to think modern life is rubbish

[maryjolisalondon]

Working full time, paying huge amounts of rent / mortgage just to have two days off a week. Only getting a few weeks holiday a year. Traffic and getting to work and school then making food often only leaves an hour or two a day free. Then if you get sick more and more companies only pay SSP. For people under 40 its also looking like retiring even in your 70s won't be possible for the average Joe.

Ha, as fucking if! Green eyed monster there skewing your perspective somewhat.
Quite a lot of us haven't got a pot to piss in (I'm unemployed with debt that would make your eyes water) and we still don't whine about how hard modern life is.

t's strange because generally social mobility, environmentalism, anti-poverty causes would get reasonable support on MN.

OP was talking about structural elements of society and modern employment patterns, I thought, (long commutes, high living and housing costs etc) not just herself.

Yes, exactly my point. If she has a problem, why not post about that? But trying to make out that everyones life is awful, that it was better in the old days, its such a load of shit, especially from a fairly priviliged position.

I really can't see anything too enraging with what she's posted.

She's talking about quality of life, as far as I can see, and he stats back her up. The mid to late 70s were a highpoint for all sorts of measures including social mobility and the gini co-efficient.

So in the past 30-odd years (about a generation), net UK quality of life has arguably declined. Of course this won't reflect everone's personal experience. Maybe it does happen to reflect the OP's.

I could not agree more - and travelling to work through busy traffic, is surely a 'modern' problem.

Waits for someone to chastise me for not taking into account the fishwives of the north/east of Britain who carried their fishermen husbands on their backs through the water to their fishing boats so that the men could keep their feet dry .

I remember traffic jams in the seventies. Radio if you were lucky. No podcasts, audio books and your entire music collection on your phone. Rubbish food at service stations. Legs sticking to the seat. Just an itchy hat and a kagoul to look forward to when you reached your destination.

Although, on the plus side, there were Texan bars...

But if you missed doctor who you would never see it again unless it was repeated, so we are back to seventies being rubbish.

There is definitely more traffic now. And Dr Who was better then

There were no mobile phones not much of an improvement
Facebook wasn't invented agree
No internet at all (ironic I know!) there was in the 1970s
Pubs closed at 11 and clubs at 2. First World War ended in 1918
Shops were shut on Sundays Great for working parents
Kids walked to school without worry They still can - its safer now than it was then
Teachers could give kids a clip for misbehaving. Usually the wrong kids
Neighbours would all help each other out and know each other's names. I still do...try saying hello.
House prices were low were they?
Workers only worked the hours they were being paid for Agree
Pay rises were the norm usually inflation-busting ones which made matters worse
The euro didn't exist and it was still cheap as chips to go to Greece. Huh?
A job was for life in certain industries. Socialism = full employment

apart from two things I'd prefer to stick with the 2010s SickofFrozen

I like that album too

There is no way you can compare the traffic in the 70s to traffic nowadays. In the 70s one car households were still the norm, there were far fewer vast housing estates with no nearby facilities whose residents depended on cars to get around, far more kids walked to and from school, and teenagers driving cars were a novelty and much in demand for lifts home from discos

Taking into account modern life in the UK, I'd say it's got far more pro's than cons. Healthcare and advances in medicine, benefit system, social housing, human rights act, pretty tolerant attitudes, democracy, accessible and free education for rich and poor alike etc.

Nothing and nowhere is perfect but we've come a long way since those down on their luck only had the workhouse to 'fall back on' in and where only the well off could afford an education. My Mum nearly died of scarlet fever. My dd had scarletina when she was 5 and was better in a week. Nope. I'd not swap.

Yes yes - but that's not the point!