Topic: A question for the older generation.

[Dimitri13]

For those of you who grew up in the 50s, 60s, and even early 70s, did you like it, or would you have rather grown up in recent times (90s, 00s)? This question is in regards to pretty much all facets life; technology, automotive, family, friends, the way people acted, etc.

I've been watching a bunch of older movies from the 50s-70s, and it just seems like I'd fit right in.

I'd y'all's stories and opinions.

[petercb750]

I LOVED the 70s. Got my driving licence in 71 and first car, left school in 72 plus first bike, first real job in 73, sex, booze, rock'n'roll, bike racing, more sex, booze and rock'n'roll, first live-in girlfriend, less booze, sex and rock'n'roll..haha....life was one big party, such awesome memories.
I still listen to mostly 70s music and have 70s bikes and car....keeps me young. I just need to convince my body.. 

[Bailgang]

That's a tough question. When I was a young kid in the 60's early 70's there was Viet Nam, Kennedy assassinations, the "Iron Curtain" as the news media called it with everyone here paranoid about the USSR, the conflict between Britain and the IRA, the list goes on but it had my head spinning wondering what all the chaos was about. On a personal level the problems I had to deal with as a kid were pretty much the same my kids had to deal with, they just called it a different name. If there is any significant difference between then and now it's personal computers, when I was a kid I actually went outside and did something like play with my neighborhood friends, now days kids seem to be glued to their computers or smart phones. That was a big no no at this house, our kids were allowed only X amount of time to screw around with their electronic gizmos then they were booted out of the house to do something. I did have fun though as a child and so did my kids so really not much of a difference.

[mick7504]

Exactly what Pete said.
He nailed it.
I said in another post that I met up with an ol' mate from school yesterday and we hadn't seen or been in touch since about 1974.

If I could do an instant replay, I'd be there again tomorrow.
It was a magic time.

[toytuff]

They were great. Good times.

tt

[Blasbo]

One big difference I see is that when I was a kid in the 60s Mom could just let us go in the morning on Saturdays and during the summer. We were "free range" kids. As long as we were in our neighborhood she didn't have to worry. All the grown ups watched out for each others kids (but we managed to get in our share of trouble). When my kids were younger, I felt like I had to watch them walk half a block to a friends house. They never jumped on their bikes and rode around for hours. I feel like they missed out.

[70CB750]

My background is so different, I don't think I qualify for this topic 

[jamesb]

I liked that "we where free range kids" I didn't grow up in the 60's it was the 70's still was safe my very first concert was KISS in 1976 I was 9 yrs old. Things where good then riding my bike thinking one of these days this baby is gonna be a real motorcycle. Going to grandpa and grandmas and eating good. My only problem was there wasn't enough time in the day.

[scrapvalue]

We use to take our shotguns to school in our trucks and go hunting after school. I had a couple of teachers that would come out during lunch and check out our guns and talk about hunting. 
When there was a fight, it usually was taken out back and settled. Once you,(or hopefully the other guy) was knocked down, the fight was typically over and that was it. You didn't continue beating them until they were in need of medical attention.
The biggest problems our teachers had to deal with was, chewing gum, skipping school, rubber band fights and stuff like that.
If you got in trouble at school, you usually got in trouble when you got home for getting in trouble in school.
We went outside and played, didn't have anything that required a battery to use,(except the flashlight for night time escapades).
You could ride your motorcycle anywhere, just had to make sure we closed the farmers gate so the cows didn't get out.
I use to ride my 1969 Bridgestone 100 to school when I was in 7th grade and we would go out and ride on our lunch hour.
25 cents would buy you a large ice cream cone dipped in chocolate. 

We had way less technology, but yet so much more time for family and friends.

[azuredesign]

For those of you who grew up in the 50s, 60s, and even early 70s, did you like it, or would you have rather grown up in recent times (90s, 00s)? This question is in regards to pretty much all facets life; technology, automotive, family, friends, the way people acted, etc.

I've been watching a bunch of older movies from the 50s-70s, and it just seems like I'd fit right in.

I'd y'all's stories and opinions.

