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.

[–] Lisaluv1 10 years ago

I didn't read thru your entire speech but just answering from a few points that I did see.

1. If people in 1985 could see the world today? What makes you think they couldn't? Are we supposed to be dead by now? Perhaps you meant to state that in another way or you seriously are delusional.

2. President Obama would not be a shock... especially since it is clearly shown that a black man Goldie Wilson would become Mayor after being shown in 1955 as a busboy. Now I do recall the 80s being a big time for blacks to make a mark. Not just within politics but media as well (i.e. Cosby Show, Michael Jackson, etc).

[–] crockett_john 10 years ago

Ah, yes. You didn't read what I wrote, but I must be delusional.

I believe President Obama would be a shock to someone in 1985 for the reasons I stated, not the reasons you gave.

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I'm just expressing my opinion.

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

[–] Lisaluv1 10 years ago

OK ... as you stated, you expressed your opinion just as I did. If you didn't want a response then next time leave out a question mark in subject line.

[–] crockett_john 10 years ago

Okay. Thanks.

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I'm just expressing my opinion.

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

[–] residentevil6901 10 years ago

I think it would be how bad inflation has become and how expensive everything is today.

May the 4th be with you!

[–] crockett_john 9 years ago

I thought of a few more:

Celebrities who are famous for no reason other than being famous, like Paris Hilton and those Kardashians. Plus, reality stars in general.

Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner saying he/she wants to be treated as a normal person while simultaneously and intentionally keeping a high media profile.

The number of celebrity criminals, like OJ Simpson and Robert Blake.

Others mentioned music. I think I would have been amazing to know that I could one day be able to store and play tons of music from a device smaller than a single cassette.

The notion that I could have a built-in CD player in my car and have it be the least convenient music player in the car.

Music awards shows and half-time shows that are more about the antics of the buffoons on stage than the music they are supposed to be performing.

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I'm just expressing my opinion.

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

[–] byson5186 9 years ago

I wasn't born quite yet in 1985. But, when I watch movies including movies from the '80s I notice how a lot of things don't look too different now than they were then. Yeah, hairstyles and clothing has changed and landlines seem pretty old. But, technology like robots. Robots have pretty much stayed the same and they imagine robots with artificial intelligence that would communicate with us which we don't have. Cars look different now than they did then, and some have screens but we don't have flying cars like Back To The Future. Clothes were different in the '80s, which we can tell when we watch films. But, not like the clothes they show in the future. We still wear jeans and stuff. So, even though clothing from the '80s is different, it's not too different.

I feel like we had some similar things back in the '80s to a lot of the technology we have now. It has just become more common which has allowed it to advance more. An example, is a TV show I watched DragonBall, DragonBall Z. The earlier show DragonBall came out in the mid-80s and it doesn't look too old today. I like the Red Ribbon Army Saga, where the technology the Red Ribbon Army use seems like technology they'd use today. I mean a huge screen map at the headquarters showing where the DragonBalls are and Bulma having a more sophisticated Dragon Radar, also having machines turn on all their weapons. It still seems like technology we'd see today when those episodes aired in '86 and '87.

Even when I watch Back To The Future, a lot of the movie especially the opening scene where they show places like Burger King and Toys R Us, looks like it would look today. It mostly seems like the hair, and now everybody has smartphones. Though before smartphones, the similar device we had 15-20 years ago that weren't as common were Palm Pilots.

So, my point is that even during these earlier times we had some similar technology to what we have now which wasn't as sophisticated or as common, but it worked in a similar way and has become more common now.

[–] sage2112 9 years ago

To the common citizen - things like:
cell phones
internet / email
HDTV
streaming on-demand video

Anyone of those would've just been absolutely shocking - with just about everyone saying "NO WAY!!"

It just doesn't seem that way because it happened gradually and once something seemingly magical becomes reality, it is instantly taken for granted and quickly becomes not so magical.

[–] Stenian 9 years ago

The abundance of plastic surgery, people thinking that they're goats/cats/dogs ("transpecies"), transracials (people who identify as a different race) and of course transabled (people who think that they should've been disabled).

[–] stgcomm 9 years ago

- 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.

Agreed that the world did not know exactly how or when the Soviet Union would fall, but it was definitely failing in 1985 when Gorbachev took over. That is why he began to implement diplomatic and economic reforms, opening up the Soviet Union more to outsiders, but it was too little too late.

[–] Beeracuda 9 years ago

I remember being amazed in 1989 when I first started buying compact disks. I kept thinking, all that music from one album on one little disk? And there's no needle? Now they're obsolete and now not only is there still no needle, but there's no disk! heh

But back to the question - They'd be amazed by how much professional athletes get paid these days, not to mention how much it costs to go to a game. I remember back around 1985 getting on some of our local athletes for making about $2 million a year. But it was only a few that made that much. Now many of them are making $20-30 million a year, not to mention signing bonuses and endorsements. Ok, maybe they wouldn't be so much "amazed", but rather disgusted.

[–] crockett_john 9 years ago

I remember CDs being an amazing thing, too, and when the technology was still new, the CDs were too unstable to be used in a car because they would skip when you hit a bump. I think they worked that out pretty quickly, though.

I also remember in the late 80s when someone got a multi-year contract that was $6 million. I can't think of who it was, but I remember thinking how ridiculous that sounded at the time.

I think people might have also been amazed at how many choices you have in TV and cable. In the 80s, if you had 30 channels, that was a lot and it cost under $30 a month where I was. Now, you have hundreds of channels to choose from and you can watch what you want when you want.

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I'm just expressing my opinion.

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

[–] MaximRecoil (4846) 8 years ago

Now they're obsolete and now not only is there still no needle, but there's no disk! heh[/quote]

CDs aren't even close to being obsolete. Hundreds of millions of them are sold every year. Also:

[quote]According to a February 2016 report provided by media and technology analysis company Media Insights & Decision In Action (MIDiA), "CD buyers are the largest single group of recorded music consumers with 32 percent penetration compared to 28 percent for concert goers, 25 percent for music downloaders and 10 percent for subscribers."

Not only that, but vinyl record sales are at their highest level since 1988.

[–] TheAdvocator 9 years ago

The way our shopping habits have changed and how we don't use malls as much as we used to. I understand there are a great many malls that are not only functional but still thrive but in my city the malls have gone down hill. One is an official dead mall with a few anchors keeping it open, one has closed completely and is just taking up space. I like visiting big cities because those malls remind me of how the ones where I live used to be as I was growing up.

A good review of "Inside Out": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXC_205E3Og

[–] pioneergrrrl (2412) 8 years ago

I was a little kid in 1985. Yes I was alive---but my big issues were what Barbie I got as a present.

I don't think 1985 me would recognize the current me.