# What things were quantifiably better in the past? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 4, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846 "2012-04-04T19:58:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/1 "2012-04-04T19:58:14Z")
Today, as I was changing channels on my DVR, I realized that the speed of changing channels is something that got quantifiably worse compared to the past. Yes, of course, now we have HD content, and a DVR allows you to do stuff that you could never do before, but on this one metric (speed of changing the channel), modern technology is worse than what we had 20 years ago. Any others? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/2 "2012-04-04T20:02:52Z")
In the past it took a while for the TV to come on after you turned it on. Then it was instantaneous. Now it takes a while again. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/3 "2012-04-04T20:03:12Z")
Virgin sacrifices were a lot more exciting. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/4 "2012-04-04T20:05:13Z")
I’d say on average campgrounds of yesteryear were a hell of a lot quiter. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/5 "2012-04-04T20:09:38Z")
The job market for college graduates has tanked along with the economy. The value of the dollar went a lot further. Even if minimum wage was only a buck or 2, the amount of stuff you could buy on minimum wage was much larger. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/6 "2012-04-04T20:11:47Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Virgin sacrifices were a lot more exciting. There were more available. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/7 "2012-04-04T20:13:14Z")
There used to be less people, less crowds, less traffic. There used to be more privacy. Now so many computer databases are working against (and for) you. Digital over-the-air TV signals turn into a blocky mess when the signal is weak, before you would get static or snow but at least you got something. There were less lawyers, less ambulance chasers. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/8 "2012-04-04T20:19:30Z")
Coke (er, the drink) was way better when it had sugar in it. Flying used to be much more expensive but also significantly more pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/9 "2012-04-04T20:32:59Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Coke (er, the drink) was way better when it had sugar in it. This is not quantifiable 🙂 i.e. you can’t quantify how much better it was. I’m asking for opinions for things that can be quantified, e.g. how much faster or more expensive something is, to which you can assign a specific non-subjective value (e.g. 3 seconds faster, 10% more expensive) ETA: To clarify, I’m not asking you guys to actually quantify the change, just report on things what have gotten worse in a quantifiable, non-subjective, way, ---
**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 4, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/10 "2012-04-04T20:44:47Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Flying used to be much more expensive but also significantly more pleasant. This. To quantify it, more seat room, less waiting time, and meals that were sometimes even good meals. For another, before the Internet and web it was difficult to take work home with you, so you had possibly an hour or more to relax or at least not worry about work than you do today. I’m not sure how quantifiable this is, but most movie theaters sold you a ticket for admission, not a particular movie. There were double features, but even if there were not you could stay and see the movie twice if you wished to. ---
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/11 "2012-04-04T20:51:21Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > This is not quantifiable 🙂 Well, neither is your channel-changing example, unless you can _prove_ that “faster” is “better” 🙂 In the coke example, something has _changed quantifiably_: sugar has been replaced with corn syrup, just as, in your channel-changing example, faster has been replaced with slower. Whether that change is better or worse is entirely subjective. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/12 "2012-04-04T20:52:41Z")
silence ---
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/13 "2012-04-04T20:55:14Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I’m not sure how quantifiable this is, but most movie theaters sold you a ticket for admission, not a particular movie. There were double features, but even if there were not you could stay and see the movie twice if you wished to. There was also a long period where they didn’t show commercials. Now after the projector starts you have to wait through commercials even before the previews start. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/14 "2012-04-04T20:56:38Z")
Well, not to get all serious and depressing, but… [http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socio-economic\_mobility\_in\_the\_United\_StatesSocial](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socio-economic_mobility_in_the_United_StatesSocial) mobility in the United States has certainly declined. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/15 "2012-04-04T21:00:10Z")
Golgafrincham phone sanitation. Gonna kill us all, I tell ya. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/16 "2012-04-04T21:02:13Z")
I found a 1970’s blender in my Mom’s attic. My whole adult life I’ve been through a handful of cheap’o blenders from Walmart. The old 70’s model I currently have in my kitchen right now could kick the snot out of any one of them out there today. And get this: The pitcher is made out of this strange material, I believe it’s called… glass! I know, I know, it sounds crazy. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/17 "2012-04-04T21:08:56Z")
Cereal boxes used to come with neat prizes. Now, not so much. Poor kids. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/18 "2012-04-04T21:09:44Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I’m not sure how quantifiable this is, but most movie theaters sold you a ticket for admission, not a particular movie. There were double features, but even if there were not you could stay and see the movie twice if you wished to. Baseball used to have double headers. You could watch two games for the price of one. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/19 "2012-04-04T21:13:43Z")
**Star Wars** ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846/20 "2012-04-04T21:14:01Z")
Playgrounds, god I miss the playgrounds. In the '70s/early '80s playgrounds had: Tall metal slides that actually let you build up speed. Take wax paper with you and it was even better. Monkey bars shaped like rocket ships. Merry-go-rounds that spun like mad. Eagles’ Nests a good story and a half off the ground. Teeter-totters without the bumpers to slow them down. There’s more, but you get the idea. Playgrounds are pretty lame anymore. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-things-were-quantifiably-better-in-the-past/617846.md?page=2)