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Why americans love the past but hate the present?

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rochester21

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I look at old videos on youtube featuring life in the US in the 50s, 60s, 70s etc(i study culture). And every time the comment section is full of older americans complaining about how bad things are now in "America"(btw, America is a continent not a country). The thing is, basically all the things they complain about were invented/developed in the US. That doesn`t make any sense to me. How can all of you complain about the direction your country has taken while you were in it, voting, working, developing the same things you now claim to hate.

A short list with things invented/developed in America, which older americans say they hate(no particular order):
- The dismantling of the local industry.
- Outsourcing of jobs and know-how.
- Cell phones.
- Social media.
- Political correctness.
- The sexual revolution.
- Feminism.
- Immigration.
- The Age of Surveillance.
- The internet.
- Google.
- NSA, FBI, CIA etc.
- Foreign Intervention(Ok not a strictly american thing, the british cousins came up with that).
- The empowerment of sexual minorities.
- The rise of the fast-food culture and the obesity crisis.
- The opioid epidemic.
- ETC ETC.

You invented and/or perfect most of the things in the above list, now yo`re complaining about it? If you loved your country the way it was 70 years ago, why did you change it? Did a foreign power invade you like it happened to my country and they changed the american way of life?

I just don`t get it. Why invent the internet and then complain about it? Why invent modern day feminism and them complain about it? Why bring over millions of immigrants and then complain about it? Is the US controlled by the Matrix, the locals have no saying in what`s happening with the country? Isn`t the US a democracy(land of the free and home of the brave)???

Then why complain?
 
i like the present pretty well. as i was saying in another thread, the computers have gotten a lot better. my musical tastes are mostly 60s and 70s, though.

dd7ab626d1eadc99cf7dc0492f41202c.jpg
 
This is pretty asinine.

Just who put together this idiotic list of what "older Americans Don't like."

I hate stupid threads like this.

All this thread effectively is designed to do is vent displeasure with older people by assigning them their position and demanding that they defend it.

Here is an idea, my "cultural" enthusiast. Study "fallacies" and realize how ridiculous this is.

Thanks! :2wave:
 
rochester21 said:
I look at old videos on youtube featuring life in the US in the 50s, 60s, 70s etc(i study culture). And every time the comment section is full of older americans complaining about how bad things are now in "America"(btw, America is a continent not a country). The thing is, basically all the things they complain about were invented/developed in the US. That doesn`t make any sense to me. How can all of you complain about the direction your country has taken while you were in it, voting, working, developing the same things you now claim to hate.

A short list with things invented/developed in America, which older americans say they hate(no particular order):
- The dismantling of the local industry.
- Outsourcing of jobs and know-how.
- Cell phones.
- Social media.
- Political correctness.
- The sexual revolution.
- Feminism.
- Immigration.
- The Age of Surveillance.
- The internet.
- Google.
- NSA, FBI, CIA etc.
- Foreign Intervention(Ok not a strictly american thing, the british cousins came up with that).
- The empowerment of sexual minorities.
- The rise of the fast-food culture and the obesity crisis.
- The opioid epidemic.
- ETC ETC.

You invented and/or perfect most of the things in the above list, now yo`re complaining about it? If you loved your country the way it was 70 years ago, why did you change it? Did a foreign power invade you like it happened to my country and they changed the american way of life?

I just don`t get it. Why invent the internet and then complain about it? Why invent modern day feminism and them complain about it? Why bring over millions of immigrants and then complain about it? Is the US controlled by the Matrix, the locals have no saying in what`s happening with the country? Isn`t the US a democracy(land of the free and home of the brave)???

Then why complain?
Click to expand...

All I can say about the past is that there was a lot more happiness, a lot more unity, and a lot more fun and a lot less fear and worry of the future. All those inventions you mention only help to make everyday chores easier but they do not offer a better quality of life.
 
rochester21 said:
I look at old videos on youtube featuring life in the US in the 50s, 60s, 70s etc(i study culture). And every time the comment section is full of older americans complaining about how bad things are now in "America"(btw, America is a continent not a country). The thing is, basically all the things they complain about were invented/developed in the US. That doesn`t make any sense to me. How can all of you complain about the direction your country has taken while you were in it, voting, working, developing the same things you now claim to hate.

