# Were the any ways in which "the olden days" were better than today? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 23, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947 "2019-04-23T18:00:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/181 "2019-04-27T00:19:07Z")
I haven’t read the whole thread so this might have been mentioned before. In ye olden days before email when you left the office, the work day was done. Now we have smartphones and emails can be sent 24 hours per day. In IT, we have inexpensive offshore workers so the emails and overnight support calls never end. It is truly miserable. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2019, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/182 "2019-04-27T00:58:11Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > Ways in which it was better than today…? > Jobs were easy to come by and to keep. > > Decent Houses cost two years salary. > > You could go camping with your kids without some scumbag trying to brainwash your kid into becoming Marine Cannon-Fodder. > > Employee loyalty was rewarded by a LOT more than some shitty gift-card. > > Company holiday Parties & picnics. They were not just some “expense” but a celebration of camaraderie and of a job well done. > > Company Coffee. It wasn’t just a ‘bene’… it was a valued tool provided by the company to get a fraction of a percent of more productivity out of the team. > > Employees didn’t steal… not from the company and especially not from each other. Fired on the Spot before they even had the chance to shit out the lunch they stole and ate. > > Company Cliches. They got addressed and reassigned… or fired until broken up. Screw gender… fired until broken up. > > When restaurants went out of business, they weren’t replaced by “Reloading Supply” stores or “Schmeisers R Us”. Also, to you could drive 10 straight miles on a highway without seeing a Range or an America’s Armed Camp store. > > When neighbors had better things to do than to circle the block harassing other neighbors just for some shit-bit of video they could upload on YouTube for a buck. > > When using long-range lenses to spy through your neighbors windows was called “Pie Hawking” or being a “Peeping Tom” instead of being some ‘normal neighbor exercising their rights’. > > When RICO was used against ALL organized crime groups, without any ‘exemptions’. > > When foreign countries Owed us respect but didn’t OWN our respect. > > When we valued our Allies more than some Manhattan Real Estate buck. > > When we were sure that our leaders Knew our country’s enemies, instead of Blew our country’s enemies. > > When there was integrity in government with real consequences for officials when there was not. > > When Presidents were out waving and kissing babies instead of out fucking porn-stars and whores. > > When protests meant something and weren’t laughed off by “Entertainment Media”. > > When BOTH parties understood that Treason was unacceptable. > > When the FBI was Praised for investigating and infiltrating Alt-Right groups like The Klan. > > When emigration and immigration were considered signs of greatness and success instead of shitty excuses for Racism. > > When the passing of a President’s life would have made America stop and cry. > > When children in cages and human trafficking (slavery) were issues issues we fought against in the UN. > > When being a veteran wasn’t some special class because every family had 3-4 members who were. > > When the Law was the Law, not just some inconvenient suggestion. > > When Subpoenas were Obeyed, because the Constitution wasn’t just Charmin. > > When NONE of our media channels were lying arms of propaganda. > > When attacks by Russia against America were retaliated against. > > When our politicians knew right from wrong… and the people who voted knew right from wrong also. I can’t argue with much of that. I would like to point out to whoever said the rivers were cleaner – when I was a kid just outside of Washington DC, the Potomac was a polluted mess. Today it’s running pretty clean and you can the eat the fish out of it. Nowadays I live near the Nashua River in Mass. It used to run in day-glo colors. Nowadays we kayak and swim there. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/183 "2019-04-27T04:10:09Z")
> [@TSBG](#): > > Those don’t even make a little sense. Like,“Don’t ever go outside with an untucked shirt” would be excessive, but I could see where she was enforcing some sense of propriety. What was the “logic” behind the examples you gave? “Well, aren’t the XYZs special with their new color TV? Wish we could afford one. And the ABCs are going out to eat again? Why can’t they just cook at home? That has to cost a fortune…” etc. etc. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/184 "2019-04-27T04:12:01Z")
Children benefited from much more freedom. It seems that nowadays they can’t do anything without close supervision. In fact, in many places, it would now be a crime to leave a kid unsupervised until a quite advanced age. As a child (living in a rural area on top of it) my obligations on days without school amounted to be at home for the main meals and after a certain hour in the evening. Nobody would have had a clue where I was or what I was doing the rest of the time if I didn’t elect to stay home. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/185 "2019-04-27T04:15:39Z")
Mundane Superhero, the world you describe never existed either. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/186 "2019-04-27T07:00:46Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > The Red Queen’s got nothing on humans; just about all of us can simultaneously believe contradictory things before breakfast, after breakfast, and at two in the morning while sound asleep. Highly annoying and pedantic nitpick, not relevant to the actual content of an interesting post: but, that was the White Queen. The Red Queen was an exasperating know-all; and she (and you if you were in her company) had to run as hard and as quickly as possible, just to stay in the one place and not go backwards. ---
