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

I was born in the 60s, and I do have some nostalgia for the simpler and less materialistic life we had then, but I definitely wouldn't want to go back.

I can remember Asian and gay friends being beaten up or being afraid to walk home alone, lots of NF graffitti everywhere, discrimination in all sorts of ways. My mum used to send me to the corner shop and the man there would grab my bum as I left the shop - 'just being friendly love, can't you take a joke?' I was around 10 or 11 when he first did that.

Apart from the social attitudes and prejudices, there were other things, some of which we didn't know about at the time but would be hard to live without now: no internet or mobile phone, my mum couldn't drive, no central heating and no heating at all upstairs, no double glazing, no shower, boring food, no takeaways apart from fish and chips, tv didn't broadcast for part of the day and closed down around 11pm, only 3 tv channels and we had a black and white tv until I was around 8 or 9, no washing machine or dishwasher.

Some of the things I have now I'd happily live without - e.g. I don't care about having lots of new clothes or foreign holidays, but I do like having a warm home and instrant access to information.

In retrospect I think around the early 2000s were probably the best time. We'd got more social equality by then, but still thought climate change was solvable.

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.

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

Not better for everything but certainly much better than right now!

I watched Smiley's People not long ago, and I thought it captured the vibe of the 80s I remembered pretty well.

I was a child of the 70s. They definitely had some things going for them but the sexism was massive and utterly entrenched. Racism wasnt even recognized as a problem by most of the population (although I wouldnt say every black or brown person in the country was "fucked" )

I went to school and started work in the 70s and don't remember that era particularly fondly. The UK seemed a grubby sort of place, there were strikes and power cuts, the difficulty in questioning 'authority', the class system, sexism, racism, homophobia, children must be seen and not heard. Schools career officers assuming girls would go and get a typing job and that was the extent of the ambition. I remember my mum being frowned on for being a divorcee, I remember having babies out of 'wedlock' was looked down upon and the mothers were stigmatised.

Though there's much wrong with society and the system today I feel people have much more of a voice, the positives of the internet are fabulous, access to different culture, countries, foods, music. Everything seems so much more colourful now. I do acknowledge I am speaking from a position of privilege compared to some though.

I think your point about the value of being really seen by another is very good.

I was born mid-70s so I don't remember that decade.

The 80s I remember as grey and downbeat. London was dirtier then than now and certainly not any safer. There seemed to be a general lack of optimism. I think in part than must have come from my parents. As they'd grown up just as the welfare state was being established, it must have been hard for them to watch the Conservatives take a blowtorch to it.

On the upside, I loved my primary school and (at least compared to my kids at school in NZ) we really learned a lot of things and enjoyed ourselves.

Smacking may have been rife, but I don't remember adults being unpleasant to me, in fact they were every bit as kind as I'd expect adults to be now, including the teachers.

There was a lot less glitz and sensationalism, much less razzmatazz, and I think people were more serious about that way thought about things than now. I really can't imagine that Boris Johnson would have got far in politics in the 80s.

Out of school clubs and societies were more accessible and were better attended.

I reckon people were less individualistic too, and lots of the beneficial changes in society since then have to be seen as part of that context.

The 90s were ace! Mostly because I remember the optimism, leastways in comparison with the 80s and the 00s.

I was born early 70's and I remember it as a really happy time. I had a happy childhood and played out with my friends on my bike. Later as a teen I went to parties, no mobile phones to worry about anyone filming you. I really think quite a lot was better back then.

No

I think society was less aggressive but that was if you fitted the mould

My dad/family suffered racial aggression regularly it was acceptable and so was the good old jokes

My mum was highly stigmatised for being a single mum a judge questioned her morals in court after she had been held at knife point and a man (who has come to view our council flat in view to swapping with his) tried to rape her

Poverty that we see as living way below a standard acceptable in such a wealthy country should live was the norm for so many

Sexual harassment of women and girls was acceptable

Few could be gay and honest to everyone

Children had more freedom that was positive

I was only small in the 70s but I definitely don't think it was better than now (or at least compared with 2019 to exclude COVID effects).

Healthcare is much better now - admittedly there are some problems getting access to it (in the UK) but once you have access you are far more likely to survive things like cancer and other illnesses too. Better pain relief for childbirth - my mum had to cope with gas and air, I could have an epidural. I always thank my lucky stars I live now with modern healthcare!

Less overt discrimination. Less doffing caps to authority. Less acceptance of sexual harassment.

The internet is a good thing - access to information is deromanticising. Yes there are downsides like misinformation and damage to libraries, but on the whole I think the internet has made a huge positive difference to our lives.

i was born in the 60's and i definitely think things were better in the 70's, 80's 90's/ I would say i fully accept that i am white so that may make a massive difference. But it just felt everyone was able to be themselves more instead of all being locked into the same work to pay bills on pointless crap mentality.