A short list with things invented/developed in America, which older americans say they hate(no particular order):
- The dismantling of the local industry.
- Outsourcing of jobs and know-how.
- Cell phones.
- Social media.
- Political correctness.
- The sexual revolution.
- Feminism.
- Immigration.
- The Age of Surveillance.
- The internet.
- Google.
- NSA, FBI, CIA etc.
- Foreign Intervention(Ok not a strictly american thing, the british cousins came up with that).
- The empowerment of sexual minorities.
- The rise of the fast-food culture and the obesity crisis.
- The opioid epidemic.
- ETC ETC.

You invented and/or perfect most of the things in the above list, now yo`re complaining about it? If you loved your country the way it was 70 years ago, why did you change it? Did a foreign power invade you like it happened to my country and they changed the american way of life?

I just don`t get it. Why invent the internet and then complain about it? Why invent modern day feminism and them complain about it? Why bring over millions of immigrants and then complain about it? Is the US controlled by the Matrix, the locals have no saying in what`s happening with the country? Isn`t the US a democracy(land of the free and home of the brave)???

Then why complain?
Click to expand...

No. America is not a continent and YES, America refers to a country. The United States of AMERICA. It is the same as calling China, China, instead of the People's Republic of China. Jeez... learn some history... AND Geography.
 
Helix said:
i like the present pretty well. as i was saying in another thread, the computers have gotten a lot better. my musical tastes are mostly 60s and 70s, though.

View attachment 67252345
Click to expand...

I like to label myself one of the world's great appreciates of music. I was raised on 60's, early 70's music like so many of us. I have about 5,000 albums.

I got to the point however where I had to evolve or be bored. I still love all that old stuff but if I hear Stairway To Heaven one more time I think I'll scratch my eyes out! I still listen to 8-10 hours of music a day but now mostly it is all classical. I have gone through all kinds of music appreciation paths over the years. I have always and still do, like new sounds.

This did make me nostalgic though. I think I'll throw on some Zeppelin now.

:violin:
 
Rexedgar said:
First eight track tape; I still have it, somewhere......

View attachment 67252346

Bought from a truck vendor at a gas station....
Click to expand...

very nice! Mom played the record version of that album a lot, though her favorite Bob Dylan record was Bringing It All Back Home. Maggie's Farm was played at a good volume on many Friday and Saturday nights when i was growing up. as for me, Desire has probably gotten the most play, though i love Highway 61 Revisited. i recorded my own version of Desolation Row, and i'll tell you that it's tough to get a ten or eleven minute song in one continuous take. as for eight tracks, i have a functional unit. i like them. it sort of forces you to listen to the album as an album more than other formats do. you can skip around, but it's wonky to do that, so most of the time, you just let it play. i dig that.
 
tumblr_pnbv8b0zAb1r55d2io1_1280.png
 
Helix said:
very nice! Mom played the record version of that album a lot, though her favorite Bob Dylan record was Bringing It All Back Home. Maggie's Farm was played at a good volume on many Friday and Saturday nights when i was growing up. as for me, Desire has probably gotten the most play, though i love Highway 61 Revisited. i recorded my own version of Desolation Row, and i'll tell you that it's tough to get a ten or eleven minute song in one continuous take. as for eight tracks, i have a functional unit. i like them. it sort of forces you to listen to the album as an album more than other formats do. you can skip around, but it's wonky to do that, so most of the time, you just let it play. i dig that.
Click to expand...



Don’t bogart...........
 
noonereal said:
I like to label myself one of the world's great appreciates of music. I was raised on 60's, early 70's music like so many of us. I have about 5,000 albums.

I got to the point however where I had to evolve or be bored. I still love all that old stuff but if I hear Stairway To Heaven one more time I think I'll scratch my eyes out! I still listen to 8-10 hours of music a day but now mostly it is all classical. I have gone through all kinds of music appreciation paths over the years. I have always and still do, like new sounds.

