When you were a child, was the world a better place?

[msc545]

[Ill_made_Knight]

It had a better FEEL around the edges, of course I was a child, so... factually there were the MLK and RFK assassinations, Vietnam war and the unrest around that with Watergate hard on it's heels... the hostages under Carter leading up to Reagan's election. All the political problems we're facing right now were birthed back then. Nixon and Reagan... the clawing back of FDR's new deal programs began the day he died and it was Reagan that really got the ball rolling in favor of corporations and the wealthy.
The music however was absolutely jaw dropping, and so much of it was much more eloquent than anything I've noticed today. Public places weren't full of hostile public furniture, and your wages had a much higher value (ticket on the 40 yard line to the 1979 NFC Championship...$25).
So I'd say on a personal level, yeah it was a great time to be a teen, but there was already political turmoil and racial tension was still there (I was in Jr. High when Dallas began busing). Mixed bag. Surely a lot more stressful for an adult I'd say.

[lightbulb27]

The world? No. My little world, yes. since I knew nothing, playing in my backyard hole I dug, trying to get to china, with dinner on the table, was as good as it gets.

We had good family around, had fun, I only remmeber good things. But...

At that time, Vietnam was in full swing. Soon to follow that, was the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. You can read about how awful that was.

The neighborhood kid molested me and abused my brother. A kid at school... I discovered other people weren't like us... that kid was a mess, very angry.

Even then this is after major wars of WWII and Korea. Nuclear death was still possible.

Nah, it's always been a mess somewhere. Even Jesus of N bought everyone who wants one, a ticket out of here. It's a good offer.

So make your personal place better, expand that out.

[slatyb]

Definitely not. Children were dying of diseases we now vaccinate against. Worldwide, far more people were living in abject poverty. More people were dying violently. People in cities were being poisoned by the lead added to gasoline. In the United States this led to a surge in violent crime as lead poisoning damages the growing brain leading to poor impulse control, similar to the effects of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) that has lead some American football players to violence and suicide.

Today people in general are far wealthier and healthier. Simple statistic: half the world owns a mobile phone.

[SeekerOfTruth007]

No. My family was dirt poor due to a house fire destroying everything we had, and also due to my father's persistent medical problems which much like myself, started very early in his life.

The "Good old days" are a myth anyway. I can remember every time I went to my grandparents house, they put us to work working in the farm or throwing hay. Now we got paid minimum wage to throw hay, but to pick stupid crops by hand they paid us nothing. It was back-breaking labor and it was LEGAL in this country, because for some reason the parents and grandparents in my family thought children were for slave labor, a nd apparently, the USA federal government agrees with them.

[DryGermanGuy]

Ecologically no, by most/all other metrics, yes. We still had the Iron Curtain, for Christ’s sake. Sucked for the people east of it, but did quite well protecting the Western quality of life.

[goaded]

It was a different place. LGBT rights have come on leaps and bounds, but the fascism my father saw growing up is coming back.

[Snakeyes7]

Much better place. Race relations were at an all time high, we actually knew evil when we saw it, and the future actually seemed hopeful. All that changed during Obama.

[Snakeyes7]

In the US at least. It went to shit by the early 2010s, figuratively and when it comes to immigration, literally.

[Snakeyes7]

*illegal immigration counting those who got amnesty

[Ironco]

About the same, it's just now you are the adult and it just seems worse...

[IknowthatIdontKnow09]

A little bit better

[Simslover92]

Yes and a much better president.

[Iron_Man]

Yes I was free and so happy

[Staximus]

Yeah, there weren’t homeless tweakers everywhere

[msc545]

What do you think caused that to happen?

[Staximus]

The lack of consequences for possessing and being under the influence of meth and other hard drugs in the state, especially Los Angeles county. Last year I was at the gas station and there was 2 bums sitting at the bus stop during rush hour traffic, just smoking meth with total impunity right out in front of everybody.

[Staximus]

That kind of shit would never fly in the 90’s

[msc545]

So of course what you think is that punishment is the answer to bad behavior, correct?

[Staximus]

I don’t know man, you tell me. I knew a guy was a homeless junkie for many years and he actually is probably a millionaire by now. He used to sleep on the sidewalk in Skid Row for years. One day he rolled over and landed face down the gutter and just wanted a better life for himself. He said people can want a better life for you, people can teach you how to live a better life, but people can’t make you want a better life for yourself. You have to want that for yourself.

[Staximus]

This guy check myself into rehab for like the seventh time I went cold turkey off of heroin and decided he was never sleeping on another sidewalk again. Owned a successful valet and women’s hair cutting business

[Staximus]

Checked himself

[msc545]

I think that is probably the exception rather than the rule in terms of people's proclivities and capabilities. What I am saying is that most people in fact the vast majority of people on the condition you described cannot recover from it. Just because one person was able to doesn't mean anybody else can.

[FrodoSkywalker007]

I believe it