CuriositiesJUL 25, 2022

Someone Wonders "What Was Actually Better In The Past?", And 35 People Deliver

With time racing at the pace of a hadron collider, it’s easy to remain oblivious to the passing years. Only after a while, years, if not decades, do we notice how much things have changed around us, ourselves included.

It’s when we press pause on the present and look right back into the past. What do we see there? Well, it’s no secret that most humans have a strong sense of nostalgia that puts the years gone by in an exceptionally positive light.

This thread from Ask Reddit may also give us some answers by showing what things people thought were simpler, more accessible and efficient, and overall way better in the past. And now we can all decide whether it’s true or it’s our sentimental longing speaking. Let us know what you think in the comments below!

#21

Someone Wonders "What Was Actually Better In The Past?", And 35 People Deliver

Manners and respect.

Shining__Rose, Helena Lopes

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170points

“Related to social media is the news. I remember watching the news once a day in the evening at 6 pm to catch up on the daily events. Or reading a newspaper to see what is happening. Now it seems like there is breaking news every moment and you can’t keep up. MSM news channels, such as CNN, are especially guilty of this with a news ticker at the bottom,” Wong told Bored Panda.

“What’s worse, they tend to only report on negative events, such as murders, killings, scandals, etc. which makes the world feel like a terrible place,” he added.

#22

Freetime... life was more slowly and you had more time for yourself and your hobbies.

Knorff, Anastasia Zhenina

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159points

#23

Video games.

I literally still have my original N64 and controller. It still goes strong. You just turn the game on and play it. No 60 GB downloads. No loading screens. No ads. No updates. No pay to play.

corviknightisdabest, Pat Moin

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155points

#24

I didn't experience it personally, just second hand, but I believe working.. you had set hours and then no one could reach you after. It irritates me sometimes how normal it is to still reply to messages or send emails during off time and weekends or vacations.

I wonder what would happen sometimes if I just fully ignored my phone and shut it off the moment I'm off but it would really just be more stressful, and besides you can save yourself some later effort by tackling things right away. But in the past, everyone was off at the same times, everyone was out of reach, so it's not like you'd come back tomorrow to 50 emails and messages either. It was just over when it's over.

My parents and their friends seemed to have so much uninterrupted time.

lillie_connolly, Torsten Dettlaff

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154points

The marketing expert argues that even though humans will always have their groups and differences, he feels like society has never been more divided. “Both social media and the 24/7 news cycle have only made this worse where we are presented with preselected snippets of news that conform to a specific worldview.”

According to Wong, many issues are complex and require a nuanced approach. “Whether someone is left or right, conservative or progressive, or somewhere in the middle, we should be able to sit down and have a calm rational discussion. However, I don’t think that is possible in today’s climate.”

#25

Fruit and corn. They have been bred to be sweeter and harder for transport, and have lost much of the subtle fruit/corn flavor they used to have.

Botryoid2000, Wouter Supardi Salari

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151points

#26

When you could write letters and not have to reply for days at a time to now we feel obliged to keep in 24/7 contact with people.

Human-Perspective-83, Angela Roma

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147points

#27

Housing prices

Whenwillthisend12, Birgit Loit

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142points

There are few people who haven’t felt the burden of living costs in the past years. Wong explained that even before the high inflation that is happening, living costs have soared over the years.

“This is especially true for houses. These days, it’s not uncommon to still be living with your parents in your 30s as you try to save up for a house. Unless you earn a high wage, have your parents help you, and borrow a ton of money from the bank, owning a home is becoming increasingly difficult. If you have to pay off your mortgage for 30 years just to 'own' your home, I don’t really consider that to be living,” he said.

#28

my mental health

Wonderful_Audience60, Nik Shuliahin

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126points

#29

A job had a clear purpose.

So much useless "Pseudo-work" done today compared to back in the day

Mofme, Vojtech Okenka

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126points

#30

Internet. It was new, more friendly and funny

Funny_Skirt6059, Thomas Jensen

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118points

The last thing Wong said has become a challenge these days has to do with tuition. “College tuition rates have also soared over the years. Decades ago, going to college was a lot more affordable. Even if you include inflation, it shouldn’t cost tens of thousands of dollars to go to college to get a piece of paper that may or may not help you find a well-paying job. What’s worse, you are stuck with a ton of student loans that you have to pay back now,” he concluded.

#31

Insects, more than 40% of total have disappeared over the past decades.

________________me, Andre Moura

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116points

#32

Shopping Malls

nerdmoot, Tuur Tisseghem

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112points

#33

Gas prices.

ItsDominika, Mehluli Hikwa

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111points

#34

The future

fukkingapig, Pixabay

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110points

#35

Smart phones too, Reddit is the only social media I use and still I stare at this f**king thing 5 hours a day. I know I’m addicted to it and I’d love to punt it but unfortunately it’s also my phone, my map, my camera, my tape measure, my dictaphone, my Walkman etc. etc.

tarkuspig, Jonas Leupe

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109points

Justinas KeturkaBoredPanda Staff

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