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27 minutes ago, Reginald_001 said:

But most importantly:

- 30 years ago our society had far stronger moral values than now.

I could post some highlights of what the Eighties were really like. Especially behind closed doors. But I'd rather not. My nostalgia for those days is simply too strong.

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37 minutes ago, Ernest Lemmingway said:

I could post some highlights of what the Eighties were really like. Especially behind closed doors. But I'd rather not. My nostalgia for those days is simply too strong.

I lived through them quite vividly spending part of my teens in it.

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16 hours ago, Reginald_001 said:

The good:

 

- Most of what you guys already posted!

But most importantly:

- 30 years ago our society had far stronger moral values than now.

Now I have to assume that most of the items mentioned in the BAD section are from a much earlier time than just 30 years ago. That goes especially hard for the smoking facts, because by the mid 80s smoking was already being frowned upon by society as a whole. My first actual job was in a REAL restaurant (1973) smoking allowed everywhere. By the end of the 70s there was a small non-smoking section (3 small tables) off in a crappy corner because piss on those non-smoking p***ies. By the late 80s that crappy corner had become the smoking section. In the mid-90s smoking was all but gone from restaurants (here at least).

 

As for the "far stronger moral values than now" nonsense, that has always been a false facade put on by society. Look at any so called moral time period and you will find it to be a lie. Sure there have been times when we as a people have been more open about our debauchery (look at the 1920s or the 1960s - 70s). Yet times of supposed moral fortitude are wrought with loads of amoral behavior. The 1950s for instance (thought to be a recent moral high ground) had high instances of teen pregnancy and illegal abortions. The 1800s (Victorian era) long thought to be very uptight and therefor an extremely moral period, upon close examination proves to be every bit as debauched as the 1960s.

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5 hours ago, Pork Type said:

 

It's called poetic license.

 

1 hour ago, wokking56 said:

Now I have to assume that most of the items mentioned in the BAD section are from a much earlier time than just 30 years ago. That goes especially hard for the smoking facts, because by the mid 80s smoking was already being frowned upon by society as a whole. My first actual job was in a REAL restaurant (1973) smoking allowed everywhere. By the end of the 70s there was a small non-smoking section (3 small tables) off in a crappy corner because piss on those non-smoking p***ies. By the late 80s that crappy corner had become the smoking section. In the mid-90s smoking was all but gone from restaurants (here at least).

 

As for the "far stronger moral values than now" nonsense, that has always been a false facade put on by society. Look at any so called moral time period and you will find it to be a lie. Sure there have been times when we as a people have been more open about our debauchery (look at the 1920s or the 1960s - 70s). Yet times of supposed moral fortitude are wrought with loads of amoral behavior. The 1950s for instance (thought to be a recent moral high ground) had high instances of teen pregnancy and illegal abortions. The 1800s (Victorian era) long thought to be very uptight and therefor an extremely moral period, upon close examination proves to be every bit as debauched as the 1960s.

I took great care to mention only items from personal experience I had end of the 70's, early 80's.

Also the anti-smoke rage came earlier in the US than in Europe.

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I don't miss having to specify a non-smoking room at a hotel.  I really don't miss the smoking sections in restaurants either.  I do feel somewhat sad to see most of the malls around closing though.  As a kid going to the mall with family was pretty much one of the things to do on Sunday afternoons.  

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18 hours ago, Pork Type said:

 

Rape culture, much?

 

Racism, much?

 

To be fair, though

 

 

 

Kink shame much?

There isn't anything in "Whip It" to suggest that anything that is happening isn't consensual, except perhaps the one sided use of safety glasses.

I'm guessing you, at some point, though "It's cold outside" was rape-y too?

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10 hours ago, TheOzoneHole said:

I don't miss having to specify a non-smoking room at a hotel.  I really don't miss the smoking sections in restaurants either.  I do feel somewhat sad to see most of the malls around closing though.  As a kid going to the mall with family was pretty much one of the things to do on Sunday afternoons.  

Well the current smoking ban mentality is great for all the non-smokers but sucks a big one for smokers. First and foremost restaurants, bars and etc. are indeed used by the public but they are privet property and the city truly does not have the right to interfere in what goes on in privet property (barring an illegal activity). Secondly the SECONDHAND SMOKE BS is just that, sure it can be hazardous (if you are in a confined space for 10+ hours a day) so the banning of smoking outdoors really makes no sense. Look I get the fact that cigarette smoke stinks and people don't want to have to put up with it, yet I have no recourse against the jerk eating a Limburger and Head-cheese sandwich (talk about stink).

 

Now the mall closings are another deal altogether. that is do to our easy access to online shopping these days. Why fight a crowd to traipse 4 or 5 stores when you can do it all from your computer. Heck as a teen my bestie and I would spend hours at the local mall just screwing around and cruising for chicks. Before the days of the food court our large local mall had several small eateries (Burger King, Baskin Robbins, Orange Julius and a couple of mom and pop joints) and a couple of older stores with a lunch counters still in them.

