Best decade to be a kid/teen?
I think the 50s, 60s and 80s were good times. The culture seemed to celebrate being young.
shareDepends what kind of kid/teen you are! Are you an angry rebel who wants to change the world? Or just have fun and party? Or be a good productive member of Capitalism?
I wish I grew up in the 50s (wholesome values, strong family and communities), was a teen through the 60s (exciting times, music, and experimentation), made the most of the 70s as a young man (orgies & mustaches), and settled into the debauchery of the 80s (every day is Miami Vice!), my final hearty years, before settling down in the 90s (raising kids who will hate me.)
I grew up in the 80s. I had a great time. But ultimately, my life was shallow and meaningless and filled with stuff and relationships built on fads, all of which have faded away and left me alone and bitter. So definitely not that one.
Wow. I hope you are OK. You sound depressed, or extremely thoughtful
and introspective. I agree with you, at least what I think you are saying
is that now is a tough time to be born. The planet is in huge turmoil.
There is a documentary called "The Corporation" that is really good, but
one guy in it talks about how every living system on the planet is in
decline, and that was 2003. I don't think humans are going to make it
much farther, and if we do we will be left with a ruined planet and
billions of pointless or a lot of bodies. It sickens me how how superficial
and selfish people have gotten.
Every decade had its pluses and minuses. Quite a few households were not a sitcom dream fest. Not everybody had their feet planted in the middle class. More homeowners but more stress to maintain it all. Quite a few had parents that simply did not have their heads screwed on straight. In quite a few small communities from the late 1960's onward many breadwinners had to worry about their employer packing up and leaving or flat out closing down. One of the real downers during my middle school years was my best friend leaving because his dad had a better opportunity in a different city. Lastly, even though quite a bit of the internet is filled with trash a person can seek out like minded people whether it be for a sports team, enjoying the outdoors, or restoring an old pickup truck. Back before that many had to settle for the local bar which typically had few like minded people hence the cops getting called in to break up fights on a regular basis.
sharePopular culture might have you believe that your life might unfold as you imagine it from the 1960's onward but having been around for those times the odds would predict a different outcome. Pot and other illicit drugs were not EVERY place during the 1960's so you may have encountered it or you may very well have not encountered it. The world was a far smaller place for many back then and far fewer had access to college subsidies. College was the primary venue for social experimentation during the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's. Less than 40 percent of the eligible 18-19 year olds enrolled in college back in the 1960's and just over 30 percent of those first year students made it to graduation. You may have hooked up with the first girl in high school who could remember your name. In your desire to want financial freedom you probably went to work at the local factory, car dealership, grocery store, etc. versus having the means for college. It might have been as simple as your high school guidance counselor not offering any encouragement for college and advising if you can get in at the local utility company then take it. For all you know that might turn out the best move you could make for as long as you showed some ambition by the time you turn 50 you could be in a nice house and have a new vehicle every few years. I know a number of people including in-laws who lived the life you desired and the common thread was they were broke with no job plus physically and mentally burned out by age 50 realizing they might live another 30 plus years that way. Having to live off the charity and kindness of others if and when they are available.
shareFair answer from both paragraphs.
shareHang in there big buddy
Always a new lady
Always a new gig
No worries!
I think as a parent, the 80s were a much better time to raise a kid. The culture seemed to celebrate kids, and a lot of the content made for kids is used today (ninja turtles, transformers, etc). The 70s seemed very smutty and people seemed to have gotten their act together by the 80s.
90s were good but kids were starting to become more insular and ‘stranger danger’ seemed to embed itself in the culture, with children not allowed to roam free as they once had.
00s seemed like a dark time with the whole “elevated terror risk” which was used to strip personal liberties. If you think of the 00s, there really wasn’t any great cultural aspect either. The biggest selling artists were Beyoncé, Usher and Pink, who are good artists, but dont hold a candle to greats of other eras. The smartphone was made in the 00s but really kicked into gear in the 10s.
So far I’ve liked the 10s, but I wonder where this “redefinition” movement is heading. We have people who say “don’t call them boys and girls, because they might not identify as a boy or a girl” and other really out there beliefs.
The "stranger danger" phenomenon actually has its roots in the 80s, supposedly since when individuals like Adam Wash got kidnapped and murdered. That brought nationwide attention and led to all sorts of PSAs that even became embedded into children's entertainment until around the late-90s. Up until around the early 80s, kids really do seem to roam a lot freely and child safety concerns didn't become much of a huge cautionary tale like how it notably did for today. On a somewhat related note, the UK also has this phenomenon started for them in the 60s too.
I also remember hearing about how "controversy" the earliest seasons of Sesame Street are from the 70s, when DVD releases were made exclusively for the nostalgic fans, partially for that reason. For example, the pilot episode in 1969 literally had a little girl in the neighborhood walking home from school with a teacher she just met. Something that obviously wouldn't fly as being socially acceptable today in the age of stranger danger. It's really amazing how even earlier seasons of Sesame Streets may reflect something about the changing times and attitudes of our society.