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I had a strange thought…

TeeSeaTeeSea Posts: 1,556 Member
Anyone in their 40’s and above can probably relate to this:

Now a days we are so careful with our personal information and who we share it with.

When I was in grade school we actually gave out home address to strangers from across the world via Penpal Services at school.

What are some things that you did as a your younger self that would be unheard of today?

Comments

  • Calico45Calico45 Posts: 2,038 Member
    Internet in the house. Genuinely didn't have regular Internet access until high school. Now everyone has a data plan on a phone or tablet, Internet provider or not (and they do have that service, too, let's be real). Even small children have the equivalent of a $1000 bill in their hand with an unlimited data plan.

    Also, mobile phones and Internet were 100% considered luxuries and nonessential.
  • CAPTAIN_NXR7CAPTAIN_NXR7 Posts: 4,451 Member
    Crafting Mixtape cassettes and visiting actual Video Rental Stores with shelves full of VHS tapes. All them tapes and rental VCRs smelled like tobacco and I remember strolling into the horror and restricted areas as a little kid and no one would give a 💩.
  • DeKayDeKay Posts: 81,472 Member
    I'm not even close to 40 but I'm kinda the opposite. XD

    When I was a kid, we had those like "autograph" books where we would write a bio of ourselves like where we live, what food we like, what music we like, etc etc and I remember being so secretive about it. I won't even tell people my fav bands but now that I'm older, I'm always yapping about my fav bands and my fav food. 🤣
    My Top Song of the Day: Fancy Footwork by Chromeo
    FwDXXd5.gif
  • RepoRepo Posts: 344 Member
    Well lets see, as a child I...

    ..rode home from the hospital after I was born in the front of the car while being held by my mother. (These days a infant can't leave the hospital without proof of child safety seat.)

    ...rode in the open back of a pickup truck while on public roads. (You will get ticketed for that now at the least.)

    ...rode inside cars seated or loose in the back of a station wagon without a seat belt. (Many cars still on the road at the time hadn't been made with seat belts and there was no seat belt law.)

    ...walked around in a cloud of cigarette smoke in public. (People were allowed to smoke almost anywhere they wanted at the time to include most stores and there were no separate smoking areas in restaurants.)

    ...was subjected to advertising that promoted cigarette smoking as healthy or the cool thing to do. (Ads like that cannot be run here in the U.S. anymore due to deceptive/harmful advertising laws.)

    ...opened a glass, unsealed bottle of baby aspirin (I was fairly small at the time and I got quite a sharp lecture from Mom about it which is why I remember.) (Tamper proof seals, child safe packaging and plastic bottles didn't come out until later.)
  • TeeSeaTeeSea Posts: 1,556 Member
    I remember when there was no seatbelt law and my little sister actually fell out of the car after figuring out how to open the door. Luckily we had just pulled out, there was no traffic and we weren’t going that fast so she wasn’t injured or even have a scratch on her but my mom was a nervous wreck ever since.
  • RepoRepo Posts: 344 Member
    @TeeSea, Ah yes, the days before child safety locks in cars, or automatic locks at all. A simple push or pull was all it took to lock or unlock the door, easy for anyone to escape, not so expensive to repair, but scary for parents of active, inquisitive children and much easier to break in to.
  • WhatCobblersWhatCobblers Posts: 2,748 Member
    I remember writing handwritten letters to pen pals a few times when I was a kid. The correspondence didn't last very long unfortunately and I miss things like that. The excitement that comes with anticipating a reply, plus you could ramble on a bit without feeling guilty because you knew the person would be interested in what you've got to say.
    I feel the magic of things like that has been somewhat lost nowadays because of quick and easy messaging.

    @DeKay we used to have filofax books similar to the autograph books you describe. I remember I had one of my favourite band at the time (The Spice Girls) and remember they used to contain quizzes about which band member are you most like, etc.

    And @CAPTAIN_NXR7 I remember video rental and recording my own cassette tapes too!

    Fun days...

    Okay, I'm going to stop now. 😅
  • CAPTAIN_NXR7CAPTAIN_NXR7 Posts: 4,451 Member
    Repo wrote: »

    ...rode inside cars seated or loose in the back of a station wagon without a seat belt. (Many cars still on the road at the time hadn't been made with seat belts and there was no seat belt law.)