**Author:** ![MarvinKitFox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MarvinKitFox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarvinKitFox)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/187 "2019-04-27T08:16:13Z")
"Were the any ways in which “the olden days” were better than today? " Here is at least one example. In “the olden days” people paid much more attention to the usage of correct spelling and grammar. They would have typed this thread question as " **Are there** any ways in which “the olden days” were better than today? " To say “were”, as in the leading word of the question, implies that the state is no longer valid. Surely the person who asked the question did not intend to ask for only thing that WERE better, but not longer are better? To say “Were the any ways” makes no sense. I assume that the person intended to ask “Were \*\*there \*\*any ways”? ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/188 "2019-04-27T10:04:41Z")
Traffic. Good _lord_, it’s almost unbelievable how much _less_ of a colossal, constant headache driving was in those days. The freeways were ALWAYS fast and clear; my mother routinely broke 60 on the commute home at the height of afternoon rush. The only place it ever got heavy was downtown during peak hours; everywhere else was a breeze. Whenever there was an accident, it would be kinda slow half a mile or so up to the point of the accident…which was always in plain sight…and once we were past it, we could IMMEDIATELY get back up to speed. I remember three or four times my family would take a one-day around-the-island trip, and it was fun and relaxing from start to finish. I can’t even conceive of something like that today. (I remember the time, not that very long ago, where it was possible to turn from Waimano Home Road onto Kuala Street and reach Sam’s Club in five minutes…nothing but grass, trees, and the open air. It was downright soothing.) Shopping. The Internet is fantastic, but the way it’s crippled entire brick and mortar industries is frustrating. I find it perverse that [Wrangler.com](http://Wrangler.com) is now my only option for work pants in my size. And _nothing_ compared to walking through row after row of Blockbuster Video titles and being awestruck and the sheer breath of cinema. Found some real gems I never would’ve known about otherwise, too. Books. Time was when I had a public library with long, easy-to-remember hours and _two_ bookstores within biking distance. And then Borders Books and Music came along, which had a phenomenal selection, allowed me to stay and read as much as I wanted before buying (which I did), _and_ had a convenient place to buy coffee and snacks. To this day I count Borders as one of the truly awesome things about the 00’s. Console video games. Let me put it this way: I didn’t need to make a thread recommending NES games that I wouldn’t despise after 15 minutes. Sure, the animation wasn’t nearly as crisp and the colors weren’t nearly as sharp, but those consoles seemed to have so much more…_possibility_. More genres, more styles, more companies, no limits, no shame. Oh, and cheat devices. They made a _huge_ difference. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/189 "2019-04-27T13:31:42Z")
> [@Haldurson](#): > > Some places (in New York, at least) are still like that. The neighborhood where my mom lived changed a whole lot from when I grew up in that house. But her neighbors would bring her her mail, would shovel her driveway and walk without being asked, would bring her food. When I moved in to take care of her, they continued to do some of that (but it mostly became my responsibility), but the kids would offer to pitch in to help if they saw me, for example, shoveling the driveway or raking. Neighbors would stop by to ask about my mom. They’d tell me how much they missed my dad (who used to take walks around the neighborhood and knew everyone, until he couldn’t do that anymore). One neighbor continued to deliver food to me after my mom went into the nursing home. After my mom died, she even drove all the way to my new apartment to deliver some food that she had cooked – no joke. And this was up to only a year or two ago. So yeah, it’s not common, but there really are places like that still. I’m not surprised. I was born in mid state NY. Many years later I went back to visit relatives and the school I went to was having work done. The doors were open so I wandered in and looked at my kindergarten room. It hadn’t changed in 30 years right down to the piano in the corner. Someone called out to me and I thought I was going to be in trouble for trespassing. Turned out it was the principal who proceeded to give me a tour. > [@DKW](#): > > Traffic. Good _lord_, it’s almost unbelievable how much _less_ of a colossal, constant headache driving was in those days. The freeways were ALWAYS fast and clear; my mother routinely broke 60 on the commute home at the height of afternoon rush. Oh yeah, traffic. I completely forgot about that. when they first put in major 4 lane highways it was standard practice to only drive in the right lane unless passing someone. You coudn’t do that on a 6 or 8 lane highway today because of traffic density. The 60’s saw a major change in hp in cars. My mother found herself driving 100 mph once without realizing it. It was an early 70’s family sedan with the smallest engine the car company made. Traffic was that sparse. My dad installed cruise control after that. ---
