The world is changing so fast these days that it can be hard to keep up. In the whole history of the human species, I think we’d be hard-pressed to find a fifty-year period in which things have grown and changed so rapidly that it can be hard to even remember how things used to be just a generation ago.
These 17 people are thinking about it, though, and here are some things they’ve realized are slowly dying off.
17. I hope more people help.
Fireflies.
They mostly rely on the bioluminescence of their fellow species in order to attract for mating. However, due to increasing urbanization which is also increasing use of artificial lighting (street lamps), their presence are dwindling.
I live in St. Louis, Missouri and thankfully due to a combination of more people going with native landscaping and an even larger number just not giving two shits about their yards, combined with some fantastic public parks that also don’t get crazy pesticide lawn treatments, we have the healthiest pollinator population in the state. This means we also have tons of beautiful lightning bugs!
So I’m not sure light pollution is a big driver of the problem, I would be inclined to blame people turning their lawns into green wastelands.
Grass isn’t green! Bring nature back to your yard and enjoy the sights and sounds.
16. I’ve yet to see one in person.
Pangolins.
This makes me sad. They’re adorable.
15. Kids are really missing out.
Arcades, but more specifically, arcade games.
Now in arcades it’s just rigged claw games which only drops a plush if you put enough money in, sad to see really.
14. Take your pick.
Amphibians.
It’s a worldwide phenomenon due to Habitat fragmentation, pollution, decrease in mosquito populations, drought & climate change, pesticides, chytrid fungi…take your pick.
13. They’re so expensive.
Christmas cards We used to get and send a ton and year by year it gets smaller.
My mum used to string some twine across our living room ceiling and hang them over that. By Christmas, there would be rows of cards criss-crossing all over and you could barely see the ceiling.
12. I never would have noticed.
Iodine in Salt.
Seriously, go to the grocery store and see how many brands of salt show “this salt does not provide Iodine, a necessary nutrient. ”
Fun fact, a lack of iodine can cause cretinism in babies and children.
It’s not just an insult, it’s an actual devastating medical condition.
11. We’ll always miss these spots.
Small restaurants and cafes.
One of my favorite cafes was a victim of the pandemic. It was literally a one-woman operation with cozy seating (which of course wasn’t utilized during the pandemic) and had dozens of latte flavors that you could combine to make a bunch of different drinks.
I still miss it.
10. It’s funny but not funny.
Privacy.
It’s funny that there are so much laws n shit that say they “value” our privacy while in reality some s*%t Facebook will still steal your data even though that’s against your privacy.
9. The life of the party.
Roller skating rinks 🙁
Which is so sad because we have one in my town that used to be the life of the party, every night it was going up. It’s HUGE, it has a 3 story “crazy maze” too.
Everyone had their bday parties there! Now it’s only open some obscure hours like Wednesdays from 12pm-2pm.
8. It’s just awful.
Coral reefs.
In 2008 I went snorkeling off the florida keys and was so impressed by all of the beautiful colors. It’s seriously one of the greatest memories of mine. It was like an underwater all natural circus and everything was so vibrant and wonderful.
I went back with my girlfriend about 3 years ago so excited and really hyping it up. I was crushed. In the same spot and the same time of year nearly everything was bone white with just a few brown, dark purple and green live corals still hanging in there.
I can’t begin to say how disappointed I was and still am.
7. One bright spot.
Physical media. Vinyl sales are still on the up, though.
It helps that vinyl albums don’t feel like you’re buying a song so much as an actual product.
You get the album, the cover is a fancy art piece unto itself, you typically get high quality digital recordings you can download accompanying it, and the albums themselves typically have little goodies inside.
6. It’s a rare gift.
Free parking.
Even the smaller suburbs in their town center started charging for parking.
A town center near me had parking garages with above 30% vacancy on their busy nights. They started charging for parking, and everyone went to a different town center.
5. I want to take my kids!
Drive-In theaters. I loved these as a kid.
There’s still a few left, and a couple popped-up during covid here and there, but you have to hunt them down more and be willing to drive out a ways sometimes.
There’s nothing like loading snacks, throwing some extra cushions and pillows in your vehicle, pulling up, and taking in 2-3 movies on the big screen under the stars. Also a good adventure for dates.
4. And they keep dying in zoos.
Giraffes – they’ve become an endangered species.
That’s so sad. I saw wild ones in Kenya and they’re super amazing. Like some kind of fantasy animal.
3. Happens to the best of us.
My hair.
2. No more face-to-face.
Family Reunions.
I was born in ’83 and I can remember going to one every year for both sides of my pop’s family and just one side of my mom’s.
It’s definitely a dying tradition since now you can keep up with everyone online.
1. Seinfeld tried to warn us.
Mom and pop businesses.
It’s ironic, ask any stupid US politician about that and they will say “I support small business/mom & pop business” yet they go ahead and screw them over by giving subsidies to big business which then uses them to undercut local competition and then raise prices when they’re gone.
Some of these kind of make me feel sad or nostalgic, while others I’m totally fine with, you know?
What’s something else that belongs on this list? Let us know in the comments!