I think childhood and adolescence was absolutely 1000% better in those days. Playing out, less pressure at school, everyone had less so differences were not that noticeable, lots of public transport so you could get to places and non of this current hysteria about under 18's drinking so we were in clubs, pubs, and most importantly gigs at 14. No ridiculous school uniform rules so kids got to experiment with how they wanted to look - omg i could go on for hours.

In terms of progress vs sterile blandness yes i think it was definitely a sweet spot.

The klf were a fucking mess TBF. Iove the TOTP old shows but really when I saw the KLF my overwhelming thought was: Jesus, what a state.

Loved it at the time though. And carter USM singing about what David Icke says.

Actually that's one way we've gone backwards. Nobody took David Icke seriously in the 90s.

[quote alienbaby]@A580Hojas
I agree with you. I actually think the internet for all its incredible benefits might be the worst thing to happen to society. But its insidious, if pushed I couldn't explain why exactly it's a bad thing. But that's how it feels. On paper, its great. You can book appointments, organise travel down to the smallest detail, come onto MN and see views from lots of different people, get live news updates, know what's going on in your community, order food shopping so you dont have to deal with that inconvenience, keep in touch easily and instantly with loved ones all over the world, and yet it feels like all of this takes away something. It should be a total blessing, so why does it feel like a burden?[/quote]
We need a sense of belonging, of contributing, of importance and being valued.
When you are a fish in a small pond, these things are in reach.

When the whole world and wealth of human experience is your pond - it’s hard. You can never be the best at anything and it’s hard to even be good. To be seen, to be known, to be valued; to be the focus of another person’s time and attention: you’re in competition with the whole world.

No wonder MH conditions are rife among young people.

I was born in 1981, I spent most of the 80's and 90's being smacked around the head, grabbed by the throat and screamed at or being left alone in cars/holiday accomodation for long periods, getting screamed at in the supermarket to "shut up or I'll break your bloody neck". I don't think he'd get continue to get away with that kind of thing in 2021.

were

Agree! I remember my Dad telling me how he had a job offer from a country half way round the world .a Pacific Island, in the 80s- he said other than a speck on a globe he had absolutely no knowledge of what this country was like, and had to go to London to buy a book on it as there was nothing in a local bookstore, and of course even then the information was basic. Today you’d google it in seconds and probably be able to take some kind of virtual tour. Where’s the sense of adventure in that?

I’m starting to hate the way technology takes over everything. It feels matrix-y to me- like we’re plugged into this system and tempted and lured by things to keep us there- ooo look at this new thing you can buy, look at this amazing lifestyle you could have if you just bought this thing or went on that holiday, look at this funny video, oh here’s some friends you knew 10 years ago- why don’t you spend time pouring over their lives to see if you should be doing anything differently, hey while you’re at it here’s an advert for something else you didn’t know you wanted….oh and now 10 years have gone by while you’ve been locked into your screen, but hey don’t go outside- come back, there more to spend…. Argh!! And yet here I am on mumsnet at nearly midnight typing away!!

Anyway, 90s we’re fab and 00s pretty good.

I was born in the early 70s and the massive difference for me was that we all seemed to have so much more money and therefore freedom as late teens/young adults, because rent and property prices were so much lower than they are now.

Me and my peer group in my city didn't really take life seriously until we settled down. We were out in the evenings three to four nights a week, going to restaurants and clubs, and none of us had actual careers at that point, just jobs to facilitate our lifestyles.

I know of so many young people now who seem obsessed with their careers, brought on I think by the difference in the cost of living. In bed by 10pm latest, answering emails in bed at 6am before jogging and at their desk working by 8am. It's like they're completely missing out on actual life as a young person!

I don't - born in the 60s, teenager in the 1970s - it was fucking awful, the decade style forgot. LA lot of popular music was just wank - the Fucking Bay City Rollers - a lot of 50s throwback twats like Alvin fucking Stardust and Showaddywaddddy Mud etc - just fucking useless.

I loved the music of the 70s, still do - but I didn't listen to the music you've mentioned (unless I heard it on someone else's radio). There were other options!

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

In the 1980’s the parents of my gay friend offered to pay for psychiatric treatment to deal with it.

She didn’t believe me it wasn’t a psychiatrist problem anymore. Nasty bitch.

In the 70s you could only get olive oil from the chemist in a very small bottle. Nobody cooked with it.

I was born early 80’s

• domestic violence acceptable - particularly if you didn’t leave a mark!
• every child I know was smacked
• It was very common for parent to smoke indoors at home and in the car. If children. Objected/or asked to open a window it was considered rude.
• parents still had children should be seen but not heard in schools
• Police didn’t take domestic violence seriously and there wasn’t really much in the way of safeguarding. Police were called about DV to my house many times. My mum never wanted to press charges and since he didn’t hit the kids it was as ok!

Mabelface

And rampant acceptable misogyny.
Sexism
No safety belts or H and S
No maternity leave or parental leave
No childcare

Born in 1970, child 6 out of 7.

Poverty
Jumble sales
Power cuts
Strikes
Bullying
Pervs
Domestic violence acceptable
Shit employment rights
Lack of disability rights or understanding
Blatant racism and homophobia

I prefer now.