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6 hours ago, wokking56 said:

[snip]

 

Agreed. In an interconnected virtual age undreamed of, the shopping mall, the Western import version of the Eastern bazaar (my value in camels is known to me) has lived out itself, both as commercial, originally tribal meeting place and mating (test) ground as well. Self-imposed restrictions (no smokers, no this, no that) have already culminated into the tax-free mall for members of the diplomatic corpse only as in Brussels, capital of the EU-bureaucracy.

 

Gone are the days when young folk was eagerly awaiting the annual school trip, not so much excited about the boring museum tour in big town but the two or three hours at free disposal at the local shopping mall afterwards, smelling and tasting the alien and, of course, showcasing what one got, if you know what I mean. Those who directly came after me have Face- aka Fakebook instead and a keyboard not to move their (often obese) ass for an inch if possible.

 

The end-sequence in Wall-E passes through my mind and I see the days of lasting blackout coming when these type of human is forced to move out into the real world to grow tasty pizza plants and quench their thirst at the legendary Cola River. And maybe, just maybe, folks again realize that they actually belong to the same species and thus think along the same lines after all.

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17 minutes ago, Jazzman said:

Gone are the days when young folk was eagerly awaiting the annual school trip, not so much excited about the boring museum tour in big town but the two or three hours at free disposal in the local shopping mall afterwards

:classic_ohmy: We never had that kind free time.

We were totally happy to spend a day away from that booooring classrooms, even if that meant a museum.

Back in my days, there weren't cameras everywhere and you always found hidden spots inside or in the park to learn more useful things like how to sneak up on people. Or how to kiss. Or how to smack someone in the face.

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On 4/12/2019 at 11:23 PM, IA.Echo.Hotel said:

I'm guessing you, at some point, though "It's cold outside" was rape-y too?

I see the contoversy over that song as tragic, tbh. Let's try to separate things that are/were emblematic of acceptable courtship, albeit from a bygone age, from the here and now.

 

We (I) were just recently admonished against getting too political in what we post. I'll declare myself the first one guilty in not heeding this advice. This is why we're here, now.

 

Nevertheless. Mark Mothersborough is literally "whipping" clothing off of a woman, while singing about fapping. Kinda creepy!

 

Nicki, I'll leave alone, and, acknowledge that maybe I made a bad point. Robbed her of agency.

 

Getting high, and fucking. Makes the world go round!

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10 minutes ago, Alkpaz said:

Like Motley Crue's Girls, Girls, Girls? Or how about Billy Idol's video showing a 16yr old girl trying to seduce a much older guy in "Rock the Cradle of Love" video. Or at the very least, suggested seduction. Pretty risky at that time. Much like most of Madonna's on stage performances. "Like a Virgin". 

 

Hardly the "worst" of the 80s.

 

Spoiler

 

Feat. Peter Dinklage

 

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On 4/12/2019 at 4:01 AM, Pork Type said:

 

Rape culture, much?

 

Racism, much?

 

To be fair, though

 

 

 

 

10 hours ago, Pork Type said:

Hardly the "worst" of the 80s.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Feat. Peter Dinklage

 

You really should stop.  Whip It was not about masturbation; it was a post 1st wave punk nonsensical commentary on dealing with personal problems.  Listen to the lyrics.  And him whipping the clothes off the Hispanic woman?  She's dressed as a Juarista; the 19th century Mexican resistance fighters who ended up being tyrants.

The Oingo Boingo 'Little Girls' video was a response the British and Dutch 'sick boy'  subculture   He was making fun of them.  GBH did a song too, but they didn't get main stream air play.

 

So basically if you don't understand Surrealism and the context of things that were happening before you were born then you shouldn't be trying to use them to make whatever fantastical point you're trying to make,  But since you screeched 'racism' and 'rape culture' everyone in this thread has a real good idea of where you're coming from.

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There were more manual typewriters in homes than electric ones.

 

Mimeographs were common but photocopies were super rare.

 

IBM computers WERE the only game in town, and if you worked at a business that had one, there was also an embedded IBM employee that came with it.

 

Internet was pure science fiction.

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I can't say that I miss much about that 80s GDR that I spent the first 10 years of my life in.

Just lots of bad haircuts (not even stylish bad, depressingly bad) and nonexistant fashion that even makes a hetero guy's skin crawl when thinking back.

Also cardboard boxes as cars and some very obvious but nonetheless still annoying propaganda at school ... which most ignored until they couldn't any longer if they wanted to go to the university (then you had to at least pretend to "get" Maxism-Leninism).

The nineties were okay, some good music and lots of new toys. Still miss my Gameboy, destroyed it in a fit of rage because of Tetris.

 

Don't wanna miss the present though. I'm a hopeless optimist so I just ignore the evidence and think that a few years from now all the social rights movements out there won't be a topic to get upset about anymore and everyone wonders what's been the big deal about just accepting that religious nutjobs of every couleur, black, brown and white people, heteros and gays, women and men (including those weirdos that don't like being around women) all have the right to live their lives as they please while starting to fucking respect each other again on a basic human level.

