# Were the 70's better than today?



## Bretrick (Dec 11, 2021)

My memories of the 70's are the advent of Disco Music, Hot Wheels Die Cast Cars, Platform Shoes, Body Shirts, Mini Skirts, Shag Pile Carpet.
It was a time when other parents could discipline you. If underage in the pub the cops would kick you out with a boot up the backside. Getting the Cane for not doing homework.


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## hollydolly (Dec 11, 2021)

Bretrick said:


> My memories of the 70's are the advent of Disco Music, Hot Wheels Die Cast Cars, Platform Shoes, Body Shirts, Mini Skirts, Shag Pile Carpet.
> It was a time when other parents could discipline you. If underage in the pub the cops would kick you out with a boot up the backside. Getting the Cane for not doing homework.


well for me it was... it was my teen era... but I'm sure in reality, the UK was in a terrible Political state during the 70's... all of which went over my head.


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## Aunt Bea (Dec 11, 2021)

In the 70s I was young and poor.

Today I'm old, have some great memories, and enough money to pay my medical bills.


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## fuzzybuddy (Dec 11, 2021)

I like Disco, and gong to disco clubs. But beside platform shoes, we had Nixon & Watergate, Vietnam. It was ordinary life, like today, but dated. I don't know how you gage "better", but the 70s made us different.  Like the 1960s shaped the 70s, the1970s helped shaped the 2020s. We wouldn't be what we are in 2021, without what we did in 1970. And it's trite to say, but today is someone's happy childhood.


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## Gaer (Dec 11, 2021)

The decade of the 1970's were the absolute WORST years of my life!
Yuck!  Don't even want to think about them!


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## JaniceM (Dec 11, 2021)

Gaer said:


> The decade of the 1970's were the absolute WORST years of my life!
> Yuck!  Don't even want to think about them!


With a couple of exceptions, I have the same viewpoint as you.


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## Packerjohn (Dec 11, 2021)

Ha!  Sure the 70s were better than today.  So were the 60s and the 50s.  Living in this never ending pandemic sure is crappy.  Goodbye freedom; hello discipline and dictatorship!  Not good!


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## oldiebutgoody (Dec 11, 2021)

Packerjohn said:


> Ha!  Sure the 70s were better than today.  So were the 60s and the 50s.  Living in this never ending pandemic sure is crappy.  Goodbye freedom; hello discipline and dictatorship!  Not good!



Ironically, we had a military draft in the 50s/60s/early70s. That was slavery especially for poor men from the ghettos and reservations. Wasn't any good in any of that.


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## Mr. Ed (Dec 11, 2021)

i graduated from HS, 1973. I worked hard to be popular and it paid off. I saw Pink Floyd Live “Dark Side of the Moon” tour in a small venue with festival seating. I attended several live concerts in the 1970s, got heavy into drugs and in 1975 I was diagnosed with a seriousNonetheless  mental illness. Nonetheless I made the most of time and continued to experience the wild and crazy thing called life.


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## Sassycakes (Dec 11, 2021)

I loved the 70's. My husband was finally out of the Navy, safe and sound, had a job, and then we bought our first house and started our family. First a wonderful son and then a Precious daughter.


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## Nathan (Dec 11, 2021)

> Were the 70's better than today?



I am not a nostalgia buff, I love the _here&now_ for all it has to offer. That said, the 70s had good points and bad points. For one thing my favorite movie stars all looked alot younger then....I looked a lot younger too!  
Hmmm, let's see, in the 1970s:
1.Got back from Vietnam and out of the Army
2.Started college on the G.I. Bill
3.Got married
4.Bought first home
5.Got divorced
6.Got married a 2nd time
7.Got my first decent paying job
8.Bought 2nd home
9.Beautiful daughter born
10.Beautiful son born
Whew, I was busy in the 70s.


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## Alligatorob (Dec 11, 2021)

Bretrick said:


> Were the 70's better than today?


Probably not, just different.

I however was probably better then...


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## Uptosnuff (Dec 11, 2021)

The 70's were great for me.  The first half I was a kid, carefree, roaming the neighborhood with the other kids.  I grew up, came of age in the latter half.  I graduated HS in 1977, started college, ended college after 2 years.  Got a really good job with the phone company and married in 1979.

I remember the weather of 1975 of all things.  That spring we had the worst tornado we had ever seen.  Tore right through the middle of town and left a swath of destruction.  Then in the winter of that year we had the worst snow storm and heaviest accumulation on record.  I really didn't mind too much though, it got us out of several days of highschool while they were digging the streets out.


