites](#): > > Even if you wore jeans having a clean hanky, and a pocket knife was once a thing. I carried a pocket knife until about five or so years ago. By then places such as concerts and sporting events having metal detectors and forbidding pocket knives became pretty common. So I stopped carrying it after having to go back to the car to stow it a couple of times. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/144 "2026-01-21T19:58:41Z")
I am carrying a red swiss army knife (geezerish) … those are at least (in public opinion) non threatening. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/145 "2026-01-21T20:13:42Z")
I often carry a handkerchief but have never (well, maybe once or twice but not that I can recall and it would have been in some heavy hay fever attack) used it to blow my nose. Wipe up spills, gather up small stuff to carry, make a small ice pack, improvise a bandage (once for a dog), rappel down a building to escape captors or steal crown jewels, sure, but never as a “snot rag.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/146 "2026-01-21T20:23:02Z")
I always carry a handkerchief. My nose runs when I go from cold \> hot or vice versa. If something soils it, well, don’t use it again until it’s been through the wash. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/147 "2026-01-21T20:23:57Z")
Now that you mention it, I do recall seeing my father-in-law using a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his bald head, but never to wipe or blow his nose. ETA: My father-in-law is not and has never been ‘cool’. Even his father said he was a dork as a kid. ---
**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:** [January 21, 2026, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/148 "2026-01-21T21:16:57Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Is it still a thing for a man to carry a clean handkerchief? Similar to some other responses to this: my 92-year-old father has always carried a pocket handkerchief, and that’s what he uses to blow his nose when he’s out in public. He tried to instill the habit in me when I was a teenager; he even bought me a set of handkerchiefs for that purpose. To which, my reaction was, “yuck.” I haven’t known anyone who wasn’t a contemporary of my father’s who regularly used handkerchiefs, and certainly no one in my circle of friends and colleagues who are my age or younger. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/149 "2026-01-21T21:27:54Z")
I guess before tissues were invented I could see the point of a handkerchief, but using one nowadays is simply disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/150 "2026-01-21T21:33:08Z")
Hankies were never cool, they were always grandfatherish ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/151 "2026-01-21T21:34:40Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Yep, for many years now, cargo pants and cargo shorts are pretty much all I wear. I’ve heard (and been told to my face) that someone my age should not be wearing cargo pants, but I don’t care. The pockets are handy! They are totally wrong. In fact, older people need cargo pants more, as we have more and more “stuff” we gotta carry around. > [@pkbites](#): > > Is it still a thing for a man to carry a clean handkerchief? > Used to be a gentleman’s thing and thus, cool. > Even if you wore jeans having a clean hanky, and a pocket knife was once a thing. I always carry a bandanna and a Swiss Army knife. (airports and courthouses, etc aside) > [@scabpicker](#): > > I carried a pocket knife until about five or so years ago. By then places such as concerts and sporting events having metal detectors and forbidding pocket knives became pretty common Since I stopped going to either many decades ago, not an issue for me. But I have set aside a set of “Disney pants and shorts” which have been “disarmed” . But most people just carry some tissues now, I carry both. > [@ricepad](#): > > Tom must be 70 by now, and it used to gross me out to see him blow his nose into his handkerchief, then stuff it back into his pocket. What’s more gross? Using then reusing a handkerchief or having trees cut down so you can blow you nose once then increase the landfill? So, both are disgusting but so is snot, so i use tissues (and leftover paper napkins). Altho I almost never use my bandanna to blow my nose, it has dozens of uses, most commonly to dry my hands after cheapass bathrooms with no paper towels. I tell a tale about Walt Disney world, on a hot day (most of them). i was sitting in the sun with a fellow follicle challenged gentleman. we got chatting and I mentioned he should get a hat- he said he just lost his. I offered him my clean bandanna - which he accepted- then with some quick motions tied little knots in the corners and made a nifty little hat. He was impressed I carried a bandanna, and I was impressed with his instant hat making. (I had another back at the hotel). ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/152 "2026-01-21T21:37:29Z")
We gentle-men would often be called upon to lay down our handkerchiefs over puddles to preclude trodding by ladies. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/153 "2026-01-21T21:44:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > What’s more gross? Using then reusing a handkerchief or having trees cut down so you can blow you nose once then increase the landfill? I figure that a lifetime of using tissues maybe accounts for perhaps one tree. Plus, my used tissues don’t go into the landfill. They get composted. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/154 "2026-01-21T23:08:31Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I’ve only ever seen that in the movies. And I’m 64 years old I just turned 65 this past October. I always have a clean hanky on me. Wouldn’t leave the house without one Like already mentioned it’s not just a snot rag. It can be used as a napkin or small towel in a pinch. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/155 "2026-01-21T23:29:23Z")
I carry a sweat rag when i dance, and sometimes at other times. Its primary use is mopping my forehead. But i suppose i could use it as a napkin in a pinch. I don’t think i ever have, though. I’m pretty sure it was never cool. I didn’t think it’s especially geezerly, either. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/156 "2026-01-22T01:13:01Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I carry a sweat rag when i dance, and sometimes at other times. Its primary use is mopping my forehead. Another good use, also for a neck cloth. But i think cowboys made their bright bandannas cool for a while. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/157 "2026-01-22T01:38:08Z")
Yeah, I don’t use a bandana, I use a long thin rectangle. I got a few as tourist giveaways the last time I visited Japan, and realized they are way more convenient than bandanas, and also, the cloth is more absorbent. I can hang one around my neck, wipe my forehead, shove it easily in my pocket, I could even tie it around my forehead if I wanted to. They’ve head up well, but I picked up a few more on my recent visit to Japan. (Kyoto and Tokyo know how to handle hot humid weather.) ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/158 "2026-01-22T01:52:20Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I was sitting in the sun with a fellow follicle challenged gentleman. we got chatting and I mentioned he should get a hat- he said he just lost his. I offered him my clean bandanna - which he accepted- then with some quick motions tied little knots in the corners and made a nifty little hat. He was impressed I carried a bandanna, and I was impressed with his instant hat making. (I had another back at the hotel). [Like this?](https://montypython.fandom.com/wiki/D.P._Gumby) ---
**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:** [January 22, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/159 "2026-01-22T02:03:28Z")
I remember when most women carried purses. Mainly for practical purposes, I assume, though I supposed there may have been a “cool” component to it if a woman carried a designer purse. At any rate, I don’t see them much anymore. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/160 "2026-01-22T02:13:33Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > Like this? A little- but the way he did it (he was from Down Under) made it look much more cool. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789.md?page=9)