This did make me nostalgic though. I think I'll throw on some Zeppelin now.

:violin:
Click to expand...

i go through freak out phases, i think. i had a couple years in which i listened to nothing but The Beatles. then i freaked out over The Doors so much that i began singing in a tribute band, and that started my onstage career. then i went nuts over Soundgarden. this Dylan phase has lasted a long time, though. i think that this one is probably permanent; at least i hope so.

congrats on your 5,000 album collection. i don't have anywhere near that many, but i have a pretty good sampling. i'm going to have to replace my turntable soon, as the speed has dropped slightly. most people probably wouldn't notice it, but i can tell that the pitch is off.
 
Helix said:
i went nuts over Soundgarden.
Click to expand...

From Nirvana till about 2000 we were treated to some great music too. What a great time alternative music was.

I actually bothered to make a list of the best albums of all time a few years back. Speaking of Dylan, Blonde on Blonde is in my top 5.

Love, Forever Changes was in the top 5 too as was Workingman's Dead, the Grateful Dead.
 
Bodhisattva said:
No. America is not a continent and YES, America refers to a country. The United States of AMERICA. It is the same as calling China, China, instead of the People's Republic of China. Jeez... learn some history... AND Geography.
Click to expand...

He studies "culture" not logic or geography. ;)
 
Helix said:
i go through freak out phases, i think. i had a couple years in which i listened to nothing but The Beatles. then i freaked out over The Doors so much that i began singing in a tribute band, and that started my onstage career. then i went nuts over Soundgarden. this Dylan phase has lasted a long time, though. i think that this one is probably permanent; at least i hope so.

congrats on your 5,000 album collection. i don't have anywhere near that many, but i have a pretty good sampling. i'm going to have to replace my turntable soon, as the speed has dropped slightly. most people probably wouldn't notice it, but i can tell that the pitch is off.
Click to expand...

I ran a few errands today and I have an SD card in the truck that just plays random tracks of music I have recorded. The Traveling Wilburys came on with Dylan ‘singing’ “Cheater and the Monkey Man.” Someone here @ DP had just disparaged Bobby Zimmerman’s singing. I wish the TWs had a longer run; Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, RIP.

 
Last edited:
Luckyone said:
All I can say about the past is that there was a lot more happiness, a lot more unity, and a lot more fun and a lot less fear and worry of the future. All those inventions you mention only help to make everyday chores easier but they do not offer a better quality of life.
Click to expand...

I remember hiding under my desk at school for nuclear attacks and tornadoes. Growing up next to the largest military installation in the free world and an area prone to storms made it a necessity.

But you're right, we weren't divided or fearful.
 
rochester21 said:
I look at old videos on youtube featuring life in the US in the 50s, 60s, 70s etc(i study culture). And every time the comment section is full of older americans complaining about how bad things are now in "America"(btw, America is a continent not a country). The thing is, basically all the things they complain about were invented/developed in the US. That doesn`t make any sense to me. How can all of you complain about the direction your country has taken while you were in it, voting, working, developing the same things you now claim to hate.

A short list with things invented/developed in America, which older americans say they hate(no particular order):
- The dismantling of the local industry.
- Outsourcing of jobs and know-how.
- Cell phones.
- Social media.
- Political correctness.
- The sexual revolution.
- Feminism.
- Immigration.
- The Age of Surveillance.
- The internet.
- Google.
- NSA, FBI, CIA etc.
- Foreign Intervention(Ok not a strictly american thing, the british cousins came up with that).
- The empowerment of sexual minorities.
- The rise of the fast-food culture and the obesity crisis.
- The opioid epidemic.
- ETC ETC.

You invented and/or perfect most of the things in the above list, now yo`re complaining about it? If you loved your country the way it was 70 years ago, why did you change it? Did a foreign power invade you like it happened to my country and they changed the american way of life?