    I remember doing all these gymnastics competitions with my 2 siblings in the back the car. One of them included moving around in the seat up side down trying to reach the ceiling with our feet as fast as we could, which is nearly impossible when you’re still only the size of a turnip. Of course it wasn’t as busy on the roads as it is now, but it was mayhem all the same. Nowadays the little brats are securely strapped in with a display installed in front of them so they can safely and “quietly” watch their favorite Disney movies.
    ...walked around in a cloud of cigarette smoke in public. (People were allowed to smoke almost anywhere they wanted at the time to include most stores and there were no separate smoking areas in restaurants.)

    Aaah… and the good ‘ol Smoky pubs and clubs. I understand why the public smoking ban was introduced but I’d have to say at times I really do miss stepping into a dark, smoky bar. I’m not much of a smoker myself and plenty of folks I was with back in the days would almost choke to death the moment they entered the tobacco fog, but it definitely added to the aesthetics and gave the place character that is not so easy to find these days!
    Shame really. 😂
  • TeeSeaTeeSea Posts: 1,556 Member
    edited October 2021
    I also remember the first time I heard of the internet was also the first time I tried AOL at a friends house. This was when AOL was brand new to most people, the early 90’s. I can still hear the internet dial up and then hoping to hear “You’ve got mail”.

    Also I remember writing to my Grandparents who lived in another state and excitingly waiting for a reply. It was usually just about the time you forgot about the letter that the reply would show up.

    Long distance phone calls were family events because it use to cost so much just to call another state.
  • RepoRepo Posts: 344 Member
    I do not miss dial up internet and the constant competition between house hold members using the internet and those needing to make a phone call or angry that they were missing calls. (I frequently got an ear full from my mom about this as my dad really did like the internet and she kept missing calls.)

    My mom would stay up late just to make a long distance call to relatives during the cheap time periods. Some during the summer my sisters and I were allowed to stay up late to talk to them. If we got a call from distant relatives during peak hours, something really bad had happened like death, accidents and hospitalizations etc.

    Repoman and I were out at the local grocery store about a moth ago with our daughter (in her 20s) when and elderly lady (easily in her 80s) ahead of us in line paid for her groceries with a paper check, which you almost never see any more. While doing some extended last month we ran across a box of voided checks at least 15 years old (They predated us living in our current house). How they ended up in the box they were in we have no idea (and we had to shred them), but keeping your voided checks that the bank returned to you used to be a thing. An Aunt of mine was quite proud to say she had more that 20 worth of voided check in her closet (just in case). When I was first married, if you wrote a paper check to a store, it wasn't usually cashed right away. You normally had 1-2 days (or more if your bank was distant) before the bank would process your check so if you got paid on Friday but needed groceries a day or so before you got paid you could float a check, knowing that the money would be there when the bank processed you check a day or so later.

    When my daughter was an infant, the gas station near our house had just installed this neat new thing where you could pay for your gas using your credit card right at the pump. This was quite the gift as it saved me from having to take daughter out of the car, stand in line waiting to pay while sometimes struggling to write a check and juggle a baby carrier.
  • Deshong04Deshong04 Posts: 4,278 Member
    edited October 2021
    For a school project we had to draw our way home from school and then the teacher posted that up for everyone to see. It was interesting seeing others route home and of course drawings since I was interested in illustrations.

    I sometimes share personal information even to this day because I am quirky like that, but I am well aware of the implications and because of that do so intentionally to see the true colors of those around me. Sure, it may mean I get made fun of which is nothing new to me. I choose to remain who I am rather than pretend to be someone I am not. Some do not like me and that is fine because I do not look for validation or love from strangers or others in general. I like and love me. The only love and support I need besides my own is from above.

    I will say though that I do pity those who are so passionate about attempting to bring others down to make themselves feel good or look good. While they think they are hurting others, they do not realize the person they hurt the most is theirself. We all reap what we sow, good or bad.

    =======

    What did I do when I was younger that doesn't exist or at least rare now?