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## oldpop (Dec 11, 2021)

At the age I was then and where I was then the seventies fit me like a glove. Great wide open times. At the age I am now and where I am at now the twenty twenties fit me like a glove. Great easy going times. A lot of ups and downs in between but few regrets.


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## Irwin (Dec 11, 2021)

I lived in a small town during most of the '70s and have lived in big cities ever since so it's kind of tough to compare from a personal perspective since the differences between small towns and big cities haven't changed that much, other than what resulted from technological advances. Most of what I remember about life in the '70s was me and my friends getting stoned and listening to music, or drinking beer and cruising up and down Main Street.

Cars were a lot cooler looking back then and if you had a luxury car, it was like driving around in your living room. Today's cars are far more reliable and fuel efficient, and cleaner running, which is better for the environment. You were lucky to get 80 or 90k miles on a car back then. Today's cars will go 200k miles and still run just fine.

Music was undeniably better during the '70s. There was so much creativity back then compared to what's going on today. Music in the '70s combined elements of all different genres from country, to rockabilly, to jazz, to bluegrass, to folk, all of which still existed in their original form with a lot of the original artists still making music. The originators of those genres would often play with their younger contemporaries who worshiped them and incorporated those styles into their own original music. So the music was more authentic back then.

Today's popular bands don't look to the original pioneers of music. At least the most popular contemporary bands don't. They copy the styles of the bands of the '70s, and they don't do it as well, so why not just go back to the music of the '70s? The band that comes to mind is Greta Van Fleet. They sound a lot like Led Zeppelin, but they don't have good songs. All they have is the sound, but they're enormously popular and making a lot of money copying Led Zeppelin's style, so you can't really blame them. I don't think anyone's going to look back in fifty years and talk about how great they were, though. I don't think any contemporary band will be highly revered or copied in 50 years.

On the other hand, there is something to be said for the age of the Internet and the ease in which we can access information. Plus, we can interact with people from all over the world in these online forums, so that's something. Politically, we weren't nearly as polarized back then, but things were beginning to move in that direction.


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## Don M. (Dec 11, 2021)

For me, the 70's were my "growing up" years.....married only 5 years, two small children, mortgage and car payments, etc., etc.  I quickly transitioned to adulthood during that time frame.  I didn't have a lot of time to spend on much other than working, and taking care of business.  I do remember some of the events back then....the Vietnam war winding down, Richard Nixon and his goof ups, etc., but I didn't pay much attention to the news unless I was directly impacted.   

Today, it's hard to avoid all the craziness going on in the world, and consuming the news.  I sometimes wish I could go back to those earlier years when I was so busy all the time.


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## Geezer Garage (Dec 11, 2021)

Now what's that they used to say about the 70's. Oh yeah, "If you remember the 70's you weren't there". Now the 60's and 80's I recall. Mike


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## dseag2 (Dec 11, 2021)

The 70's were great for me.  Graduated high school in '76, went to college for 4 years and was completely oblivious to everything that was going on politically or in the world.  I got paid a pittance, but as long as it was enough for me to go to the clubs on the weekends I didn't care.

But... with the exception of being totally aware and somewhat stressed about what is now going on politically and in the world, I love my life now.  I know who I am, rather than wondering where I'm going, and I have the means to enjoy the more meaningful things in life.

As others have said, not sure it was better but it was different.  I feel gratitude for being able to enjoy each decade in a different way.


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## Gary O' (Dec 11, 2021)

Were the 70's better than today?​
*'Better*'?

Hard to say

The '70s were better than the '60s
Got my shit squared away

Then things got better and better

Right now, seems best


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## Fyrefox (Dec 13, 2021)

In the 1970’s, I was fresh out of grad school, and establishing myself as a young professional.  I was supported and appreciated, and people at work were like an extended family.  In later years to come, the powers that be decided that it was better to be feared than loved, treated people as things and replaceable commodities, and decided if you appeared happy at work, you weren’t working hard enough…


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## Furryanimal (Dec 13, 2021)

industrial unrest,frequent strikes,three day weeks,power cuts,drought,water rationing,corporal punishment,EU referendum,two general elections in one year,IRA bombs...Britain in the seventies.
Wonderful time.
Music was brilliant though.....and Pirate radio from boats was good.


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## Packerjohn (Dec 13, 2021)

oldiebutgoody said:


> Ironically, we had a military draft in the 50s/60s/early70s. That was slavery especially for poor men from the ghettos and reservations. Wasn't any good in any of that.


