People use this phrase a lot
What is the first thing you think off when you hear it?
As the song says, “These are the good old days.” I remember when I was despondent over turning 50, and my mom told me, “Some day you’ll wish you were 50 again.” That proved to be true very quickly, and now I wish I were 65 again. As bad as things seem right now, someday you’ll look back at this as the “good old days.”
Honestly, the first thing I think of is the Weird Al song with that name.
I’m not sure I would ever use the phrase “the good old days” completely unironically. But I think people who do so are usually referring to either (1) things they miss about their childhood or youth, or (2) a time in the past (possibly imaginary) when the things they don’t like about the modern world were different.
For me, the good times are right now, so yes, in the future I will look back at now as the ‘good old days’.
When sexy ladies had neatly trimmed pubic hair.
When I hear the phrase used, I most likely think of the 50s as perceived by white men.
When my joints didn’t hurt and my vision/hearing was perfect.
The '80s. We were out of the ‘malaise’ of the '70s, I was young, no mortgage, good music (which is debatable, but I liked Punk and New Wave and Ska), friends, parties, learning to fly…
Yes, the Cold War was on and we had a cowboy in the White House. Yes, it was the beginning of the mess we find ourselves in today. But we were entering The Future. Gone were the grungy hippie days of the '70s. Gone were Spanish Colonial furnishings. Men shaved. People had Style – even if much of it was ironic. Fun times.
My personal “good ol’ days”? Probably my 20s, from 1996-2006. So I guess they’re really not all that old yet. They may shift (probably will) later as I get older.
late 70s to mid 80s
I was a youth in (what I thought was) my prime.
Old enough to do money earning work to finance the doing of stuff, young enough to not have a care in the world about, and be shielded from the worst of, the consequences of my doing of stuff. Life was a lived on a whim and a smile in those days.
On a larger scale beyond my own nose, I know better than to think those were the best of the “good old days”
(indeed even now those memories are fading into a 70s burnt orange and 80s royal blue blur from the passage of time)
I’m mostly with guestchaz here – (paraphrasing) “Earning [my own money], young enough to not have a care in the world about [anything], and be shielded from the worst of [it].”
The good old days? College years, 1973-1976 and my first career job, 1977 to 1989. Ratio of good memories to bad? 70:1. What blast to be young, independent, single, and have some disposable income. And I should mention that for those 1977 to 1989 years I travelled on the company dime all over the continental U.S. Free travel with per diem…oh yeah!
The good old days? '68. As a little kid I was a hit at the McCarthy headquarters and when I grew up I was going to work for “Carthy.”
Everything since then has sucked, though I once bought a pin the said “The Good Old Days: When Sex Was Safe and Michael Jackson was Black.” My 6 years younger brother agreed with this.
Something like 1991-1994. The music was excellent - as was the porn.
Late 70s to early 80s. Finished college, had a good job, my first horse and a wonderful riding instructor. Didn’t last long, but it was a great time.
Mid 70’s to 1979…I could lose weight so easily!
Those days when I lived at home, free and easy, never appreciated it. One bit.
It means the times I lived in, and by extension, some of the times my parents lived in and patterned our household life on. I was in second grade when WWII ended, my parents lived with depression-era frugality blended with wartime rationing…
'cause these are the good old days…
1968 was a terrific year, everything going to hell in a handbag simultaneously.
1989-1994. I really loved grad school.
1970s.