I love this post. There is so much that I could say.
OK, so worse 30 years ago:
Intellect: if someone wanted to know something, they'd have to go to a library, hope that they had the book they needed and sift through it to find the page that told them the information they need. Today, I have a computer that can find what I need in less than 30 seconds. I feel more educated and enriched in the tapestry of life as a result of the internet. As someone who also doesn't enjoy conventional reading, my vocabulary has also improved from connecting with people of varying levels of intellect all over the world.
Food Choice: I'm a vegetarian and can easily find tofu etc in the supermarket these days. 30 years ago, there was just a small section of the frozen aisle that did bean burgers, crisp bakes or macaroni cheese. If you were vegan, you were limited to lentils and Beanfeast (I do wish Beanfeast was still available, it was lush). Nowadays, you can even get replica mince that binds the same way beef does, and make burgers, meatballs etc with it, unheard of 30 years ago.
Entertainment: There was only 4 channels to watch on television, most of which wound down at around 11pm. If you weren't a fan of Bruce Forsyth, Anthea Turner, Dale Winton & Co, it was hard luck.
Household Chores: 30 years ago, dishwashers weren't common, so every dish and piece of cutlery had to be washed by hand. When I was a child, laundry had to be dried on some sort of raft thing that we pulled up towards the ceiling using rope and hoped that the air in the room was warm enough to dry it.
Cancer Treatment: It's not perfect now and I do still think that the powers that be are deliberately holding back possible cures to extort more financial gain but back in the 1990s, if you got cancer, it was pretty much a death sentence. Occasionally, if caught early, it could be removed with surgery and there was an archaic form of chemotherapy that may prevent life for 5 months or so (but make you unbearably ill at the same time) but it was mostly a hopeless diagnosis. Treatment in this day and age now helps more people survive cancer than die from it and also helps people to live with incurable cancer and actually not die from it, as well as living a happy and fulfilled life.
What was Better 30 years ago?
The economy: There was less austerity in Parliament and the world as a whole had more funds. It was easier to get on to the housing market, my parents bought my family home on modest incomes for less than £60,000 and my mother could afford to resign from work to be a homemaker. My partner and I, though we do enjoy extravagances unashamedly, we are both working despite raising our children and being able to afford the life we've become accustomed to whilst being a mother, wife and homemaker would be great.
Illegal Migration Control: We didn't place illegal migrants in nice hotels back then. Our borders were secure. Our public services weren't straining under the pressure of having so many people on such a small island (I'm based in Britain).
A Sense Of Community: This is the antithesis to my point about the brilliance of technology. Back in 1995, there was no social media, no mobile phones, computers were something that only offices had and E-mail was un-heard of. People went out and socialised more in person than they do now. This brought a greater feeling of togetherness. When I was growing up, there were numerous social clubs, bowling societies, women's clubs, senior citizen's clubs and people took the time and effort to call around at your house to visit you in the flesh. Nowadays, it seems some family/friends just communicate by occasionally commenting on a Facebook post. In one way the internet connects people, it also divides them.
Values and respect: In 1995, if you told them that 30 years from now, bank managers would be turning up to work in jeans, polo shirts and trainers, they'd have said you were barking mad. Unfortunately, I see a lot of people in professional settings who aren't dressed appropriately and it shows a lack of respect for the role that they are doing, the people whom they are serving and the business they work for. Dress standards as a whole have decreased alarmingly. If you watch 1990s sitcom, One Foot In The Grave, you'll notice that Victor and Margaret always dressed respectfully, despite being mostly retired. People only wore tracksuits for exercising. No self-respecting restaurant would allow a gentleman to dine without a tie and dinner jacket and a lady to dine without wearing a smart (knee length or longer) dress. If you go in to a nice restaurant these days, you'll see they let practically anyone in. Miller & Carter is the one chain that still upholds standards of decency in dress and I commend them for it. We also addressed people with respect in the 1990s. I was brought up to refer to my neighbours as Mr & Mrs so and so, never on first name terms. If you look back at One Foot In The Grave, you'll notice that Victor always calls Mrs Warboys as Mrs Warboys, never Jean, despite having known her for many years and her being a good chum of his wife.
Freedom: We wasn't in such a nanny state. Freedom of speech meant just that, no exceptions. No one had a right not to be offended. We didn't need warning notices to tell us that a packet of cashews "may contain nuts" because we used common sense. We took accountability for our own safety. We didn't have the desire to ban everything: disposable carry bags, smoking etc. We had bars, museums, galleries and restaurants that catered for those who chose to be around smoke and those who chose not to. We didn't have the Government breathing down our neck telling us what was bad for us.
High Streets: High Streets used to be bustling in the 1990s, with long-forgotten traders such as Littlewood's, Ethel Austin, British Home Stores and various independents. Beggars and unsavoury people had less gall, and there were less of them. It used to be possible to walk down the High Street without some drug addict accosting you for your money. High Streets used to be floral, bright and cheerful spaces and you'd never be more than a stone's throw away from a cheerful street cleaner or amenities such as public conveniences, telephone boxes or ATMs.
Self Preservation: Tattoos and other unsightly body customisation was deeply frowned upon in the 1990s and anyone in a customer facing role was required to keep them hidden out of sight. People respected their natural beauty and didn't obliterate it with dodgy fillers from some back street surgeon in Belgium or "Turkey teeth", breast implants, dying hair hideous colours such as blue or bright green and most people only tanned naturally, on holiday. We accepted and loved the bodies that God gave us and didn't all have to conform to look a certain way, poles apart from the society we live in today.