" Today , people think it ’s weird if someone does n’t have a earpiece … "
As we all know, life is constantly evolving, and no one understands that better than older adults. Technology improves, trends fade in and out of popularity, and habits change, rendering things that were once common obsolete. However, that doesn’t stop people from missing the familiarity of their younger years…
That’s why when Redditoru/kaboosedasked ther/AskOldPeoplecommunity, “What is something that faded out of normal society that you miss?” Older adults were happy to share the once-common occurrences they miss most. From 24-hour stores to music videos — here are 17 of their most enlightening responses:
1.“Houses that weren’t all neutral colors inside. Interior decorating has gotten boring. For instance, no one will put blue carpeting in their home because if they want to sell it someday, the potential buyers might not like blue. People used to decorate houses according to what THEY liked because they expected to live in them forever, so it didn’t matter what a future buyer might think.”
2.“People dressing nicely for travel.”
" When I was develop up in the ' 60s and ' 70s , taking a trip on an airplane , a train , or even a Greyhound bus was an outcome , so the great unwashed lop nicely . I do n’t mean suits and ties , necessarily , but good article of clothing than what they would don around the business firm .
They were more gracious to other passengers . Everyone realize they were on an dangerous undertaking together , and the whole thing was a treat . I miss those days . "
— u / LoriReneeFye
3.“I miss customer service IN stores. Employees checking on you in dressing rooms and grabbing new clothes for you or clerks bringing shoes and helping you try them on.”
" Employees used to be knowledgeable about the products they sold . Now , if you necessitate someone a head , they ca n’t answer you correctly . "
— uracil / mengel6345
4.“Places that were open 24 hours. Where I live, 24-hour grocery stores, drug stores, and diners abounded before 2020.”
5.“Sending cards for holidays, birthdays, etc. Getting a card in the mail is much more special than an email or a social media post.”
— atomic number 92 / patticakes1952
" We used to get so many Christmas cards that we ’d videotape them on the woodwork around the doorway ..
Some years we ’d get so many they ’d go all up one side and down the other . "
— atomic number 92 / Onyx_Lat
6.“I don’t hear whistling nowadays. Whether it was mail carriers, milkmen, or railway workers, they all used to whistle. Not wolf whistling, but in a happy ‘whistle while you work’ way.”
— u / OkResource6718
" I ’m a postal service mail carrier and whistle fairly often on my road . I always think I ’m irritating mass at home , but I ’m just in a full temper . "
— u / Vercingetorix _
7.“Actuallygoingto a store. Whippersnappers today will never know what it was like to browse in a video or music store and just lose yourself in the moment.”
8.“My mother was born in 1925 and said until the early ’60s, if you had a problem to solve regarding a company, you could write them a letter, and it would get fixed without endless back-and-forth phone calls or anyone saying ‘Our computer is slow today, I’ll send you to another department.'”
" Around the time things were switching to the ' phone - based ' arrangement , my sister spilled ink on the carpet and wanted to clean house it up before our female parent got home . Someone suggested she call ' selective information , ' so she did , and the hustler took the time to give her some proposition on how to clean it up . "
— u / realityinflux
9.“Sitting and doing nothing.”
" I used to motorbike to a common , seat on a judiciary , and enjoy the summer Lord’s Day , the sounds of masses tattle in the distance , dogsrunning around the outpouring , bird shoot down nearby , and lawnmowers in the distance . I would sit there , calculate around , and take it all in .
If someone is sitting down and attend around in today ’s world , other the great unwashed think it ’s uncanny if they do n’t have a phone or lozenge or are n’t babble out to someone .
People are all over the plaza , but they are very rarely present . "
— u / ColemanV
10.“Music videos on MTV. I was in high school when MTV premiered, and it was awesome. Veejays played and talked about music, and videos would premiere at midnight and be the talk of our school the next day. Then VH1 came out, andHeadbangers Ballcatered to rockers like me. It was awesome.”
11.“I am not technically an ‘old person,’ but I miss the sound of rotary phones and the joy of knowing you dialed correctly.”
" I loved having a sturdy corduroy to twirl around my finger’s breadth . My phone charger ’s wire is n’t the same .
I lose when phones got staticky during thunderstorms , too . They were always a great excuse to hang up and watch nature . "
— u / miss_sabbatha
12.“In the early ’70s, one of my favorite memories was people going door to door Christmas caroling. I’m an atheist, but opening the door with my parents at night and seeing a group singing Christmas songs on the lawn was such a good memory.”
— u / Shaydie
13.“A home phone and computer. I miss being unplugged and out of constant contact and simulation. I miss developing relationships and making friends with random people. I miss getting lost during the day because everyone now expects someone to be available 24/7 and feel obligated to be at their beck and call.”
14.“Newspapers. I would’ve laughed in your face if you had told me 20 years ago that there would be no more daily print news.”
" What a ugly progress in chronicle . Now we ca n’t trust anything we study without major vetting . "
— u / AssistSignificant153
15.“Cafeteria-style restaurants. I don’t know if other people still have them in their area, but they’re hard to find where I live.”
16.“Just hanging out with friends. No plans, just sitting on the porch, and people swinging by to join you.”
" In the 90 , we used to run errands and do thing together . Have laundry to do ? Let ’s go together . Need groceries ? I ’ll tag along .
I ’m unsure if it ’s societal medium or how we ’ve insulate ourselves in our home , but the ’ XC feel so much less unionized and planned . I miss that . "
— u / Toufark
17.“I’m old enough to remember when the idea that politics could’ve been used as a litmus test for friendship or marriage would’ve been completely absurd.”
Note : Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity .
