To having been born in the 1970s and see how much the world has changed?

Generation X! 🥳

You could also argue that the 70's were amazing for women with the outlawing of banks requesting male counter signees for loans and mortgages in 1974.

Yeah I remember my nana telling me loads of stuff about decades of her life. Born 1898 died 1994 so she definitely saw big changes

I agree: those who were born before WWI and lived until, say, the ‘80s or ‘90s saw more major world events and political, social and technological change than any other generation, IMO.

No doubt historians could make a case for other periods - like the 19th century’s European wars and the Industrial Revolution, or even a life lived during the Roman Empire - but the lifetime period you mention is the one I’d argue saw the biggest changes.

I think we were lucky to have know our grandparents generation, who went through so much.

Sadly the world hasn’t learned from their experience though 😢

No nostalgia for the '70's here. My dear friend did brilliantly at school and uni and was on the Civil Service Fast Track and decided to buy a flat.

In spite of her deposit and excellent prospects, her mortgage agreement needed to be signed by a man. And had the choice between a wastrel brother and wastrel father to sign, neither of whom could have afforded the payments nor had any chance of ever being able to afford to buy.

A bit off subject but one of my DGM was born before the death of Queen Victoria and before she (DGM) died men had landed on the moon! Her generation lived through so many amazing changes.

@Sublunar I'm assuming you're not in the UK as IKEA didn't arrive in the UK until 1987, the Warrington branch.

Simpler times, I do feel sorry for children today that don't have the same access to roaming across the countryside that we had - even though I understand why.
I have so many incredible nature-based memories from childhood that really shaped me. But even now as an adult who walks miles most days, I dont see as much wildlife as I used to. It's so sad.

Something that has definitely improved since the 70s - safeguarding children. My parents cheerfully left me and my sister with a wide circle of extended family, friends, acquaintances and neighbours. Not all those experiences were happy ones although we were never actually abused exactly. But I look back on various things and shudder. A friend of my mums who looked after us sometimes had a boyfriend who used to walk about and stand about naked in front of us, in hindsight he clearly got off on exposing himself to little girls. Another woman who lived on our street looked after us after school sometimes and often she would lose her temper, mostly with her own kids, and would scream and smack thenm and throw crockery etc and cry. One uncle was v.strange and used to make us try foods we didnt want to like blue cheeses etc, things that children wouldn't typically want to try but we were bullied into it in a weird, twisted jokey way. My dads work pal and his wife had us over sometimes as we were good company for their children but it wasn't a comfortable experience, the children were always cowed and silent, nothing like how they were when they came to us and we would have to scrub taps and rake gravel etc and it was such an intense, strange atmosphere. An older brother of my friend used to shut me in his room with him try to get me to put my hands down his trousers, horrible smelly, fat thing he was.

The strangest thing is I never told my parents about any of this until adulthood, and I really don't know why.

You are entirely unreasonable to be born in the 70s. How dare you. The audacity!

In all seriousness, I was born a decade later and I can see the changes and am curious what is still to come. Like always it will be some good, some bad.

But it wasn't all like that!
Exaggeration abounded in that post

I think that’s very perceptive, and very accurate.

I despise social media (by which I mean primarily Instagram, X and Facebook) because of the vanity, falsehood, fraud and stupidity it encourages. But we’ll get over that, I think, with changing social attitudes and expectations, and regulation where necessary.

The internet is a singularly powerful force for information and learning though. Once that is properly harnessed and promoted we’ll all benefit hugely.

Personally, I think the current time period will be seen as a massive "waste" of opportunity due to far too many people not taking advantage of the benefits of technology.

Rather than using it to enhance our lives, improve our knowledge, etc., it seems to be dumbing us down to just taking selfies for likes and gadgets to make us lazy!

When I was at school, I'd have killed for the vast amount of knowledge now available at our fingertips. I was limited to the text books and scrappy worksheets handed out by our teachers and whatever I could get out of the school library. Parents had no money to buy books and we didn't have a library within walking distance. Now kids can get literally any and all information they want from their smart phone, but instead they watch mindless youtube videos! So sad!

Like I say, I think the last couple of decades will go down in history as a wasted opportunity.

This is all a bit I remember the corned beef of my childhood and as a 70s baby I would quite like to avoid being old enough for that kind of thing.

You know why school playgrounds are fenced and youth clubs (certainly our local one) closed? Safeguarding. I am not sorry about living in a world where we care more about children's safety, although you have made me hungry for a packet of Discos.

I was born in the early 70s and had a very happy childhood. I remember the strikes but don't remember it affecting us.

I love lots of aspects of tech but it has changed us as a society and not for the better. I think people are generally unhappier these days. Despite all the labour saving tech people have less time than ever.

I saw some family photos the other week from the 50s and 60s. Large group photos with everyone laughing. It made me think 'happy times'. You could see the sense of community. Any photos of groups now seem to be posing for social media. There's a different vibe.

TBH, what that poster said doesn't sound dissimilar to now. People living in poverty, strikes, bombings... 🤷🏻‍♀️

It was a period of constant workplace unrest. The bin strike and power cuts are the ‘iconic’ ones but strikes and the threat of strikes were part of the background throughout the ‘70s.

Like you, I lived through the decade when I was old enough to remember and understand. Nostalgia for prawn cocktail, Spangles and Cortinas (and arbitrary union power, if that’s your thing) apart, the ‘70s were ugly years.

Everyone striked?
It was for a short period not the whole fucking 70s
As for the rest of your post
😂😂😂😂
We are talking 1970s not 1570s, ffs
Shock announcement - we had carpets, no-one nicked our milk (apart from the birds who pecked through the foil to get at the cream), not 'everyone' smoked, and not every day was a bombing or shooting day
Jesus, where were you living?

Given some comments on MN, it was the olden days.
Try being born in the early 60s - positively ancient!

Yes we have the internet, smart phones so technology has changed but other than that no I don't think it has, I think people want to think that but each generation does

Yes so, as an 8 year old when the war began, your mother wasn't feeding her family throughout war time rationing. That was my point.

Every era has its problems and advantages. There’s a lot I’d change but I quite like modern life!

I waa born in 1973, the milk we got at school has given me a life long hatred of milk tbh ,for some reason known only to the school they didn't give it to us in the morning when it was fresh ,they gave it to us after it had Been in a,warm classroom all day vile 🤮
Would it have killed them to.put it in a fridge 🤔

My brother got his first computer console and it was just 2 “bats” at either side of the screen, bouncing a “ball” back and too! It was so basic but he loved it!

Yep. Ringo’s too! I used to love them.