When you look at life you should see that improvements have been made.  However, not everything is coming up roses today.  We still have a lot of problems.  Try Global Warming on for size!  Right now inflation at 6.8% in the US is not making anyone with a low income laugh.  As for those "good ole' days", hey, they were good in many ways but yes, there were also a lot of negative factors.  I guess our remembrance of the old days can get pretty selective.  I had a crazy, wild childhood full of freedom and fun.  You can say that I really enjoyed my young years.  Of course, if you grew up in some home with alcoholic parents and daily fights with little on the table to eat your memories sure are not like mine.  Roger Miller put this into one of his songs, "It Takes All Kinds to Make a World."

*"Well it takes all kinds to make a world                          
Big and little man and women boys and girls                                    
And I'm the kinda guy hard luck sure gives a whirl                                     
But I guess it takes all kinds to make a world"*


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## Tish (Dec 13, 2021)

Gosh, The '70s for me were my rebellious years, I went totally goth, high school was a blast and sneaking out of the house at night was fun, I had a fake ID(Thanks to my cousin) not a real good one, but it did the trick.
Not sure if the '70s were better than today but they sure were more fun.


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## oldiebutgoody (Dec 13, 2021)

Packerjohn said:


> When you look at life you should see that improvements have been made.  However, not everything is coming up roses today.  We still have a lot of problems.  Try Global Warming on for size!  Right now inflation at 6.8% in the US is not making anyone with a low income laugh.  As for those "good ole' days", hey, they were good in many ways but yes, there were also a lot of negative factors.  I guess our remembrance of the old days can get pretty selective.  I had a crazy, wild childhood full of freedom and fun.  You can say that I really enjoyed my young years.  Of course, if you grew up in some home with alcoholic parents and daily fights with little on the table to eat your memories sure are not like mine.  Roger Miller put this into one of his songs, "It Takes All Kinds to Make a World."
> 
> *"Well it takes all kinds to make a world
> Big and little man and women boys and girls
> ...




But there was also a lot more talk about  "Goodbye freedom; hello discipline and dictatorship!" in those days, especially in the inner cities.


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## Chet (Dec 13, 2021)

The 70's were better because I was 50 years younger.


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## squatting dog (Dec 13, 2021)

Gary O' said:


> Were the 70's better than today?​
> *'Better*'?
> 
> Hard to say
> ...


You may be onto something there.


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## squatting dog (Dec 13, 2021)

But, then again, there was Brigitte Bardot.


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## dseag2 (Dec 13, 2021)

There is still Brigitte Bardot, but she looks like rest of us now!


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## carouselsilver (Jan 29, 2022)

hollydolly said:


> well for me it was... it was my teen era... but I'm sure in reality, the UK was in a terrible Political state during the 70's... all of which went over my head.


It was my teen era, too. I was very proud to be of the Pepsi generation, and loved the commercials about it. I danced disco, went jogging, sprained my ankle walking in those stupid platform shoes. Ah, memories!


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## hollydolly (Jan 29, 2022)

dseag2 said:


> There is still Brigitte Bardot, but she looks like rest of us now!
> 
> View attachment 198902


LOL...she might look like you..speak for yourself.. lol.... she's 87 years old.. and for all my faults I don't think I look that old in my mid 60's.....however all Kudos to a woman who never ruined her face with plastic surgery as so many in the public eye have.. and she looks so much better for it..

To put it in perspective she's only 8 years younger than the Queen


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## Rah-Rah (Jan 29, 2022)

I was a kid in the 70's . Born in 1967 so I really didn't have much of a care in the world in the 70's. My life was going to school and making time to play with my friends.


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## Don M. (Jan 29, 2022)

Given the events of this past couple of years, Covid related, virtually Any past decade is starting to look pretty good.


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## Nathan (Jan 29, 2022)

I've already replied in this thread, but to add:   In the 70s I could eat anything & everything I want without gaining an ounce!  

Edit:  plus I was 50 years younger in the 70s!
Otherwise, I like the present, wouldn't mind having my _70s body_ back!


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## caroln (Jan 29, 2022)

Outside of my daughter being born in 1974, this was the best thing about the 70s!


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## hollydolly (Jan 29, 2022)

caroln said:


> Outside of my daughter being born in 1974, this was the best thing about the 70s!


it's funny isn't it..I hated that music.. but I liked all the British chart music.. of the 70's... my daughter was born in the mid 70's too.. '76 ..


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## Pepper (Jan 29, 2022)

dseag2 said:


> There is still Brigitte Bardot, but she looks like rest of us now!


