Well I did, didn’t you? 
As a kid I was told over and over about the blizzard of '52 my parents suffered through while in high school. Until the blizzard of '78 was confirmed to be worse…
When we first moved to a NJ town, in 1956, EVERY kid that I met claimed that his grandfather “walked across Newark Bay when it was frozen in 19xx”. No, not just some of those kids. EVERY one told the same tale told to him by his elders. A few might have been true, but…
On a similar theme, my mother told the story of her father’s friend, who became a lawyer, and who pressed the court case for the families of the women who died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Tragedy. When I was in my 30s, I did considerable reading on that case, and found out that Grandpa’s friend had, indeed, been involved in that case.
However, I discovered that he had defended the terrible people who had owned that factory, and who had locked the fire exits.
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With holes in the soles of their shoes.
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Well as sowell would say, it is always a trade off. I used to have 100 or 200 watt bulbs in the garage. Now I have 13 bright LED fixtures and they are just great. Less power, more light and last for years. The trade off is they are $25 each instead of $2. Same thing for the recessed lights in th3 house. $5 or $10 each but I haven’t had to change them like in the past. My cars get 200 to 500k on them which would be unheard of for a 50s or 60s model. But they don’t cost $20,000 anymore and God knows where all the parts are made. That’s capitalism for you. Always improving without central planning or a five year production plan. But the difference is it’s my choice. I’ll pay more if the benefits are there or I won’t if they aren’t.
I snicker when our minister talks about the oppressed and oppressors. I don’t feel oppressed and I sure can’t think of anyone I’m oppressing. Let me know and I’ll stop. I’d like to have a long conversation with him/her though about economic systems and how they work. They don’t teach that in the seminary anymore, but then I would be an oppressor. Don’t taz me bro and don’t force m3 to give up my gas furnace. It gets cold here.
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Speaking of Toyota Siennas .
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Our fleet recently dumped all their old Astros, in favor of new Toyota Siennas, which are MUCH better in just about every category
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Alex I’ll take 2025 over 1971 for $1000 please.
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I’m old enough to remember 1971. Riots. Looting. An unwinnable war maiming young Americans like cannon fodder. Airfares were only for the rich. Smog. Good God I remember the smog. Look at old pictures or home movies of the day. Notice any blue skies? I don’t.
Kids in my building all work in professional jobs and make good money and travel a lot. They seem happy. And it’s not a fancy building. Just a modest condo building. Some are nurses. One’s a cop. Another a teacher.
Even prior to 1971, we had… unrest… in cities. In 1967, I was a summer intern for our state’s child protective agency. I was due to go to a seminar at an agency office in a different city, but the supervisor of that office called me to say that the seminar was cancelled. When I asked why, she said, “Right now, there’s a National Guard Jeep with a 50 caliber machine gun stationed in the middle of the intersection, so I think it’s best that we reschedule”.
When I was a kid, I used to get car sick when we rode in the old non-air conditioned buses that were common in the '50s. It was only later that we realized that the diesel exhaust fumes were making me vomit.
And thank you for serving! Luckily I just missed the Nam war. Ended about the same time I started in the Navy.
I don’t miss those good old days either. While many things were easier to work on - the vehicles today don’t break as much. I haven’t had to replace an alternator or power-steering pump or ignition parts in DECADES (even on vehicles with well over 300k miles). We did have to replace the water pump prematurely on my wife’s 07 Lexus. But the replacement lasted well over 200k miles.
And then wait for the output (which could be a core dump of several hundred pages of paper).
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Well back in the good old days of 70, I enjoyed the ride in dads really big Caddy, it was a great car for a 6 month old to sleep in… 
The only thing from the good old days I miss is the music (80’s for me)…
But yeah, I look back on some jobs and go man I had some good times then and their, learned alot, then I remember why I left it, cause I HATED IT!!! 
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Me too, I don’t want a “beautiful clean coal” furnace.
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That’s an oxymoron if I ever heard one.
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It’s only natural. We look back fondly on our youth and lament the new generation. Happened before us and is happening after. My kid already grouses about the kids younger than him 
This saying applies- the older I get, the better I was