    Blockbuster was a huge thing back then and I loved going there to rent video games. There was this other movie/video game rental store and we would rent a lot of games from there. Some of them I remember were: Twisted Metal 2 and 3, Fighting Force 64, Resident Evil 2, Life, Perfect Dark, Diddy Kong Racing, Donkey Kong 64, Wave Race 64, Crusin' the World, Crusin' USA, Super Mario 64, House of the Dead 2, etc.

    I didn't get a chance to experience arcades but I remember in the malls they would sometimes have arcade cabinets and waiting in line to play. But I did go to Dave & Buster's so that technically was my first experience. It was really fun playing House of the Dead 3 co-op and some sort of jeep shooter dinosaur game, lol. I have not been there lately so I wonder what new games they have now.
    “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
    Stand a little taller
    Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
    What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
    Footsteps even lighter”
  • TeeSeaTeeSea Posts: 1,556 Member
    @Deshong04
    Blockbuster is still open in Bend, Oregon.
  • Deshong04Deshong04 Posts: 4,278 Member
    edited October 2021
    Most Blockbusters are closed down, but yes I am aware there is at least one still open from a news article I read some time ago. Hopefully, it will stick around for a very long time as long as, I suspect, they get good business. Which I suppose they do, so that is great for those who get to still enjoy that.
    “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
    Stand a little taller
    Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
    What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
    Footsteps even lighter”
  • TeeSeaTeeSea Posts: 1,556 Member
    Deshong04 wrote: »
    Most Blockbusters are closed down, but yes I am aware there is at least one still open from a news article I read some time ago. Hopefully, it will stick around for a very long time as long as, I suspect, they get good business. Which I suppose they do, so that is great for those who get to still enjoy that.

    I live in Oregon and it is still around. It is the last standing Blockbuster. My husband and I have thought about taking a trip up to Bend just to visit the Blockbuster because Blockbuster was huge part of our first few years married because it was an inexpensive date night.
  • WhatCobblersWhatCobblers Posts: 2,748 Member
    edited October 2021
    Ohhhh, and the days when you could just plug a cartridge or CD into a games console and play straight away, without having to have any internet connection or sign up for yet another online account!

    I remember when accepting cookies just meant being given a free biscuit.
  • WildIrishBansheeWildIrishBanshee Posts: 2,104 Member
    Playing outside as a child with little to no supervision. What happened to letting your kids go wild outside? That's what it's there for!
    Riding in the back of any vehicle that had an open space. Admittedly, that still goes on somewhat in my state, but it's a lot less common.
    Gas being $.69 a gallon. I'd even take the $1.10 it was when I got my license!
    Pre-Internet, then pre-Google - remember when Yahoo! was actually good? AskJeeves? Linkos? However, I don't miss dial-up! :lol:
    Primestar - still the best satellite service ever. Long gone, probably because they were too cheap lol.
    Party telephone numbers. Yeah, don't miss those - the only upside was getting to talk to random people when you were bored/lonely.
    The 90's. Nuff said.

    Ah, the good ole days.
  • TeeSeaTeeSea Posts: 1,556 Member
    I remember having to write a paper on the same subjects as my classmates and we all had to use the same 5 paragraphs in the encyclopedia in the school library as our only source. On a very rare occasion mostly in high school you'd get a subject that the library had actual books about not just the encyclopedia. I wouldn't want to write a paper for school now because of all the miss information on the internet.
  • SweetieWright_84SweetieWright_84 Posts: 4,120 Member
    edited October 2021
    I'm not in my 40s yet, 37.

    As a kid, I spent all of time roaming my neighborhood with my friends.

    When I became a parent, I wouldn't even let my kids play in our own yard unattended until they were 6-7. And even then I was constantly checking on them. If I couldn't see them, I would yell for them so I could know where they were. If a car came into our driveway, they knew to run inside if they didn't recognize the car. That may make me a helicopter mom, but it's what made me feel safe.

    The little neighborhood I lived in as a kid, was really safe. We could leave our house for a week, doors and windows unlocked (we didn't but could have), and nothing would have been touched.

    I keep my doors locked all day, everyday nowadays. My neighborhood is safe, I just feel safer with them locked. It's such a habit I've even locked my husband out by accident several times. :#
    Gallery ID: SweetieWright_84--Save File Thread--Youtube Channel
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