Boy,
Kind of a loaded question, almost like asking if one had a good time growing up or not. I overheard someone respond to a question about how they were coping with the summer heat at the hardware store(yep, we still have one)

The fellow responded that he was not going to complain about something he could do nothing about.
With that in mind, a short personal list of recollections

I was fascinated as a teenager in the late 60s and early 70s by everything that had to do with experiencing life,
going places by walking, hitching, bicycling, motorcycling. Very few restrictions to doing those things.

Color television with a remote control was about as hi tech as anything I can think of back then.

I remember being worried about Nikita Krushchev and going to Viet Nam. I did not like the hippy culture too much, but the sex thing was great and it was pretty hard to die because of it. I could ride a motorcycle 100 miles for 50 cents worth of gas. You could still make a decent living if you did not go to college.

Today, kids seem so much more savvy about all sorts of things, and I admit to being overwhelmed by the need for technology and the need to communicate in so many different ways. I do love using the net like the best encyclopedia ever, even though I probably retain 10% of the info I get from it. Proficiency in the arts has increased tremendously because of learning and information from the net, but I do not find as much to attract me musically as I did 40 or 50 years ago.
Its great to see the difference between then and now, I am glad for the opportunity!

[Lost and Confused]

I think a recurring theme here is the big difference between us as kids and the kids of today. I remember going tubing on the Niagara river at the age of ten. We were always making forts or trying to make a go kart with an old lawn mower engine. But on the other hand the years with my wife , have been great. Just seem to me that everything has to be right now, no patience. I don't remember all that many pedephiles. I have nothing against gays, just don't want to know about it. Just keep it to your self.


Thanks for a good question,  Bob

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

I LOVED the 70s. Got my driving licence in 71 and first car, left school in 72 plus first bike, first real job in 73, sex, booze, rock'n'roll, bike racing, more sex, booze and rock'n'roll, first live-in girlfriend, less booze, sex and rock'n'roll..haha....life was one big party, such awesome memories.
I still listen to mostly 70s music and have 70s bikes and car....keeps me young. I just need to convince my body.. 

Ditto and I'll add no rubbers (condoms for you youngsters) and birth control standard. Clap and syphilis were the worst that could happen and antibiotics took care of them. Let's not forget crabs too. Fat/ugly chicks culled from bars at closing time when no one was there to see you. But that was only as the option of last resort. Today's world is a paranoid world led by women and men without balls.

[greenjeans]

Born in 67.  The early 70's were great.   I wouldn't trade it for anything.  So much less to worry about.   
So many fewer people too.   Would hate to grow up in today's world.

[Untold]

I think anyone is just nostalgic for their youth, not necessarily a particular era.  Statistically speaking, crime is down now compared to the 70's. 

It's also important to note that most people (in the US) that are nostalgic for the 50s and 60s are WHITE.  You won't find that sentiment among minorities as much, I wouldn't think

[strynboen]

like the 70" for fighter planes starfighter super sabre f 105..hate it for sandals hippies pibe tobacco..and 2cv cars..
like the 80" for the best music..kraftwerk depech mode ultravox yes all elektronic music...but the cars get boring in the 80"
90-00 are boring...but world peace and sowjet fall..is fine...

[Xnavylfr]

Was born in '51 and raised in West Texas/New Mexico . In that part of the country ,there wasn't a lot to do ,so we had to FIND things to do. Most of the time if you weren't careful those THINGS got you in trouble.
I got my MC license when I was 15 on a Honda 50cc and of course I thought I was BAD TO THE BONE.
As mentioned before , if you got in trouble in school, you went to the Principals office and got the PADDLE and by the time you got home, your butt was already tenderized
and prepared for the second whipping.
Due to the lack of MODERN technology we had more family get togethers.
Was then a BETTER time than NOW, it depends on how you look at it. You could leave your doors and windows unlocked because NOBODY tried to break in because they knew they would probably get shot. NOW, you have to lock EVERYTHING down including the NET and phones with pass codes our somebody WILL steal your SS#.

