The mall used to be so tame when I was growing up. Hang out by the Orange Julius in the food court and maybe get a plate of chinese food after trying all the free samples. Go to Tape World to get a cassette by Journey or Boston to play on our Walkman. Go to the Gap for a pair of jeans. Hang out at Brookstone’s looking at gadgets we can’t afford and then go to Radio Shack for something we could afford. Catch a movie at the multi-plex. Maybe if we were daring, we’d mess with the mall-cop knowing that the worst he can do is kick us out.
Those certainly sound like the good days, the 80’s, the Reagan years.
Culture matters. Demographics matter. We have a lot more ignorant low lifes with poor manners and low morals today. It is depressing how far our culture has fallen from the 1950s, or maybe I should say these ate subcultures. But when subcultures grow big enough in population, it really becomes a part of your overall culture.
I used to take the bus to Eastland Mall in Detroit with my buds back in the 60's. We hoped to meet girls but ultimately settled on checking out the slot cars.....
You could add shopping at bookstores, which have disappeared from most malls. The South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif. used to have three excellent bookstores--Rizzoli's, Brentano's and B. Dalton--but now has none.
I really want the world I grew up in back. I am not liking Brazil/South Africa.