Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Things Are Normal Today That Weren't 50 Years Ago

People Explain Which Things Are Normal Today That Weren't 50 Years Ago
person typing on silver MacBook
Photo by Burst on Unsplash

The world is an ever changing place.

In addition to continuing advancements in technology, human behavior also continues to evolve.

As a result, what might have seemed "normal" 50 years ago might seem far-fetched today, while things which we today consider "normal" might never have even crossed the mind of anyone back then.

Making everything we consider "normal" among the many things in this world that continues to evolve at a rapid pace.

Redditor Primary_Berry_3560 was curious to hear what "normal" everyday things were anything but normal fifty years ago, leading them to ask:

"What is normal now but wasn’t normal 50 years ago (1972)?"


We could just leave whenever we wanted to!

"Knowing where your kids are 100% of the time."- bradland

We're all wired up today!

"No one had a computer in their house in 1972."- tcharp01

Buckle up!

"Car seats for children."

"And most of the time we sat in the back seat with no seat belts available."- Rosemoorstreet

"Wearing seatbelts."

"There were no sensors- seatbelt were just shoved out of the way."

"Carding for cigarettes."

"Machines were everywhere for anyone to use."- factchecker8515

buckle up crash test dummies GIF by ADWEEKGiphy

In the old days, we had one chance!

"Watching an entire TV series at a time that's convenient for you."

"VCR's weren't even a thing 50 years ago, so if your favorite show was on Wednesday at 8PM, you were either at home to watch it or you missed out on it forever."- DeathSpiral321

Music on demand!

"Listening to the song you want to where you want to, rather than whatever is playing wherever you are."- jfincher42

Giphy

Being beholden to a landline!

"I am amazed to think about how disconnected we were."

"I could wake up on a Saturday morning and start calling friends."

"It was possible that not a single one picked up the phone and that was that."

"I would be on my own unless I waited a few hours and tried again."

"Also, in my area, the adults in the house almost always answered the phone so you had to get through them to your friends."

ā€œ'Hello, is Johnny home?'ā€

"'Hi this is his mother, what do you want?'ā€

ā€œ'I was wooooondering if he could come out to play'.ā€

ā€œ'Well he’s doing homework right now but I’ll tell him you called'.ā€

"As a kid, our times were divided between when we were 100% under adult control, which was when we were physically in their presence, and when we were free which was all other time."- Mrmidhoratio

"Asking 'Where are you?' when someone answers their phone."- brontosproximo

Shocked Phone Call GIFGiphy

No wonder they were all so tan...

"Regularly wearing sunscreen."- dixius99

It's amazing to see how much the world has changed in such a relatively short amount of time.

Leaving us to wonder what things will be "normal" 50 years from now, which today the very thought of would make us burst out laughing.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Senator Chris Murphy, President Donald Trump
Facebook.com/Senator Chris Murphy / Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Dem Senator Drops F-Bomb In Fiery Video After Trump Calls For Congressional Democrats To Be Hanged

Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said "maybe it's time to pick a f**king side" in response to President Donald Trump's call for a group of congressional Democrats who are military veterans to be executed after they reminded U.S. troops that they must disobey unlawful orders.

Senators Elissa Slotkin (Michigan) and Mark Kelly (Arizona) joined Representatives Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan (Pennsylvania), Maggie Goodlander (New Hampshire), and Jason Crow (Colorado), all of whom are veterans. In a video message, they noted that the Trump administration is "pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens."

Keep ReadingShow less
Two people facing each other resting their hands in their heads accross a table from one another
a man and a woman sitting at a table
Photo by Good Faces on Unsplash

Dating Red Flags People Ignored And Instantly Regretted It

Many of us are taught growing up to give people the benefit of the doubt.

A belief many people adhere to when dating.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot from @prissyxoxo25's Threads post
@prissyxoxo25/Threads

Woman Rejects Boyfriend's Proposal After He Bought $900 Ring From Walmart—And The Internet Has Thoughts

Relationships can dissolve for all kinds of reasons, but a key reason that's become more popular with the prevalence of TikTok and Reddit is not staying with someone who doesn't listen to their partner or prioritize their needs.

Knowing a person's favorite song or how they take their coffee might seem like a mundane thing, but it's an intimate detail that shows that you care about your partner's likes and interests.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @lookitskateeee's TikTok video
@lookitskateeee/TikTok

Family Goes Viral After Throwing Hilariously Dramatic Funeral For Child's Pacifier

All children grow and develop at different rates. Whether they crawl earlier, walk later, have trouble letting go of the baby bottle, or just cannot get behind the idea of mushed green beans, each child will have a journey all their own.

But an experience that more families than not know is the very real attachment many babies and toddlers develop to their favorite beloved pacifier.

Keep ReadingShow less
KPop Demon Hunters
Netflix

Christian School Bans Students From Singing 'KPop Demon Hunters' Songs—And Everyone's Making The Same Point

Here's the truth about content bans: when a group moves to ban a book or movie, their claims often make it obvious that they didn't read the book or watch the movie all the way through.

Sure, they read the title, they looked at the cover or poster, and then they let their preconceived notions take over, deciding that this was something that deserved to be banned.

Keep ReadingShow less