I just don`t get it. Why invent the internet and then complain about it? Why invent modern day feminism and them complain about it? Why bring over millions of immigrants and then complain about it? Is the US controlled by the Matrix, the locals have no saying in what`s happening with the country? Isn`t the US a democracy(land of the free and home of the brave)???

Then why complain?
Click to expand...

What magical place are you from where everyone gets along and agrees on everything and spends all day sucking each others dicks? Asking for a friend.
 
WCH said:
I remember hiding under my desk at school for nuclear attacks and tornadoes. Growing up next to the largest military installation in the free world and an area prone to storms made it a necessity.

But you're right, we weren't divided or fearful.
Click to expand...


Bragg?

Campbell?

Hood?

Given the tornado mention, I’m guessing Hood?
 
noonereal said:
From Nirvana till about 2000 we were treated to some great music too. What a great time alternative music was.

I actually bothered to make a list of the best albums of all time a few years back. Speaking of Dylan, Blonde on Blonde is in my top 5.

Love, Forever Changes was in the top 5 too as was Workingman's Dead, the Grateful Dead.
Click to expand...

loved (and still love) Alternative / Grunge. i was around 16 when Nirvana broke through with Nevermind.
 
Rexedgar said:
I ran a few errands today and I have an SD card in the truck that just plays random tracks of music I have recorded. The Traveling Wilburys came on with Dylan ‘singing’ “Cheater and the Monkey Man.” Someone here @ DP had just disparaged Bobby Zimmerman’s singing. I with the TWs had a longer run; Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, RIP.

Click to expand...


i love his singing. i also like the Traveling Willburys.
 
Helix said:
i love his singing. i also like the Traveling Willburys.
Click to expand...

It’s a stretch calling it singing, but I like it as well, “pump don’t work, ‘cause the vandals took the handle.”

Eric Bogle:
 
rochester21 said:
I just don`t get it. Why invent the internet and then complain about it? Why invent modern day feminism and them complain about it? Why bring over millions of immigrants and then complain about it? Is the US controlled by the Matrix, the locals have no saying in what`s happening with the country? Isn`t the US a democracy(land of the free and home of the brave)???

Then why complain?
Click to expand...

I'll take a shot at a serious answer.

Firstly, much of this is just nostalgia for the "good old days" which weren't as good as we remember, certainly not as good as TV made it look, and absolutely not good for everyone in any case. Minorities, LMNOPsexuals, and women all had significantly restrictions placed upon them, whether formalized in law or not. The nostalgic view behaves as though these issues didn't exist, but they did and those groups were repressed.

Secondly, it's not as though we vote on technology innovations. In the US, innovation translates into money, and money runs the show.

It is "normal" for us as a nation to pursue something for profit that isn't good for society overall. I believe over time capitalism becomes more efficient (technology helping to accelerate this) to the point that it's counter-productive to society. There are plenty of examples of profit being selected over the well being of society, and plenty more on the horizon.

It makes sense for our leaders to over-spend, over-borrow, and neglect our infrastructure, because our system makes it easy to pass the buck to the next incumbent, who will nearly always do the same thing all over again. It's easier, and it avoids the actual hard work of managing a society. Spend a few decades doing that, and here we are.

I'd love to think there are places that are genuinely run differently, but I've come to believe all governments/economies are just on different points in a capitalism/efficiency/corruption spectrum.
 
It is kind of funny. We miss the old world that our parents and grandparents built but we hate the world that our generation guilt. It is like when we complain about “kids today” when it is our generation who raised them to be that way.
 
WCH said:
I remember hiding under my desk at school for nuclear attacks and tornadoes. Growing up next to the largest military installation in the free world and an area prone to storms made it a necessity.

But you're right, we weren't divided or fearful.
Click to expand...

So why are you so afraid today?

And why are you letting Trump use that fear to play you?
 
Rexedgar said:
It’s a stretch calling it singing, but I like it as well, “pump don’t work, ‘cause the vandals took the handle.”

Eric Bogle:
Click to expand...


funny song.

i also like Subterranean Homesick Blues.
 
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