Which things are better than they were 15-20 years ago?

[Sodukuchess]

There's been so much negativity in society recently so I thought it might be good to do a thread about things that have improved over the last 15-20 year or so in the UK.

I'd say:
Less smokers and no smokey pubs
More awareness of SEND
More televisation of previously ignored sports such as women's football or Paralympics
Huge choice of literature and some great new authors
Faster internet speeds
Greater choices of places when travelling abroad
Ability to skip TV adverts
Improved maths teaching and curriculum, particularly at primary
Young people seem to be moving away from the binge drinking culture

What do you think is better?

Some of these are absolutely spot on.

Free, instant learning and education - edX and YouTube

London buses really work (thanks to legacy of Ken)

Home delivery saves time

Whatsapp

Food and kids’ stuff sharing banks & local groups

Google maps? Sorts things out if you take a wrong turn.

The NHS - There’s diagnostic tools, treatments etc which are available now which weren’t available then.

eg. Breast cancer

• England:
• The five-year risk of death for early invasive breast cancer decreased from 14% in the 1990s to 5% in the 2010-2015 period.

Communication - FaceTime, zoom, teams etc - you can chat to whole groups of people as if they were in the same room as you.

Reverse parking sensors - so true.

Torch on your phone

Not at all silly! 🤣

Yes agree the discourse around bodies is so much better than the 00s in which it was really toxic. All those circles of shame in Now and Heat etc.

I was in my late teens/ early 20s 15-20 years ago and remember being followed/ catcalled/ groped on public transport. I'd like to think it's better now although as I'm no longer a young pretty woman it's hard to know?

Primary school education I think has improved a lot in the 15 years I've been teaching. As has our understanding of SEN etc.

Great post! Agree with all your points, OP.

I would extend your point about better maths teaching to better teaching in general . I had some absolutely crap teachers in the 70s and 80s (and some excellent ones!) but I would say that between my 2 DCs in their whole school careers (both now working or at uni) they had a couple of weakish teachers but nothing like what I had to put up with.

• Google maps and directions. It makes it easy to turn up in a foreign country and use buses. I was talking about this with 23yo DC1 a few weeks ago and they were asking me how I coped back in the day without it. Good point! I told them how I went everywhere with a paper map and they were aghast!
• Google translate - it seems like a miracle / it also did me out of job. I Used to work as a translator

Vehicles are less polluting and quieter. That's a big plus.

Availability of sushi has improved and Korean Bao buns!

Perceptions of careers that don't need a university degree, and relative salaries, is better.