**Author:** ![postpic200](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@postpic200](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postpic200)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/190 "2019-04-27T13:37:02Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > Well, in the U.S., tax rates on the rich were much higher and (possibly as a result) there was a much less extreme lopsidedness in wealth distribution in the country. I have this suspicion that Mr. Trump isn’t going to do much about this one. > > I also suspect that the lack of 24 hour internet/cable news meant that people FELT safer because they we’re constantly being exposed to news about the latest improbable disaster or crime. While the rate were higher there were many more tax loopholes, and in the end people ended up paying about the same percentage as they do today. The top 1% had an effective tax rate of about 42% in 2014 the top 1% had an effective tax rate of about 36%. Of course it varies year to year. But on average we are paying an effective tax rate of the 1950’s ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/191 "2019-04-27T14:14:01Z")
Traffic was lighter. Also even though health care wasn’t as good, it was very affordable. Plus globalization hadn’t caught on so yiu weren’t competing with the world for jobs. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2019, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/192 "2019-04-27T17:04:07Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > Highly annoying and pedantic nitpick, not relevant to the actual content of an interesting post: but, that was the White Queen. Whoops, sorry! Thanks for correction. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/193 "2019-04-27T18:41:07Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Oh yeah, traffic. I completely forgot about that. when they first put in major 4 lane highways it was standard practice to only drive in the right lane unless passing someone. You coudn’t do that on a 6 or 8 lane highway today because of traffic density. I dion’t know where you grew up, but I grew up a few blocks from the Long Island Distressway, which was never a free and open road - except maybe late at night. On the other hand I’m around Indianapolis now, and those highways are absurdly uncrowded. Interstates were being build. My family drove from New York to DC in the early '60s, and taking US 1 all the way was a nightmare of traffic lights and congested cities. Some congestion on the Beltway may be annoying, but the trip is far, far better now than back then. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2019, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/194 "2019-04-27T21:43:44Z")
> [@Haldurson](#): > > No reality TV (then again, the idiot box earned that name for a reason, so maybe not as big an advantage as that sounds). Ever heard of this program? > **[Queen for a Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_for_a_Day)** > > Queen for a Day was an American radio and television game show that helped to usher in American listeners' and viewers' fascination with big-prize giveaway shows. Queen for a Day originated on the Mutual Radio Network on April 30, 1945, in New York City before moving to Los Angeles a few months later and ran until 1957. The show then ran on NBC Television from 1956 to 1960 and on ABC Television from 1960 to 1964. > The show became popular enough that NBC increased its running time from 30 to 45 mi... ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/195 "2019-04-28T00:54:41Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I dion’t know where you grew up, but I grew up a few blocks from the Long Island Distressway, which was never a free and open road - except maybe late at night. On the other hand I’m around Indianapolis now, and those highways are absurdly uncrowded. > > Interstates were being build. My family drove from New York to DC in the early '60s, and taking US 1 all the way was a nightmare of traffic lights and congested cities. Some congestion on the Beltway may be annoying, but the trip is far, far better now than back then. Even during rush hour the traffic in indy isn’t terrible. But the 65/70 split and the northeast side can get bad. But usually just gridlock. By comparison Chicago traffic is a nightmare. I avoid going there unless I’m driving on nights or weekends. Which isn’t surprising, the population in Chicago is around 8x more and they don’t seem to have more interstate than indy does. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/196 "2019-04-28T01:01:47Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Ever heard of this program? > > [Queen for a Day - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_for_a_Day) _Technically_ a game show. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2019, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/197 "2019-04-28T01:36:53Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Ever heard of this program? > > [Queen for a Day - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_for_a_Day) Oh my God. I watched that once or twice. If it hadn’t really been on, the concept would have been suitable for the TV network in Network. And the poor women who lost and got nothing for their sob stories. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2019, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/198 "2019-04-28T02:28:17Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > On the other hand I’m around Indianapolis now, and those highways are absurdly uncrowded. I’ve driven through IND quite a few times. There’s no comparison between I-70 today and the 50’s and 60’s. You couldn’t put all traffic in one lane today. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2019, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/199 "2019-04-28T02:47:24Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Oh my God. I watched that once or twice. If it hadn’t really been on, the concept would have been suitable for the TV network in Network. > And the poor women who lost and got nothing for their sob stories. Once in a while, an episode will find its way onto You Tube, and gets pulled as soon as TPTB finds out about it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2019, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947/200 "2019-04-28T03:24:48Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Oh my God. I watched that once or twice. If it hadn’t really been on, the concept would have been suitable for the TV network in Network. > And the poor women who lost and got nothing for their sob stories. No, they got stuff.\* Not so much,\* true. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-any-ways-in-which-the-olden-days-were-better-than-today/832947.md?page=11)