Lots of crap that we’re not really better off having more of.
Anyone with a pulse could have provided the right answer.
Saw a meme somewhere yesterday, in the 1950s a man could have a house, a car a stay at home mom and four kids on a Detroit assembly line salary.
I would like to see if the following has become far worse today vs the 1950s
1. Average cost of state and federal taxes as a percentage of median salary.
2. Likely hood of becoming a victim of theft or violent crime.
3. Median age.
4. Average daily commute time.
5. Cost of median home as a percentage of median salary.
6. Percentage of single parent households.
7. Average K-12 teacher/student ratio .
8. Percentage of High school students who graduate.
9 Percentage of college students who graduate.
10. Cost of a four year degree as a percentage of median salary.
I swear the more people use LLMs the lazier and less interesting they become.
People smoked back then, and today they hardly do. That is another positive point. In fact, if you watch older movies, they are all smoking and drinking. Maybe hospitality was different back then, and you offer a smoke and drink to anybody who walks into your office.
Not everything is better today. Kids growing up in the 1950s knew who our first president was, what the flag symbolizes, and could walk to school, play outside and dive into swimming pools off of diving boards, which have all but vanished from America in 2025.
Homes may have more square footage today, but backyards are vanishing. And more and more people are living in “stack and pack” apartments and condos.
And on the cultural front, popular music today is unlistenable and perversity and wokeness pervade literature, movies and TV shows.
We have, indeed, seen progress, but progress doesn’t always mean that things get better.
ask the right question, get the right answer
California, where I live, was the hottest economy in the world during the 1950s. For most of the decade, we had Republican governors, (although Earl “Rabbit” Warren and Goody Knight were RINOs) and three Republican US Senators (One, Tom Kuchel, was a RINO, but Richard Nixon and Bill Knowland were good) and Republican mayors in San Francisco and LA.
Today, we have the highest taxes, highest gas prices, the worst roads, and the largest homeless population in the US.
Bigger houses today, bigger tv screens. Big deal.
In the 1950s we had a hollywood that protected moral values and produced mostly family friendly movies and tv shows.
An educational system that was the envy of the world. High school graduates could actually read and write.
A lower divorce rate. The family unit was celebrated.
A lower crime rate. Criminals were strictly and severely punished instead of coddled and death penalties were routinely carried out. Riots, shoplifting, open drug use, and defecating in the streets were not tolerated.
Men who wore dresses, worse, declared themselves to be female, were thrown into mental institutions where they belonged.
A higher reverence for God and the church.
Young people better respected clergy, their elders, and the authorities.
Financially, a man could afford a home, a car, wife, and kids on a single income.
Food we bought at the supermarkets were manufactured with mostly natural ingredients instead of a long list of chemicals.
Thanks. Eye opening if true. I was raised in the 50s and I certainly showered every day and had air conditioning.
healthy food choices today are FAR, FAR better than in the 1950’s ... we were raised on foods like chicken fried in Crisco, margarine, bleached white bread, Jif “peanut butter”, baloney, Velveeta, “American” cheese, Miracle Whip, Cool Whip, mac and cheese from a box, frozen chicken pot pies, frozen tater tots, frozen breaded fish sticks, canned corn, canned green beans, ice milk, hotdogs, Kool-Aid, Fritos corn chips, Oreo cookies, and Tootsie Rolls, all chock-a-block with artificial colors, flavors and preservatives ... and i don’t think the word “organic” had even been invented yet ...
“Number of dental cavities for the average 18 year old.”
No kidding. Getting rid of fluoridification could be a bad thing.
.........
“Being able to watch any movie that you want, whenever you want.”
Is that really a plus? What about books read per year?
“air conditioning”
I remember city streets in the NE US having elm canopies until the early 1970s.
“Houses today are much bigger”
What about lot sizes?
My 1950s subdivision lot is 5/8ths of an acre.
Are we really better off with more and larger TV’s?
Is the work force moving more towards indoor office type work really a good thing?
Is watching Netflix a good thing?
Is fluoridated water a good thing?
This really does not impress me at all.
A several years ago we tried cable TV and the installers were appalled that we only had one TV. I never really understood that. An acquaintance of our bought a small RV that had 3 TVs and boasted about it. Why buy an expensive RV if all you are going to do is watch TV?
Yes, I’m old fashioned and I don’t care.
This AI and Grok crap does not impress me either. It’s an excuse for people not to think on their own and use someone else’s programming as an authority.
The 1950s house typically was purchased with a 20-year mortgage.
My father’s parents died young in the 1950s.
My father introduced medical insurance to the company he ran - the employee cost was 25 cents a week.
I wouldn’t need GROK to answer any of those questions. Most are common sense.
I like having a bigger TV to watch my vintage shows and movies on.