Things that were normal but wouldn't fly these days

[ChopSuey2]

Not really an AIBU but we totally derailed another thread. Following on from the thread about TV programmes that may or may not have been appropriate for young children, I'm wondering what things were totally normal in your childhood but would not be considered acceptable today.

Some of the ones I have been reminded of from the other thread include

• travelling without a seatbelt, in the footwell, in the boot, in the back of a van on a cardboard box
• graphic public safety videos at primary school
• watching graphic true crime under the age of 10
• smoking in cars and homes with kids, smoking in pubs and taking kids to pubs late at night
• playing out under the age of 10 with parents not knowing where their kids are precisely

Carry on Laughing and Benny Hill.

The depicton of women in them
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antwacky · Today 11:23

Headmistress sending 14 year old to local shop for cigarettes, 20 Kensitas.

We had a teacher like that, he used to come over to the not really secret smoking area, say, "Morning lads, who's got a spare tab for me?" He used to leave the classroom several times every lesson, till someone told him to smoke out of the window!

Women in films regularly being slapped hard by men for being "hysterical" or disobedient or feisty.

I remember it in Bond Films.

The Black and White Minstrels Show.

I was at primary school 82 to 87 and we were made to do a B& W minstrels show.

We were taught to sing a song with the lyrics "up down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton, up down, turnaround, pick a bale of hay ..... Oh lordy! pick a bale of cotton" etc.

Sorry 81-87

Smoking everywhere - planes, trains, buses, cinema, restaurants, other peoples houses

Glamour photos on the sides of cans of lager

Sweetie cigarettes for children

Lashings of sexism, racism, homophobia throughout TV and Film

Teachers going to the pub at lunchtime for a few pints

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Although some on this thread ARE still quite normal where I live

School gates and buildings being wide open to the public all day there are no gates on any of the schools locally and most are also community schools so libraries, cafe, sports facilities open to the public

and Walking to/from school aged 6 some start at age 5

playing out under the age of 10 with parents not knowing where their kids are precisely I know roughly where they are but not precisely

I taught TEFL in Japan '99 to 01 and there were still ashtrays everywhere - meeting rooms (huge lighters on the table), banks etc

Private healthcare do they didn't GAF. Most people won't be affected from smoking til they're older so ..

I remember walking the mile from home to primary school on my own from around aged seven, possibly six. My mother had coached me to use the zebra crossings to cross roads.

I also remember being given cash by my teacher to buy hair styling supplies - I think it was Amami setting lotion - at a hairdressers that was mid route. This would have been when I was about eight, no older than nine, as we moved house the month before I turned ten. I suppose it was to give me some sort of responsibility.

I enjoyed the walk there and back, and the freedom it gave me. This was in the '70s.

Drowning kittens
Not being allowed to do metal work because it was for boys
Declaring heterosexuality to join the armed forces
Corporal punishment
Scrupming
Going camping up the woods aged 14
Pics of topless women in daily newspapers - page 3
Wondering pet dogs and dog muck (white)
Feeding other people's kids what you wanted
Paperrounds

I also remember going on our school residential week aged ten in 1980. On the last day, we were put into groups of around five or six, and set free to wander around town (Kendal in this case) for a couple of hours, with any spends our parents had given us. No teachers/helpers with us, of course no mobile phones, just told to be back at the coach for x o' clock ready for departure. Can't imagine that now!

I remember topless darts being shown on some local Birmingham cable TV channel like it was normal .

I was thinking about the language one recently. We had a corner shop opposite our primary school and we all used to go in there to buy sweeties (yes including the sweetie cigarettes :) ) The guy who ran it was SO lovely - everyone adored him, and yet it was common practice to refer to him with the P word. I think even my parents did though I hope I'm misremembering. This was early/mid 90s.

I also remember it was quite common in primary school to go for sleepovers and the host parents would go out leaving older siblings (young teens generally) in charge. That's where I got most of my sex ed!

Has page 3 in the Sunbeen scrapped. No idea.

In about 2015 😆

Childcare was always a random teenager that lived a few doors away.

When you went to a concert in the 1990s and everyone got their lighters out for a slow song. I can't imagine it now - I'd be worried about people's clothes/hair burning

Smoking areas in restaurants and planes.
Trains where you could open the doors manually

We did that about 16 years ago! Was a proper ‘family’ hotel, but still… kids were just over 1 & 3!

Things that were normal but wouldn't fly these days

A sense of humour.

Totally agree. While some of the places I played were quite stupid (dumping grounds etc), I don't really see a problem with a (sensible) kids playing out together without parents watching, especially now we have mobile phones so parents can check in and kids can call for help if needed. I loved the freedom of going round the local area or to the park with a friend, making a new friend on holiday and going out together around the local area until early evening, playing around the caravan park on holidays etc. I think it does depend on the kid though...

Smoking sections on aircraft

Where do you live? School would throw a fit if a reception kid wandered up to school alone. Up to year 5 they need to be walked to the gate and if late to the office. Only 10/11 are allowed out the building without the teacher setting eyes on their adult.

Also whilst the main school gates are open, they do lock them after hours, so you don't have teenagers hanging out round the back of the school and worse, and the gates round to the actual playgrounds etc are locked. Buzz in to get into reception and then the door from there to the rest of school is buzz in. Do you actually mean I could walk up to your school and get into a class room without anything stopping me beyond someone seeing me?

@StollenAway We also called the shop the same. It was said completely without malice but that doesn't make it at all ok. Looking back, I don't think he was from Pakistan which makes it even worse.