You guys/gals do you. Just ignore me while I happily follow our still accelerating technological progress and the next space race (and shamelessly single out and celebrate the women taking part in it because I'm shallow that way and I like watching nerdy hot chicks do sciency stuff). ?

 

 

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Little innocent right winger talking about socio-cultural hegemony (like there was no Bush and Senate wasn't split in half already)

 

Conveniently missing everything conservatives did since the very beginning of this century, starting with two wars which is now fought by the kids of those men who invaded Afghanistan and Iraq during proud conservative reign, starting with Patriot act, which took away people's rights, starting with unlimited surveillance, starting with economy diving deep below and banks bailed out by the government (at your expense of course)...

 

Actually America had fairly rough ride: Reagan > Bush (the first one) > Clinton > Bush (the second one) - it doesn't look like liberals had hegemony at any given time?

And after Obama there is Trump with Republican Senate and with Republican judges. So it's not like right wing "opposition" fighting uphill battle at this moment?

Did right wing "opposition" suffered badly during Clinton's era? Maybe he was a communist? Even though he was more right wing than average Democrat back then?

 

And modern Dems more right wing today than they were during Clinton's term.

 

Also Republicans went full Evangelical and by this day legislated against theory of evolution at schools in 26 states, not to mention their continuous effort on enforcing public "morality"

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To demonstrate slow take over of the Old South (aka Evangelicals aka Republicans aka right wingers) over America let's look at growing censorship of the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system:

 

The ratings used from 1968 to 1970 were:[12][13]

  • Rated G: Suggested for General Audiences
  • Rated M: Suggested for Mature Audiences – parental discretion advised
  • Rated R: Restricted – persons under 16 not admitted, unless accompanied by parent or adult guardian.
  • Rated X: Persons under 16 not admitted

This content classification system originally was to have three ratings, with the intention of allowing parents to take their children to any film they chose. However, the National Association of Theater Owners urged the creation of an adults-only category, fearful of possible legal problems in local jurisdictions. The "X" rating was not an MPAA trademark and would not receive the MPAA seal; any producer not submitting a film for MPAA rating could self-apply the "X" rating (or any other symbol or description that was not an MPAA trademark).

 

In 1970, the ages for "R" and "X" were raised from 16 to 17.[14] Also, due to confusion over whether "M"-rated films were suitable for children,[14] "M" was renamed to "GP" (for General audiences, Parental guidance suggested),[15][16] and in 1971, the MPAA added the content advisory "Some material not generally suitable for pre-teenagers".[17] On February 11, 1972,[18] "GP" was revised to "PG".[14]

The ratings used from 1970 to 1972 were:

  • Rated G: All Ages Admitted – General Audiences
  • Rated GP: All Ages Admitted – Parental Guidance Suggested [Sometimes a disclaimer would say "This film contains material which may not be suitable for pre-teenagers"]
  • Rated R: Restricted – Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
  • Rated X: No one under 17 admitted

The ratings used from 1972 to 1984 were:[19]

  • Rated G: General Audiences – All ages admitted
  • Rated PG: Parental Guidance Suggested – Some material may not be suitable for pre-teenagers
  • Rated R: Restricted – Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
  • Rated X: No one under 17 admitted

The ratings used from 1984 to 1990 were:

  • Rated G: General Audiences – all ages admitted
  • Rated PG: Parental Guidance Suggested – some material may not be suitable for children
  • Rated PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned – some material may be inappropriate for children under 13
  • Rated R: Restricted – under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
  • Rated X: No one under 17 admitted

In 1989, Tennessee state law set the minimum age to view a theatrically exhibited R-rated film without adult accompaniment at 18, instead of 17, and categorized the admission of minors to X-rated films as a misdemeanor. The statute remained in force until 2013 when it was ruled to be in violation of the First Amendment. The law was amended in 2013 as to only prohibit persons under the age of 18 if the film was considered "harmful to minors".

 

In September 1990, the MPAA introduced the rating "NC-17" ("No Children Under 17 Admitted").[32]Henry & June – previously to be assigned an "X" rating – was the first film to receive the "NC-17" rating instead.[32][33] Although films with an "NC-17" rating had more mainstream distribution opportunities than "X"-rated films, many theaters refused to screen them, most entertainment media did not accept advertising for them, and many large video outlets refused to stock them.[34] In 1996,[35] the minimum age for "NC-17" films was raised to 18, by rewording it to "No One 17 and Under Admitted".[36]

The ratings used from 1990 to 1996 were:

  • Rated G: General Audiences – all ages admitted
  • Rated PG: Parental Guidance Suggested – some material may not be suitable for children
  • Rated PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned – some material may be inappropriate for children under 13
  • Rated R: Restricted – under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
  • Rated NC-17: No children under 17 admitted

The ratings used since 1996 are:[3]

  • Rated G: General Audiences – all ages admitted
  • Rated PG: Parental Guidance Suggested – some material may not be suitable for children
  • Rated PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned – some material may be inappropriate for children under 13
  • Rated R: Restricted – under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
  • Rated NC-17: No one 17 and under admitted
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