MovieChat Forums > Back to the Future Part II (1989) Discussion > If people in 1985 could see the world to...

If people in 1985 could see the world today?

posted 10 years ago by crockett_john
100 replies | jump to latest

What do you think would be most surprising? I don't think the movie makes an actual attempt to predict the future, but instead attempts to be pretty extreme in its depiction of 2015. We have a lot of technological advances that might have been hinted at or even predicted by scientists back in the 1980s, like personal computers being in practically every household, but I don't think they would have predicted the extent to which we rely on smartphones, tablets, and the Internet in general.

Here are some I think would be surprising:

- The downfall of printed news. Newspapers stil exist, but they're not really a source of braking news any more. By the time an event is covered in a newspaper now, it's already an old story.

- President Obama, not because he's the first black president, but because the political climate in 1985 was a lot different from what is now and I think people in 1985 would be amazed that someone with his values/political views would ever get elected, especially with things like the Affordable Care Act.

- The fall of the Soviet Union - this happened not too long after the movie came out, but I don't think this was something that would have been easily predicted in 1985.

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I'm just expressing my opinion.

You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.

[–] LaLlama 8 years ago

Shocked as to why Europe looks like the Middle East.

[–] Hollywood_Square_Contestant 8 years ago

They be depressed that there are still no Starship Enterprises or Millenium Falcons yet.

[–] samsticka-1 8 years ago

Certain intersections that were either 4-way stops or traffic light-controlled being changed into roundabouts. I think lots of people from 1985 would be surprised by that.

[–] moderngamenewb 8 years ago

Tech related, they'd be surprised we'd have tablets (I believe Computers were brand new then and way more expensive, bigger, and not mainstream like now), smartphones, and especially smart watches. Instead of a watch just being a device to tell time, I think they'd be surprised by smart watches being a little computer, and just as surprised by a smartphone. When I was a kid, I remember thinking those old black and white PDAs was an amazing device.

[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7986) 7 years ago

I'd love to go back then and tell people Donald Trump will become President. Just so they will say, "Donald Trump!? The Billionaire!? Yeah, right!"

[–] Gd5150 (11965) 7 years ago

The power of smartphones.
Starbucks and $5 coffees.

One thing that wouldn’t surprise people is who’s president.

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

If people of 1985 saw today they would think the following:

1) cars look really curved
2) men cover up more and women wear arobics wear
3) TVs are super clear I feel like it’s a window
4) music is terrible
5) dudes marrying dudes is crazy
6) Trump is President? He must have really matured with age to win over the American people
7) Michael Jackson died? :’( He became white?
8) McDonalds went fancy?
9) I can check the news and weather on my phone?

[–] MIchiganJFrogg (-35) 7 years ago

[deleted]

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

In Australia they have McCafe in restaurants, they serve premium burgers called the Angus range, and some stores have table service, so you order, take a number and they’ll bring it to your table.

[–] MIchiganJFrogg (-35) 7 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Gd5150 (11965) 7 years ago

They would be shocked Miami Vice only lasted 5 seasons.

And that it took so long for Donald Trump to finally become president.

[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7986) 6 years ago

When I was a kid in the early 90s I would never have guessed we would eventually have lots of Marvel Superhero movies.

[–] BourbonKing (5788) 6 years ago

They'd be surprised at the softening of our culture (from both Left and Right sides of the spectrum) and be amazed by how much today's society is engulfed in social media instead of living life as it is.

They'd also be surprised by how much we coddle and overprotect the younger generation from how they're spoken to by adults to how they're catered to as students and even employees where companies bend over backwards to appease them. This type of culture didn't exist Pre-Internet as far as my own experience can tell. Maybe in wealthier communities, but not the majority of American society.