To think the 70s/80s/90s were better?

Born in 1960, teenager in 1970s, young person in the 80s. In my opinion, these were bloody awful decades!

Although I was a child in the 60s, there was certainly no 'swinging vibe' in the rural village where I lived. The society we lived in was dull and (upon reflection) extremely biased. There was still an unhealthy post-war nostalgia around as well. The 70s were particularly miserable, threatening and people were violent. I think hooliganism was born somewhere in the groovy 70s. Lots of sexism too, which I noticed a a teenager just entering the workplace (when I could get a job). The 80s had their own particular brand of awfulness. Huge class divisions, more racist crap and lots of false highs and real lows in the economy.

No, in my opinion, those decades were worse by far than today. There was no pre-Internet innocence. I do like some of the music and some of the fashion from those decades, but I am far from nostalgic about the society of forty, fifty or sixty years ago.

Music was definitely better in the 70s and 80s. It’s just so dreary now.

I was far happier in the 70s & 80s then I am now. Things were easier and people seemed kinder. I felt more free then I do now. Now I just feel bogged down with bills and worry. Everything is so expensive. I have health issues now. On several meds. Years ago a GP was a family doctor. Now you are just a number to them. Neighbours were like family. And had family around.

I am an over 40s gay and disliked these times a lot.

gofg I left school on a Friday in 1975, started work the following Monday. Wage was £18.56, office work at N.A.A.F.I. Happy days.

I was born in early 70s so am a bit young for that! My best decade was the 90s - end of school, uni, being in my 20s having a great old time socially. The Britpop era was fab.

My life was much more comfortable then. Like others my parents didn't need to work anywhere near as much or get student loans to get their jobs to live in a bought 3 bed suburban house. Now we are like passing ships in the night, forever juggling just to private rent and buy flats.

The internet just makes people lazier.

I can't think of any major difference in my level of comfort betweeen now and then.

I think this actually proves the point about rose tinted glasses, if you honestly can't think of any major improvements to quality of life in the last 40-50 years.

I didn't say there were no major improvements to quality of life, of course there are, but if you bothered to actually READ my post I said in MY level of comfort - and I still stand by that. Yes, I have the internet and a smartphone now, but I would happily go back to a time without them. Nothing else I have now I didn't have then, but in the 80s I owned my own flat, I now rent. I don't live in the UK and can appreciate things might be different here - maybe we had a better quality of life then? I have been unemployed for three years btw, only being able to secure temporary work at times (I'm not working at the moment). Jobs were so much easier to get in the 70s, and even in the 80s when I was first made redundant I had no trouble getting a job, I didn't even have to find it, they approached me. Also, if we were in the 70s or 80s and I was the age I am now I wouldn't even have to look for a job at 62. My mother got divorced in the 1980s, no-one expected her to find a job, she went on a benefit which no longer exists. I bought a flat by myself in the 1980s - after separating I had no chance of servicing a mortgage on one wage with the house prices rising about the time we separated. Life is not as rosy now as you seem to imagine.

“TomPinch
DM was a SAHM and while that reflects the sexism of the times, the point remains that between them my parents needed to be in paid work for fewer hours a week to support a large family. DDad worked quite long hours during the week, but neither of them seemed rushed in a way that I feel now. The reason must be in part that they weren't having to pay off a gigantic debt due to inflated house prices or having to pay a landlord.“

I agree that it was far easier to have somewhere to live. It is a major difference between now and then. Now it is so difficult to grow up and have your own home and family.

Also I agree that many mothers were SAHP without that meaning their families would have nowhere to live or hardly be able to eat, even when people were not rich.

It is a mystery.

I reckon people were more securely housed back then. Private renting wasn't as common: people were more likely to have a council house or own their homes. My parents paid off their mortgage with no real effort and 15 years after they bought their house.

DM was a SAHM and while that reflects the sexism of the times, the point remains that between them my parents needed to be in paid work for fewer hours a week to support a large family. DDad worked quite long hours during the week, but neither of them seemed rushed in a way that I feel now. The reason must be in part that they weren't having to pay off a gigantic debt due to inflated house prices or having to pay a landlord.

I remember plenty of grotty housing around in the 80s but I'd argue that most families were in more secure accommodation overall and not having to work all hours to pay for it. That's an enormous advantage that has been lost.

I liked the 70's as although there was racism I was too young to really feel it. I loved the fashion of that era and looking back at the photos of my parents in their 70s fashion. and playing out especially in the summer months where we would be in the park into the evenings. Snow was a given and we looked forward to it every year. Even though we lived an an all white area i only remember a little bit of racism at primary school but not much. I hated the 80s as I was in secondary school by then - skin heads were fashionable and I was called names every single day of my school life. Even walking down the school corridor I would be called the N and W word. Teachers knew But ignored it Looking back The fashion was a bit naff - ra-ra skirts, Neon clothes and pedal pushers, Farahs. After my exams I moved to the town area for work which was more diverse and that's when I started to enjoy my life a bit more, although there was still a lot of racism in the office then.

