Millennials And Gen X'ers Are Sharing Things From The '90s And 2000s That Today's Kids Would Be Astonished About
If you're a Gen X'er or millennial who grew up in the '90s and 2000s, then you probably have memories of just how much more simpler life was. In fact, if you were to explain it to kids today, it would probably sound to them like someone in the '90s telling us about life in the '50s.
Recently, redditor ineedtofiguremyshit was curious about the things today's kids wouldn't understand about growing up back then when they asked: "What is something from the '90s or '00s that today's kids would be astonished about?"
The thread got over 1.5K responses. Below are the top, best, and most-often repeated comments:
1."Just showing up at a friend’s house unannounced. No call, texts, no coordination of any kind. You would just go over and knock on the door. Maybe they’re home, maybe not, maybe they’re busy. Maybe they’re grounded because they got a bad grade on a math test, so they’re not allowed to come out and play today. You just showed up and had to roll with whatever the situation was."
2."We watched what was on TV, not what we wanted, lol."
3."You could still smoke in most places, like restaurants and fast-food joints! Go to the Hardee’s in the morning and there’d be a bunch of old men just drinking coffee and smoking."
4."Always having to remember to carry 35 cents so you could make a pay phone call if needed. If not then relying on the ol' call collect and say your message real fast when they ask you to record your name so that the recipient doesn't have to accept the charges!"
5."Before streaming, even before DVDs, once a show was gone, it was GONE gone. If it wasn't released on VHS, you'd either have to find someone who taped it with their VCR or go to conventions hoping someone else taped it and would sell it to you."
6."Ordering a pizza or any takeout, you had to physically have their takeout menu that had their phone number on it. If not, you had to find them in the phone book and order blind unless you knew the menu by heart."
7."The insults we gave each other. A lot of that would be considered insensitive or hate speech today."
8."A box by the phone with two digital numbers telling how many phone messages were left for you if you weren't home."
9."You could just pop a disc into a console and start playing in seconds. No install, no updates, nothing."
10."Having to coordinate meetups without cell phones. 'Meet at the mall at 7' meant you actually had to be there at 7, or your friends would just leave without you. No quick text to say you're running late."
11."The term 'bring a book' was so common and magazines were actually looked at and not just ads."
12."The whole concept of having to watch a show when it aired. None of this DVR or streaming stuff. If we wanted to watch a show, we had to be home with the TV tuned to the right channel at the right time. Sure, we had VCRs, but most people didn't know how to program them. (I did, but my parents would inevitably change the channel so I always ended up recording the wrong thing whenever I tried.)"
13."Directions using a paper map, or using something like Mapquest and printing them out."
14."Having to carry all the things. Phone, camera, and music were all different devices. Now, even your keys and wallet are on your phone."
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15."Having to talk to strangers and ask for directions!"
16."We had to go get media. Movies, music, video games, etc. We had to go to a store and buy them and take them home. And it was a fucking blast."
17."That 'virtual' appointments, classes, trainings, etc., wasn’t an option."
18."If you want to listen to a specific song, you have to wait for it on the radio or MTV, buy a CD, or share it through headphones with friends. Spotify and other services have made everything so simple and quick; we have never had a catalog so big in the palm of our hands. We used to appreciate music more then, and we didn't care about charts or streams."
19."Paying 10 cents per text, and asking people to call after 7 p.m."
20."Dial-up internet. Most kids today probably don't even have a landline."
21.Saying goodbye to loved ones at the airport gate instead of dropping them off and driving away.
22."We used MIDI files as ringtones and paid $.99–$3.99 each for them (until we learned how to download and add them ourselves). I don't think the shocking thing would be the ringtones, but I think the shocking thing would be we had the ringers on."
23."Without a constant internet connection, sometimes you’d get into arguments with friends about basic facts or trivia (what’s the capital of Wyoming, for instance) without anyone being able to look it up on the spot. You’d just have to fight it out for an hour with no resolution."
24."Relatedly, that mild anxiety that comes with not having your phone with you? That didn't exist. You'd go to the mall to hang out, and there'd be six hours where no one could get a hold of you, and your lack of reachability was not something you thought about at all."
25.And lastly, "Netflix used to come in the mail."
You can read the original thread on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
