Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down Which Things Were Actually Better In The Past

People Break Down Which Things Were Actually Better In The Past
Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash
Make us preferred on Google

Wise people tend to glorify the past for good reason. Simpler times seemed to indicate just that. Less life drama.


While many technical advances have also made our current life easier, it certainly has come with its share of complications that never existed prior to another time.

Curious to hear from strangers online, one Redditor asked:

"What was actually better in the past?"

People found traveling, particularly flying, was less dramatic back in the day.

Travel Scene

"Airports."

– Ron_deBeaulieu

"This is true. We used to go to the airport to go to the cafe within the airport, watch the planes take off, people watch."

– Botryoid2000

Comfort In The Skies

"Flying in general."

"More seat space, meals included (and a choice of meals), actual metal utensils, luggage included, no need to get to the airport 2 hours before your flight..."

– cinemascifi

A Proper Send-Off

"And you could say goodbye to your friends at the gate. Get there early before the flight and grab a leisurely meal with them. Man, airports used to be fun."

– Ron_deBeaulieu

TSA Efficiency

"In the 90s airport security took half as long."

– oarngebean

Many Redditors believe living in the present is a huge economical inconvenience.

Income Injustice

"Prices vs earnings."

– Jimbruno55

Parenthood Crisis

"Psh. Try childcare. Our childcare cost for two children is more than our mortgage. When I was the same age, it cost my parents about $50/week. Today that would be roughly $135/week per kid. We’re paying $500/wk and still don’t have full time care for both kids. Sh*t’s crazy."

– JsDaFax

Criminals seemed to have a field day once upon a time.

Untraceable

"Being a criminal. If there was a security camera, it was too low resolution to make your face very identifiable."

– Delica

Before CSI

"also DNA analysis and fingerprinting wasn't as good, no Internet to track you."

– ScorpionX-123

Leaving The Country Undetected

"It used to be that it was possible for someone to commit a serious crime, move across the country, and never be caught. As communications technology has improved, that’s no longer feasible."

– RealHumanFromEarth

How people occupied their time in the past seemed to be more favorable.

The Life-Line Device

"Smart phones too, Reddit is the only social media I use and still I stare at this f'king thing 5 hours a day. I know I’m addicted to it and I’d love to punt it but unfortunately it’s also my phone, my map, my camera, my tape measure, my dictaphone, my Walkman etc. etc."

– tarkuspig

Product Efficiency

"RainX washer fluid. I used to put a gallon in my car and it would last forever. Never had to use the wipers because rain, snow, road grime, and salt would all bead right off. Then one day it seemed like it never worked the same. Not sure if it was done for their bottom line purposes or environmental reasons(because there's no way even the new stuff is good for the environment) but it worked better in the past for sure."

– wrbasher

Aging Drawbacks

"my knees/ankles/back..."

– bbpr120

Nostalgic Magic

"Christmas…. I don’t know how to explain it. We didn’t have much money so it wasn’t because of the presents. We actually used to wrap our own toys and give them to each other for Christmas. But there was always just this feeling that I can’t explain. Sometimes when I watch the 90’s Christmas movies I can feel it again for a moment, but then it’s gone. It’s just the happiest, most peaceful feeling. It just felt like magic."

– Ridiculous48

Less-Stressed Pet Owners

"Certain dog breeds. Imagine, pugs used to have a nose they could breath through and eyes that didn't get infected every time they almost bulged out of their heads... Same with shitzu's. And imagine English bulldogs that didn't collapse in exhaustion by even hearing the word walkies."

– Shoddy-Day7300

Now What?

" Weird to say, but inconvenience and boredom. I kinda miss being like, 'whelp, there’s nothing on TV, I’m gonna go walk the neighborhood and knock on my friends doors.'"

"I primarily text and talk to friends on the phone now, it seems like an event to actually meet up. Even friends who are less than a mile away."

– ThinkIGotHacked

The sentiment that the past was better stems largely from nostalgia.

Aside from accessing our Gameboys and Tamagochis, my friends and I would ride our bikes or skateboard out in the cul-de-sac.

We would scrape our knees from falling, get knocked to the ground playing freeze tag, and come home with dried mud on our clothes from a day of roughhousing.

It was some of the best times of my childhood, and I feel for today's youth who still have the option of playing outside but choose to live on their iPads and iPhones instead.

They don't know what they're missing, TBH. Maybe it's just me.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of Mark Carney; Donald Trump
@sarobertson_/X; Aaron Schwartz/AFP via Getty Images

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Trolls Trump With Perfect 'Conspiracy' Joke After Technical Glitch During Speech

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had people laughing after he made a clever "conspiracy" joke aimed at President Donald Trump after his teleprompter cut out mid-speech on Wednesday.

Carney was addressing the press and supporters as part of his government's pledge to build more rental homes. A press release announced that "over the next three years, Canada’s new government, in partnership with the City of Toronto, will invest over $2.7 billion to build more than 18 housing projects across Toronto."

Keep ReadingShow less
Nurse Hadley Vlahos
@nursehadley/TikTok

TikToker Speaks Out About Just How Difficult It Is To Get A Divorce In Mississippi—And Wow

While we're well into the 21st century, it's becoming increasingly difficult in the United States for women to execute what should be basic social rights, like getting a divorce. But states like Mississippi and most of the "Bible Belt" are making it practically impossible for people like Nurse Hadley Vlahos to fully separate from a former partner.

Though Vlahos is known on TikTok and YouTube for being a hospice nurse and wrote about end-of-life care in her New York Times bestselling book, The In-Between with How to Let Go to follow, she's now dedicating much more of her platform to documenting her three-year process of just filing for divorce, not including all that happened in the years before and in the year and a half since.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
C-SPAN

Trump's Bonkers Quip About What He'd Do If He Coached In The WNBA Just Resurfaced—And It's A Doozy

President Donald Trump is raising eyebrows again after a resurfaced clip showed him trying to bring NBA star LeBron James into the debate around transgender athletes while mocking the WNBA.

The WNBA has been at the center of controversy after Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham said she wants "to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.” She called her beliefs "common sense," stressing that "it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category."

Keep ReadingShow less
Billie Eilish
Savion Washington/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Photos Of Billie Eilish From Her Upcoming Movie Just Dropped—And Fans Barely Recognize Her

The latest film adaptation of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar is led by Women Talking and Splice director Sarah Polley.

As of March, Billie Eilish was cast in the leading role, Esther Greenwood, who goes through a form of mental burnout and psychosis over the course of the book, with a plot that becomes increasingly unhinged and unreliable.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
Fox News

Trump Hit With Reality Check After Giving Himself An 'A+' On The Economy In Delusional Interview

President Donald Trump was criticized after he claimed in an interview with Fox News that he should be given an "A+" for the current economy after claiming the "costs are all coming down now."

A recent Gallup poll found that 55 percent of respondents felt their finances were worsening, a level of pessimism exceeding that seen during both the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2008 financial crisis. This comes as the highly unpopular war in Iran continues to rage, sending gas prices surging. Americans have spent an additional $59 billion on fuel since Trump launched the war.

Keep ReadingShow less