So I have lived through the 70s 80s and 90s. As an Asian, it was not at all unusual for us as a family to experience open racism in public in the 70s and 80s. At school, racist comments even from teachers were fairly normal. This has changed for the better. Mrs Thatcher was in power for much of the 1980s which meant large scale unemployment and significant social strife. I loved the music, the depth of friendship I had etc but for me life now is better.

I was born in 1980.
What I remember of the 80s is mostly awful.
90s were better, possibly because I had a bit more freedom. I liked 90s music.
I mention this period of history to my parents and I get comments like "When John Major put interest rates up? We almost couldn't pay the mortgage!"
I actually like having the internet in my pocket. Saves me a lot of time and stress.
Also - trying to imagine going through covid lockdowns with 80s technology? Would have been a heck of a lot worse.

I was a teenager in the 90s. I honestly think we had so much more fun.

Re:sheets and blankets before there were continental quilts.

The main difficulty was making your bed everyday. You needed to pull all the covers right back, or even off to straighten and smooth the bottom sheet ( with hospital corners if you knew how). Then you would pull up and straighten and smooth each layer, one by one: the top sheet, then about three blankets, and finally an eiderdown. These were pretty, light quilts. You would then fold the top sheet back over the blanket layer to make a smooth, soft line over the blankets, and put the plumped pillow on top. Then there might well be a bedspread on top of it all. (In the USA there were dyed to match under-bedspreads of seersucker as well.) The blankets could be if sumptuous would with satin edging along two sides.

Some people used to insist that the blankets were stripped back and the bed and bedroom aired before remaking it.

Most children were expected to know how to make their own beds after the age of about 8. It really did take a lot more time.

The weight of all that bedding was quite cosy. I believe nowadays some autistic people benefit from weighted blankets. I wouldn’t go back to this in preference to quilts though.

I can't think of any major difference in my level of comfort betweeen now and then.

I think this actually proves the point about rose tinted glasses, if you honestly can't think of any major improvements to quality of life in the last 40-50 years.

@TheCreamCaker - we are twins, I was also bon in 1959! I agree that being a teenager in those days was so much fun.

Definitely rose tinted glasses. If time travel existed and you could actually go back and live in the 70s or 80s for a while, you wouldn't be long wanting to come back.

I would go back in a heartbeat.

Life was harder and attitudes were very different. I think people are underestimating the level of comfort we live in now.

I can't think of any major difference in my level of comfort betweeen now and then, and some things in my life were much easier then.

[quote alienbaby]@Lincslady53
This really intrigued me: Most beds had sheets and blankets
Are you saying that was uncomfortable? I've only ever had a duvet. But when I stayed with my gran it was tight sheets, a blanket, and this amazing thing that was thin but extremely heavy and surprisingly warm, maybe it's what you'd call an "eiderdown"? Like a very heavy quilted sheet that would really weigh your lower body down[/quote]
I moved into my first flat, with friends in London when I was 18. When I say friends, I didn't really know them that well, but the only way we could afford the rent was to have 7 people in a 3 bed flat, sharing rooms. They were work colleagues, 4 I haven't seen since we moved out, 1 became our best man, and the other I married. M and S were advertising these new Continental Quilts, which we all bought to replace the nylon sheets provided by the landlord. They were a revelation. You could make you bed in seconds, instead of straightening sheets and blankets. How my mum managed to make 7 beds with sheets and blankets every day (she had 5 kids) I will never know. Sheets and blankets are ok when someone else is doing the bedmaking.

I'm 62, born 1959, so I grew up in the 70s. We had blackout in the early 70s, to do with the coalminers' strikes. Street lights and everything went off early evenings, so we had to be home before it got too dark.

We had a lot of freedom, though. (I say we as my husband and friends were from that era) Used to walk everywhere (my parents never had a car). No mobile 'phones, computers, etc. I babysat at the age of 14, to get a bit of pocket money. I also did a Saturday job, had to get a work permit to do so because of my age and the hours.

The fashion - glittery, brightly coloured clothes, flares, hot pants, platform shoes, then later Crombie coats, Levi Stay Press trousers (I had them all). Feather cut hairstyles, Dial A Disc, where we used to go to the 'phone box and dial 16 to hear the latest Top Ten tune. Slade, T.Rex, Roxy Music, it was great. Furniture at home was mainly brown! Curtains were orange/brown floral things, like the carpets but not matching! Loved being a teenager in those days.

Sorry meant to use ‘ ‘ not * that highlights

Outward racism was so common place it was even on the TV like

Friends parents were often told by patients that they didn’t want a whatever racist term they choose to use nurse/doctor to touch them

One of my earliest memories is my dad being spat on

It was so aggressive and so much part of everyday life many felt powerless to do anything about it after all the police certainly were not going to support them

Parts of London were still places that black and Asian people avoided still in the 90’s

I think either people were living in a bubble or have very selective memories

I think it depends where you were. I know in this area the late 70s were not seen as safe for women due to Peter Sutcliffe.