Xnavylfr(CHUCK)

[Tews19]

My background is so different, I don't think I qualify for this topic 

Elaborate please???

I think even being 32 now times are different... We grew up kind of like Blasbo said... We would be told to leave the house in the morning in the summer and be back to eat.. Then leave.. Eat . Leave and be back a little after dark.. Usually when the street lights came on was the alarm to start running home... We weren't well off so I wasn't on traveling sports teams until I was older and talent played a role rather then your parents paying fees...

[Don R]

Lot's of good lot's of not so good in the 60's and 70's. I didn't do the drugs, did enjoy cheap fast cars. Bought a new 73 CB500 was told it was the latest model.  It wasn't, it was a retitled K2. Next a CB750, I bought a 69 firebird and a 40 chevy coupe in 73, Still have both.  Missed out on most of the free sex. My friends all split into the do drugs/don't do drugs groups.
 You could make a good living then working in a factory or learn a trade. I did both, never stopped learning. I think the deck is stacked against young people today.  Corporatism has killed off the good jobs.

[Bankerdanny]

I think I got the best of it being very young in the mid-70's and out of college by the mid 80's. Got the benefits of improved technologies (the PC and spell check had a huge impact on term paper grades) but still could have lots of unprotected sex and only worry about pregnancy and VD's that could (mostly) be cured with penicillin.

Today has it's benefits with smart phones and cars that make 300hp and still get good gas mileage and the microbrew explosion.

[demon78]

Grew up in the 40's-50's quite different than today, you made your own fun and now days if you did what we did they would lock you up and throw away the keys instead of the cop taking you home and letting the old man tune you up, before free love which pees me off but on the other hand with so many vets not long out and having war souvenirs at their disposal messing with their daughters was not an option, maybe a good thing. If I had a time though it would be Paris after the war all the greats played there with out the race thing it would have been great to listen to Dex, Nina Simone, Bud Powel, and others in the Paris clubs. Sigh, to goddam old or to goddam young. Oh well. Still vertical.
Bill the demon.

[simon#42]

interesting thread , from my point of view [ born in 61 and living in england ] the pace of life was slower , jobs were easy to find , there was alot less state control , there where alot less people , no technology to speak of which meant you tended to interact with family and friends more . was it better ? not sure because when your young tends to be the best time whenever you where born .

[Retro Rocket]

Said it before and i'll say it again, I could have lived my whole life in the 70's, we were a little more innocent, the music was , and still is brilliant, the bikes were memorable , classic and looked like  bikes should, you also needed big balls to ride them hard after which you could wind down over a bourbon and "real" coke and listen to bad company and co.....yeah, I miss it.... {maybe the odd joint may have been passed around, my memory is not quite as good as it used to be}   

[petercb750]

Said it before and i'll say it again, I could have lived my whole life in the 70's, we were a little more innocent, the music was , and still is brilliant, the bikes were memorable , classic and looked like  bikes should, you also needed big balls to ride them hard after which you could wind down over a bourbon and "real" coke and listen to bad company and co.....yeah, I miss it.... {maybe the odd joint may have been passed around, my memory is not quite as good as it used to be}   

I'm with ya on all of that 

[ekpent]

I am soooo glad I was born in 59 and got to enjoy the 70's, some of the 80's and early 90's are a memory Life was so much more easygoing back then and a kid could get away with a lot. No computers, games, cell phones etc back then, you had to go out and do things for better or worse. A dollar went far, cars were faster and hunting was better. Heck I moved out when I was in High School still because a place was so cheap and I already had a job after school/weekends. Did not break Mommy's heart    Darn good times

[bikerbart]

I was a freerange kid too. being a kid in the 70's was great. Didnt have much $$ so i spent my summers at the lake, in the woods, or just hanging around the neighborhood. I remember when the neighbors got cable tv. What a big deal it was. Then came the VCR, you were real popular if you had one. The trouble we got into, wow. I would be considered a 'threat' if I did that stuff today. Sigh. We didnt have politically corectness either , you said things without worrying if you will be arrested for a 'hate' crime. I am not so sure progress is actually that. God, I miss those days.