I think she's beautiful still with a very expressive, intelligent face.  I have always admired her.


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## Lanny (Mar 20, 2022)

I was in my early teens when 1970 rolled around.  Surprising how few forms of entertainment we had in those days.  TV had three channels and nothing but soaps all day.  Rock concerts were huge though and me and my friends went to see them all.  Seen every rock band imaginable.  Everything from ZZ Top to Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.  Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Queen, Electric Light Orchestra, you name it.  Tickets were three bucks, maybe five bucks for most of 'em too.


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## RFW (Mar 20, 2022)

Yes for me. I moved away from family and was finally free and I had a family of my own and a stable job.


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## Capt Lightning (Mar 22, 2022)

In the 70's  I...
Finished university
Got a job
Bought a house
Got married
Got a better job
started a family

70's were OK - some good music.


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## Pinky (Mar 22, 2022)

I have fond memories of the 70's. Basically, I was just struggling to save a bit of money, and I loved my job. Had good friends from work, dated a fair bit. Was fairly care-free.


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## win231 (Mar 22, 2022)

hollydolly said:


> LOL...she might look like you..speak for yourself.. lol.... she's 87 years old.. and for all my faults I don't think I look that old in my mid 60's.....however all Kudos to a woman who never ruined her face with plastic surgery as so many in the public eye have.. and she looks so much better for it..
> 
> To put it in perspective she's only 8 years younger than the Queen


HAHA - only men are allowed to age.  Women must always look 30.


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## win231 (Mar 22, 2022)




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## Remy (Mar 24, 2022)

Gaer said:


> The decade of the 1970's were the absolute WORST years of my life!
> Yuck!  Don't even want to think about them!


You summed up here what I was thinking.

When those 70's style clothes came back in the stores a number of years ago, they gave me flashbacks.


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## Lanny (Mar 24, 2022)

Remy said:


> You summed up here what I was thinking.
> 
> When those 70's style clothes came back in the stores a number of years ago, they gave me flashbacks.


Plaid carpet elephant bells with 3 inch cuffs, loud patterned plastic shirts with 12 inch lapels, 4 inch wide white belts, chunky high heels on guy's shoes, pimp daddy fashions of all descriptions. Flying in the face of conformity. Some so hideous bringing 'em back for a second go 'round was strictly out of the question


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## squatting dog (Mar 25, 2022)

Lanny said:


> Plaid carpet elephant bells with 3 inch cuffs, loud patterned plastic shirts with 12 inch lapels, 4 inch wide white belts, chunky high heels on guy's shoes, pimp daddy fashions of all descriptions. Flying in the face of conformity. Some so hideous bringing 'em back for a second go 'round was strictly out of the question


Hey... hey... some of my finest dud's came from the 70's.


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## ronaldj (Mar 25, 2022)

do you mean in the 70s or now that I in the 70s....they were the best of times they were the worst of times. I have tried to make them the most of times.


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## Lanny (Mar 25, 2022)

squatting dog said:


> Hey... hey... some of my finest dud's came from the 70's.
> 
> View attachment 214512


That photo pretty much nails it


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## squatting dog (Mar 25, 2022)

It may be making a comeback.


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## spectratg (Mar 25, 2022)

The 70's eh?  Well let's see.  I was a few years out of college and was just starting my career as a physicist working for the Navy.  I met the girl in 1970 who would become my wife.  By the end of the decade, my wife had given birth to 2 of our (eventually) 4 daughters, we had bought one house (1973) that we sold and moved to another (1979) where I lived for over 40 years (my wife passed away in 2014), and I had become a more senior level research scientist in my career.  So on a personal level, the years were good for me.  But I also remember the gas lines and the inflation.  Except for a few songs, most (but not all) of the good, real Rock N' Roll had come out in the 60's (and late 50's) (excluding the "bubble gum" songs of course).   Of course "better" is a relative term, as I am now an old man.


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## Victor (Mar 25, 2022)

For me yes 70s were better but I was naive and optimistic about life
I made poor career decisions that still hurt today. Socially awful 70s fashion was strange.  Fondue anyone?


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## squatting dog (Mar 25, 2022)

I still prefer the 70's version of social media.


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## Lavinia (Mar 25, 2022)

Were there so many people with 'mental health' problems? Were there so many suicides? Was there such high unemployment? Did people care about how they dressed?
In many ways, life is more comfortable now, with central heating and gadgets which make domestic life easier. However, people don't seem any happier. Perhaps they expect too much from life these days and they can't deal with things when life is hard.


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## debodun (Mar 25, 2022)

Difficult for me to say. Seems every decade has it good and bad points.


