# What most epitomizes the '70s to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 31, 2017, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484 "2017-07-31T07:00:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/101 "2017-08-06T20:59:32Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > You remember the 70’s, but not the early 70’s… > In 1972 everyone wanted out of Vietnam-and Nixon promised (again). The vast majority of the country believed him. And he delivered-of course that meant S. Vietnam fell to the North, but I don’t remember anyone feeling like that was a mistake. Sorry about how it proved the whole war was a mistake, but not sorry it fell. Inflation hadn’t started, the last moon landing was in 1972, we would win the war on cancer, clean up the environment with the EPA, solve the racial divide in the US with one more law, etc. > > The 70s were mostly the decade where our problems, and their solutions, were discovered to be much harder than we thought. To me, that was the defining theme of the 70s. Culturally, the 60’s ran from 1963 to 1973. > [@DLuxN8R-13](#): > > **Good:** the drugs! Qaaludes (Rorer or Lemmon?), Preludin, gourmet flavors of cocaine, Thai sticks and Kona butter. Soapers! Black Beauties! Four varieties of hashish that I remember: red Lebanese, gold Leb, Nepalese fingers and temple balls, Afghani with the Royal Seal on it. Reminds me of reading the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers comics.🙂 > [@](#): > > **Good** : the \*National Lampoon \*when it was good. _Creem. Crawdaddy. Circus_. \*High Times \*when it was good. Underground comix. Heavy Metal magazine when it was good. A proliferation of pornography and pulp fiction. \*New Times \*magazine. \*Rolling Stone \*when it was good. The heyday of _ **Penthouse** _ magazine. > [@](#): > > **Bad** : the fungus-like proliferation of the three horrid “Seventies colors”–Avocado Green, Harvest Gold (looked like a puke-tinged yellow), and whatever that awful shade of burnt-orange brown was called. Sienna? ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/102 "2017-08-06T21:04:04Z")
punk rock disco and the general decline and fall of rome feeling on and everyone finding jesus Not to mention the general cynical darkness in (especially in suburbia) in literature and films but one good thing that came out of the 70s was video games and the rise of pc’s began (even if they were mostly unusable …) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/103 "2017-08-07T00:52:15Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > You remember the 70’s, but not the early 70’s… > In 1972 everyone wanted out of Vietnam-and Nixon promised (again). The vast majority of the country believed him. And he delivered-of course that meant S. Vietnam fell to the North, but I don’t remember anyone feeling like that was a mistake. Sorry about how it proved the whole war was a mistake, but not sorry it fell. Inflation hadn’t started, the last moon landing was in 1972, we would win the war on cancer, clean up the environment with the EPA, solve the racial divide in the US with one more law, etc. > > The 70s were mostly the decade where our problems, and their solutions, were discovered to be much harder than we thought. To me, that was the defining theme of the 70s. I most certainly do remember the early 197os as well as the '60s. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/104 "2017-08-07T01:20:18Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Culturally, the 60’s ran from 1963 to 1973. > > Reminds me of reading the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers comics.🙂 Or to 1974, with the resignation of Nixon. I loved the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/105 "2017-08-07T01:39:00Z")
For me it was Franken Berry, Sesame Street, singing along to Fly Like an Eagle on the swing set at Touhy Park, roaming Rogers Park on the N side of Chicago with zero adult supervision. and cap guns. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/106 "2017-08-07T08:50:46Z")
> [@DLuxN8R-13](#): > > **Bad** : the fungus-like proliferation of the three horrid “Seventies colors”–Avocado Green, Harvest Gold (looked like a puke-tinged yellow), and whatever that awful shade of burnt-orange brown was called. [Coppertone](http://www.startribune.com/appliance-colors-tell-kitchen-history/183530031/)? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/107 "2017-08-07T09:01:06Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > [Coppertone](http://www.startribune.com/appliance-colors-tell-kitchen-history/183530031/)? Those exact 3 were the [colors of GE appliances](http://cms.ipressroom.com.s3.amazonaws.com/112/files/201311/GE+Appliances+Color+Timeline.pdf) from mid 60s (Coppertone (1964), Avocado (1966) and Harvest Gold (1968)) to '76, when the “New Naturals” came in: Almond, Harvest Wheat, Coffee, Fresh Avocado, Onyx (black glass) and Snow. Avocado persisted! Actually, there’s still a brown and yellow in there, they just renamed them and expanded the choices to cream and black. It’s only in the 80s that they got better. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/108 "2017-08-09T05:48:12Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I most certainly do remember the early 197os as well as the '60s. I am sure you do. I wasn’t being critical, but I am trying to point out that while there was opposition and concern with our national problems in 70-73, there was still optimism. The watergate hearings, then the church hearings and then the oil embargos pretty much ruined the optimism. But I remember during the first few years of the 70’s we still had optimism for the future. That was what was different compared to the mid to late 70s. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/109 "2017-08-09T15:10:40Z")
