You hit an age when you reflect on days gone by and I heard a co-worker here complain about the “dragging internet connections”, and that got me thinking about how we’ve evolved in many ways since my youth. There’s always been a middle-class “struggle”, but times change, and even though money is still tight, there are things we have now that seemed like RICH PEOPLE THINGS a while ago. We’ve come a long way from my child hood with no running water and using an outhouse.
For example:
1. “Having a computer in the house felt like rich kid stuff back then. Now, it’s basically required to exist.”
2. “I remember thinking I’d never live in a home with a dishwasher.”
3. “Long-distance calling. we kept our chats short to avoid a huge bill. Now, I can video call someone in Tokyo for free.”
4. “Physical encyclopedias. Having a full set meant you were rich and smart.” My dad read to me from them all the time when we came in for dinner.
5. “A fridge that makes its own ice AND dispenses filtered water.”
6. “A car with air conditioning. Now, it’s inconceivable for a car not to have it.”
7. Tech entertainment things like: Color TVs, VCRs, and Blu-ray players, and HBO. Not to mention the latest gaming consoles, like PlayStation and Xbox. Did you ever have to put tinfoil on your rabbit ears to get a better reception? lol
Also: “Having a TV in your bedroom. Now, every teenager has at least one ‘personal’ screen.”
8. “Cordless phones at home.” Or, “car phones.”
9. “Water beds.”
10. “High-speed internet. In the ’90s and early 2000s, having a fast connection (like DSL or Cable) was an expensive perk for tech-savvy families.”
11. “A microwave. They used to be really expensive and pretty big. Now, they are in nearly every kitchen.”
12. “Flying. I remember in the ’70s that flying was mostly for business people, and the wealthy.”
Can’t wait for the next 30 years of changes.
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