The old Geezers 70's and 80's Megathread

[BIG_DADDY]

The Suzzane Somers thread got me thinking about a conversation I was having with one of my friends about how awesome it was to be alive in the 70s and 80s. You try telling younger generations about it but it’s impossible. For starters testosterone levels were WAY, WAY higher back then. There were very few girly men like we have so many of today. Much higher levels of T and no cell phones had a huge impact on your social/sex life. Everybody was fing everybody and it was awesome. Nobody was up in your business. Everyone knew what they were and what bathroom to use. Fat people were few and far between. Teenage years were amazing. Cruising every Friday night with people bringing out all their bad rides and the girls all sexied up. Kegers every friggen weekend. The music was so much better too. Still remember going to Van Halen’s first tour. It didn’t cost anything to see those bands back then. As a young adult the party for me just continued as I went into health clubs. Once again everybody was doing everybody. The parties after we closed the club, just wow. When I moved to the bay area from Florida it just continued. I remember when the Exotic Erotic ball was a company function and we took 10 limos to the city filled with teenage girls in their sexiest lingerie. Can you imagine that happening today? Sadly that way of life ended with Anita Hill and the invention of the smart phone amongst other things. I will be forever grateful to god for being able to grow up during that time. I feel so bad for the kids coming up today, there’s just no comparison.

So what do you say old geezers, give me a walk down memory lane.

[BIG_DADDY]

Originally Posted by Son of Logical

I was am an 80's/90's kid. Honestly, I feel like the 80's/90's were about the same as folks have described the 70's/80's. (social media wasn't really a thing until after 2003?) When I left the house I was pretty much left to my own devices. My buddies and I got into a ton of shenanigans that our parents probably wouldn't have approved of, but as long as we didn't get brought home in a cop car we felt like we were in the clear. I think my generation was the last generation where all the neighborhood kids could be found on bikes, or in the streets playing football.

The source of the change is different in my head though. Cell phones changed everything. When you left your house, you were free. No one expected to get a hold of you. If you and your buddies got yourselves into trouble, guess what? Figure it out, because no one was coming to save you. Everyone had a higher level of independence then they do now.

Yea you had a cool dad too. I'm sure Jim gave you a pretty long leash.

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

It was a company function bro. We did it every year. The girls all had a great time. I'm not sure why you want to have a problem with it. You have serious anger issues dude. It was a different time with very different attitudes compared to today. Anita hill changed everything, it was really weird. One day your partying in a limo the next you couldn't even talk to a female employee without somebody else present if you were in management. It changed the world and not in a good way.

Don't you mean Clarence Thomas changed everything since he was the scumbag in that situation?

[WhawhaWhat]

[AdolfOliverBush]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Cell phones seemed like an amazing advancement to be able to reach anyone at any time. The downfall was learning that other people could also reach me at any time.

Cell phones are awesome. The real downfall happened when some egghead figured out how to connect phones to the internet.

Legalize drugs, ban smartphones.

[BIG_DADDY]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

HS school pop when I was in HS was about 450 I think? Tulsa was around 200k, iirc, so big enough.

HS student parking lot was probably around 40% pickups? More than half had the obligatory shotgun/rifle rack in the back window. At the time, I probably thought that those racks were a factory option I saw so many of them. Probably the same at every HS in town. Not one school shooting, not one incident of a kid threatening to go get his gun out of his truck, etc.


On any given summer weekend in Tulsa back in the '80s HS kids from the surrounding towns, as far away as Parsons KS, would show up in town in their pickups complete with shotgun/rifle racks. Hundreds, if not thousands, of trucks with guns would flood into town, and then leave without a shooting incident, not even an accidental one, like "gun fall off rack and somehow fires by itself."

To pretend kids are nearly as stable today is a joke. Even when you got in a fight win or lose everyone paid their own legal bills. I can't even remember cops being called unless you were outside a bar. I don't remember anyone suing anyone. Even when the cops showed up they would tell everyone to go home or they would arrest people. Nobody ever grabbed their gun, not once, ever. REALLY different these days.

Some other things I just thought of. Drive ins, always good for a first date. You could rent hotels as a teenager as long as you had a drivers license. When did that all change? Shlitz stout and Mickey Big Mouths.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Son of Logical

I was am an 80's/90's kid. Honestly, I feel like the 80's/90's were about the same as folks have described the 70's/80's. (social media wasn't really a thing until after 2003?) When I left the house I was pretty much left to my own devices. My buddies and I got into a ton of shenanigans that our parents probably wouldn't have approved of, but as long as we didn't get brought home in a cop car we felt like we were in the clear. I think my generation was the last generation where all the neighborhood kids could be found on bikes, or in the streets playing football.