The color is Burnt Umber–BURNT UMBER!! They even made a special Crayola crayon for it!! Why doesn’t Mr. Maudling DO something about it before it is too late? OHHHH….GOD…! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/110 "2017-08-09T15:44:49Z")
First thing I think of: horrible, ugly fashion and interior decorating. Why did every house have to have bare wood spindles that serve no purpose, [like these](http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3311300/70s-spindle-help)? Why?? After that, what I remember the most from the 70s is: pollution. PSAs about pollution were everywhere. It was a big issue on kids’ shows, they sang songs and showed how you should throw litter away all the time. ["If every kid did it, can’t you see](https://youtu.be/4aTsze_Awpk) [what an icky, messy, no-fun world it would be?"](https://youtu.be/tU7FcZ5ASUs) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/111 "2017-08-09T15:46:35Z")
> [@mikeg](#): > > for me it was franken berry, sesame street, “1-2-3-4-5, 6-7-8-9-10, 11-12!” ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/112 "2017-08-09T18:03:55Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > First thing I think of: horrible, ugly fashion and interior decorating. Why did every house have to have bare wood spindles that serve no purpose, [like these](http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3311300/70s-spindle-help)? Why?? > > After that, what I remember the most from the 70s is: pollution. PSAs about pollution were everywhere. It was a big issue on kids’ shows, they sang songs and showed how you should throw litter away all the time. ["If every kid did it, can’t you see](https://youtu.be/4aTsze_Awpk) [what an icky, messy, no-fun world it would be?"](https://youtu.be/tU7FcZ5ASUs) To go along with the smog, burning rivers and general trash on the side of every road there was also the dumping of NYC trash by barge off shore of the NJ beaches and the raw sewages pumped out of Manhattan that led to beaches being closed for too much shit, red tide and the best one, used needles floating in, in large numbers. The 70s was a bad decade overall. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/113 "2017-08-09T20:57:25Z")
The 70s sucked like sucking was its full-time job and it was up for a promotion. Stagflation, Watergate, the discovery that getting the US out of Viet Nam didn’t make things better for anyone. And Disco Duck. “We ain’t where we wanna be. We ain’t where we oughta be. We ain’t where we’re gonna be. But thank God we ain’t where we was.” Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/114 "2017-08-10T02:44:27Z")
5/8/77 ---
**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:** [August 10, 2017, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/115 "2017-08-10T03:43:50Z")
^ Cornell, is that you? ---
**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/116 "2017-08-10T03:47:29Z")
Yup… ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/117 "2017-08-10T15:07:58Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > “Everything was fairly OK” in the early 1970s? Really? Mired in Vietnam and the Nixon presidency? I thought the late '70s much more okay than the early. Once Nixon took office, combat casualties in Vietnam began to drop and it was clear that he was serious about winding things down (even though he wound them up further in the interim). They continued to drop until we bugged out. Watergate was not on the radar at that point. His resignation (mid-70s) was a turning point and then we got Ford and Carter. I didn’t say that everything was perfect in the early 70s…just that we were on what appeared to be a more positive course when compared to the late 60s. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/118 "2017-08-10T15:51:55Z")
Sitting in the back yard in the summertime listening to KC & The Sunshine Band on a bright-red newfangled transistor radio. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/119 "2017-08-10T16:29:33Z")
What happened on 5/8/1977? ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484/120 "2017-08-10T16:50:24Z")
Those walrus moustaches that went all the way down your chin. [Like George’s and (to a slightly lesser degree) Ringo’s in Yellow Submarine.](http://www.cartoon-media.eu/files/library/News/Yellowsubmarine.jpg?thumb=news-image) Generally worn with similarly long sideburns. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-most-epitomizes-the-70s-to-you/792484.md?page=7)