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## FastTrax (Mar 25, 2022)

The Gritty City in the 70s

Enjoy:











www.gothamcenter.org

www.pinterest.com/pin/688839705504309663/

www.alamy.com/stock-photo/nyc-70s.html

www.gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/this-is-the-greatest-1970s-nyc-footage-weve-seen

www.medium.com/@pablo_hm/new-york-city-a-return-to-the-70s-4a49548178dc

www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/20_albums_that_defined_nyc_in_the_70s/s1__29100479#slide_5

www.bygonely.com/polluted-new-york-city-1970s

www.historydaily.org/vintage-color-photos-of-nyc-streets-from-1970s

www.nymag.com/intelligencer/2015/09/what-everyone-gets-wrong-about-70s-new-york.html

www.moviefiednyc.com/2012/12/28/moviefieds-top-five-new-york-city-movies-from-the-70s/

www.filmforum.org/series/new-york-in-the-70s-series

www.vice.com/en/article/xwbgmj/downtown-manhattan-in-the-1970s-was-new-yorks-golden-era-for-nightlife

www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_New_York_Transit_Authority_in_the_1970s/

www.allthatsinteresting.com/1970s-new-york-photos

www.sensitiveskinmagazine.com/looking-back-new-york-in-the-70s/

https://ny.curbed.com/2019/7/13/20693407/new-york-blackout-1977-power-outage-history

www.quora.com/Was-NYC-more-dangerous-in-the-70s-than-today

www.rarehistoricalphotos.com/new-york-photos-1970s-vergara/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_New_York_City

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_blackout_of_1977

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:1970s_establishments_in_New_York_City


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## Lanny (Mar 25, 2022)

Lavinia said:


> Were there so many people with 'mental health' problems? Were there so many suicides? Was there such high unemployment? Did people care about how they dressed?
> In many ways, life is more comfortable now, with central heating and gadgets which make domestic life easier. However, people don't seem any happier. Perhaps they expect too much from life these days and they can't deal with things when life is hard.


I recently read that a Gallup poll of more than 100,000 Americans in 1960 found that 72 percent reported being "happy and content".
A Gallup poll of 100,000 Americans in 2015 found that 38 percent reported being happy and content. 

The fact that there wasn't a single mass shooting in America during the entire decade of the 1950's speaks very loudly. There were approximately 650 mass shootings in America in 2021.


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## Jan14 (Mar 25, 2022)

70s good for me. Teenager partying years, carefree.  Since then it’s been responsibility, work,  2 marriages, 2 divorces,  illness and aging.  I should have kept partying maybe ?  Lol


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## CinnamonSugar (Mar 26, 2022)

Lots of changes for me in the 70’s…. Middle school and first two years of high school in Southern California … then dad retired and we uprooted and moved to New England…. Felt so much more at home on the East coast.


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## jujube (Mar 26, 2022)

The 70s were a time of great change for me, living in a foreign country, having a child, moving back to the U.S., then moving to another state and buying our first house, and then finally moving to Florida.

We didn't have much money but boy howdy did we have fun!


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## Silent Rose (Mar 26, 2022)

I was born in 1972 so I was just a baby and a child of the 70's. I also lived a different sort of life then most children being that I couldn't hear at all and also could speak or when I spoke it wasn't the most pleasant of sounds. So other then going to a special school for the deaf and being around kids like me there, I was pretty much sheltered otherwise until later.


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## CinnamonSugar (Mar 26, 2022)

Silent Rose said:


> I was born in 1972 so I was just a baby and a child of the 70's. I also lived a different sort of life then most children being that I couldn't hear at all and also could speak or when I spoke it wasn't the most pleasant of sounds. So other then going to a special school for the deaf and being around kids like me there, I was pretty much sheltered otherwise until later.


Hi @Silent Rose … if I missed your introduction on another thread, Welcome To the Forum!


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## Silent Rose (Mar 26, 2022)

CinnamonSugar said:


> Hi @Silent Rose … if I missed your introduction on another thread, Welcome To the Forum!


Thank You, I just posted it. I am surprised by the quick responses here.


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## OysterBay (Mar 27, 2022)

Definitely better. 1979...  while on a quest for Lemmon 714s I fell madly in love with a blue-eyed blond Georgia peach. One morning I awoke in a drugged out haze on somebody's living room floor, and there she was... straddling me. I could not believe my eyes. Prettiest girl in the world was sitting on me. Now I ask you, does that happen in 2022?? No sirs. No sirs it does not.


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