Imagine people s**king c**arettes on planes…and in movie theaters…and in stores…and in pretty much any other place you can imagine.
Yeah, that’s the way it used to be 50 years ago, folks!
And it’s pretty crazy to think that it was totally normal and accepted behavior.
Let’s hear from people on AskReddit about what used to be normal 50 years ago but isn’t today.
Start now!
1. Where’d they go?
“Skipping town.
You could disappear out of people’s lives by just going a couple cities over, but now with digital profiles it’s harder to disappear if you need certain accounts e.g. LinkedIn.”
2. The Jello Years.
“Jello. Putting everything you can think of into a jello dish.
Hot dogs? Put it in a lime Jello! Sausages and Spinach? Lemon Jello! Got some red and green jello, why not radishes and bacon between the layers? Got a can of spaghetti-os and Vienna sausages? Put that in some jello!
Say is that some fish? Take that fish, mix it with some jello and put that into a fish mold! Not at all nightmare inducing.
Some of those jello recipes are nasty as hell.”
3. Long gone.
“People being able to pay for college…with a part time gig while going to school.”
4. Sad.
“A man working a 40-50 hour job without a college degree and supporting an entire family, paying the mortgage, going on holidays, and enjoying a work/life balance…. without a second job or his wife having to work (unless she sold Tupperware on the side for fun).”
5. Long ago…
“Unaccompanied children.
At 8 years old, my parents would wake me up before they left for work and I would have to get my breakfast, get ready for school, and walk there on my own.
Then after school I walked home, phoned my mom at work to let her know I was home, then I could do whatever until 5:30 or 6:00 when they got home.
My son is 7 now, I can’t imagine him doing that.”
6. Made things a little more fun.
“Just not knowing things.
What’s the legal drinking age in Georgia? My friend says it’s 14, but my mom says that’s not right. I guess I just don’t know.
That guy in that movie last night: I saw him in another movie, I think, but I can’t remember which one, and I never will, and it’s just that way. What’s that song where she sings “hey baby, get your coat”?
Don’t know. Not going to find out.”
7. Remember that?
“Paper bags for groceries.
Everyone was so excited when plastic bags appeared, they were going to “save the trees” by reducing the use of paper.”
8. Back in the day.
“Everyone s**king everywhere.
I’m 55 and that’s the way I grew up. I used to s**ke in the grocery store while shopping as late as the early 90s. Just toss the butts on the floor: the stockboys came around regularly to sweep them up.
In my high school, they had a designated s**king area for students
Movie theaters, buses, restaurants….f**king everywhere. What a glorious time to be alive. Total freedom to slowly poison yourself, anytime, anywhere.”
9. That is wild.
“The amount of al**hol that the people drank and still could drive their cars.
My dad always drank at least a case of beer whenever we went somewhere and parents of friends even had a wetbar in their car and would mix cocktails while driving.
This was perfectly normal and nobody questioned it.”
10. Get your hands dirty.
“Everyone working on their own cars.
My grandpa tells me a lot about them days cars were just simpler.”
11. Keep them in line.
“Corporal punishment.
My mother talked about how in many cases when she was a kid, it wasn’t just possible that teachers would paddle you, but that many parents encouraged that sort of discipline in schools to keep kids in line.”
12. Nice threads.
“Getting dressed up for everything.
Like wearing your best suit and tie to ride in an airplane. Or go shopping in a mall.”
What do you think was normal 50 years ago but isn’t today?
Sound off in the comments and let us know.
Thanks a lot!