The source of the change is different in my head though. Cell phones changed everything. When you left your house, you were free. No one expected to get a hold of you. If you and your buddies got yourselves into trouble, guess what? Figure it out, because no one was coming to save you. Everyone had a higher level of independence then they do now.

Yep, was outside all the time, played football in the street or basketball, etc; until you couldn't see the ball 5 feet in front of your face... parents were really lax, plenty of nights coming home at 2am or just before they got up the following morning.

And it still happens plenty now... I see kids on bikes quite a bit through the neighborhood and there's a skate park in town that's a popular evening/night hangout. Listen to parents who have kids that sneak out, conveniently leave their phone off or "battery was dead" when they try to reach out.

Kids are still kids (even if they're now fatter).

[Chief Pote]

Originally Posted by The Franchise

We just going to gloss over this?

Not at all, I just gave Big Daddy rep.

[alanm]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

All of this.


The jungle gym I fell off of multiple times as a child wasn't that tall, but probably still over 10-12 feet high. Once fell through the center of it, so hit about 4 crossbars on the way down, hairline cracked a rib and put a doozy of a bump on the back of my head but was back climbing on the thing a few weeks later.

Today, if they still let kids climb on those things, they'd probably tear it down after an incident like that or make all the kids wear football pads/helmets before they could go within 20 feet of it.

Lol, and bikes. A few years ago, my sister-in-law was complaining to me about how much she spent on the kids' bikes and how they never used them. I told her "Well, they might've been more into their bikes if you hadn't made them put on a helmet, knee and elbow pads, mouthpieces, safety glasses, etc. every time they wanted to go for a ride."

I mean, I would've avoided my bike like the plague if my parents had made me put all that crap on before I could go for a ride.

Especially a helmet. It makes you look like a bundle of sticks.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

To pretend kids are nearly as stable today is a joke. Even when you got in a fight win or lose everyone paid their own legal bills. I can't even remember cops being called unless you were outside a bar. I don't remember anyone suing anyone. Even when the cops showed up they would tell everyone to go home or they would arrest people. Nobody ever grabbed their gun, not once, ever. REALLY different these days.

Some other things I just thought of. Drive ins, always good for a first date. You could rent hotels as a teenager as long as you had a drivers license. When did that all change? Shlitz stout and Mickey Big Mouths.

Lol @Mickey's. Forgot all about that one.


I don't know. I know I and some buddies rented a couple suites at the Residence Inn (i think that was the one) for prom and it was no big deal. So sometime after '86?

And yeah, most of the time the cops would just tell everyone to go home. They would basically give you the choice: "You can go home right now, or you can go to jail, right now." Even drunk/angry kids back then picked going home over going to jail 99% of the time.

Now, dumbasses try to argue with the cops, try to piss then off intentionally (some grown-ass adults as well these days), fight with them, etc. it's like no one ever told them "don't fight with the cops in the streets because they have guns. Take them to court instead."

[Easy 6]

There will never, ever be a greater decade than the 80's

The hair
The music
The fashion
MTV was just getting started

America was rolling, the USSR had been defeated, and I was coming of age... what a time to be alive it was

[Chief Pote]

Originally Posted by DJJasonp

you could leave your bike on the ground, in a front yard, lying against the window at quick trip or 7 eleven, and not have to worry about someone swiping it.

The 60's and 70's were a dream to my generation but not all was perfect. In 1969 I'm 10 years old, I went inside the JC Penny's in my neighborhood to give my sister a message. Some jackass rode off on my 5 speed twin shift orange crate stingray. I'm still hurtin over it.

[mdstu]

Originally Posted by Spott

By girlie men, I assume you are referring to people that watch soccer.

In the 70's and 80's people that watched soccer were referred to as foreigners.

[Enid Borden]

Amazing in my lifetime I went from renting VHS movies at the movie store to watching movies on my phone. I remember in the 80s they predicted a huge technology explosion after the year 2000 and they weren't kidding.

[jerryaldini]

Originally Posted by The Franchise

We just going to gloss over this?

That part caught my attention too. We can only hope the underage sexied up teenage girls in limos being used at the annual company function by presumably adult men turned out alright.

Personally I'll take today's more open and tolerant and less sex enthralled (according to OP) society over the opportunities to have sex with everyone that apparently existed in OPs part of the world, but that's just me.

[Enid Borden]

Originally Posted by mdstu

In the 70's and 80's people that watched soccer were referred to as foreigners.

Pretty much.