Off Topic Have we lost something ...

... or have things improved.

As you get older you have to guard against the 'everything was better back in the day' ...

... it wasn't, some things were shyte.

But one thing that's changed, for the worse imo, is that people, all over the country, are becoming homogenised with the language, fashion and culture but particularly the music.

There always seemed to be a new 'movement' from Teddy Boys, Mods, Hippies, etc, all with their own fashion, music, slang, etc through Skinheads to Punk, Goths, etc.

Now there's virtually nothing except a slightly creepy American gang culture.

Young and young-ish adults, all over the country seem to have settled for uniformity and anonymity. There's no fashion outside of the 'Next look' and the culture is virtually identical from the South Coast to Tyneside.

I've no idea about music, the biggest artists are perfectly fine but generally mediocre and middle of the road. Young people fork out to go to London for Mamma Mia and somone as ordinary as Adele 'headlines' Glastonbury. Half-arsed Tesco shelf-stackers are given hysterical standing ovations on the X-Factor and 18-30 year olds organise Eurovision Song Contest parties as if it isn't all fake.

Our language is becoming increasingly Americanized and conspicuously gay which is all harmless but dull and predictable. People use words and phrases they pick up from worthless TV 'shows' and religiously watch things they wouldn't walk down the street to see. They talk about people ballroom dancing, baking cakes and putting on make-up as if it's anything more than just endless popularity contests. In programmes like Gogglebox couch potatoes are filmed praising their favourites and criticising 'the losers'. Then those watching Gogglebox repeat the same tedious process with the watchers.

It's all passed off as ironic or harmless but I don't believe it is. All over the country pubs & welfare are closing and places become clones of TV watching IKEA buying Amazon dwellers with identical 'New York skyline' prints on the wall and identically coloured shale on the front garden.

Britain used to celebrate eccentricy and diversity but it seems to be moving towards conformity and 'fitting in' ...

... it's easy to dismiss this all as a deluded 'things were better back in my day' rant but I really believe it's true in many ways.

Nostalgia isn't always incorrect or just a secret wish to be young again ... or is it?

 

I agree that many things look better at first glance mate.

Top level football is obviously 'better' but the two European finals managed a total of half a dozen decent shots ...

... just one example of ruining things by making them better, like VAR.

 

In some ways things have become a little bit worse IMO, take the news for example one time you could watch, listen to the news or read a newspaper. Now its all someones opinion, it's not actually news, just someone spouting off about what they think. Not an unbiased report about anything! Social media gives way to the rise of the woke brigade. what on earth is wrong with people that they want to ignore history, they can't change it, but want to get rid of statues or buildings because somewhere in the dark distant past someone had slaves. Learn from mistakes. Black lives matter ....To me is a load of bollox, ALL lives matter. It was not nice to see that policeman kneeling on the guys neck and killing him, that was America, you don't have the same reactions in UK, or am I missing something? I have all different ethnicities as friends
In other ways things are better, you can stay in contact with family and friends with internet etc. You can chat with others on forums. Think it all depends whether you're a glass half full or half empty, person.

 

I don't feel any sense of guilt about slavery, not one bit.

I don't feel the slighest responsibility that a miniscule percentage of rich 'upper class' merchants brought in slaves to take the jobs of decent working men. No one in my family directly benefitted from slavery and I won't be villified purely because of the colour of my skin or birthplace.

The American police officer was condemned by the colour of his skin, people claimed it was a racist attack without any justification other than he was white.

Both examples are racism, plain and simple.

 

Well said sir, and personally I think you are spot on there

 

We've lost the ability to be happy and content with our ourselves and the simple basics of life. ( for ''we'' I mean society, I don't include myself in this statement)

 

That's a very good point tbf.

 

I feel that social media influencers are a major contributing factor in today's I want that and I want it now society.
When I was growing up I was aware of what was going on in my local area, school then pub so tended to look at local role models. Now people can look at anyone anywhere in the world

 

i honestly think we had the 'best years' in the 70's, plenty work (yes, leave a job friday, start a new one monday was a thing) music was varied from the late hippy sounds to electronic crap...although the fashion was a bit of a tw@t.

few mothers worked/drove/were career orientated back then, the roles were clear from birth, girls were taught 'domestic science' and typing skills, lads got woodwork and metalwork...schoolwork was to prepare you for the real world then that real world was ruined during the 80's once that woman took charge.

these days everyone gets what they want when they want it, i was brought up with the mantra, 'if you cannot afford it you just cannot have it' so we saved, unlike modern times when it gets added to the card as they cannot wait, everyone wants the best of everything with the bigger holidays going further afield, the bigger cars, the bigger houses...what you have defines what you are rather than who you are defining what you are, those without are looked down on and made to feel worthless and a drain on society, look at all those screaming for a holiday because they had to miss one and taking anything just to get away as if it would kill them not to sit in the sun and get p1ssed for two weeks.

the internet is a handy tool and many could honestly not survive without that ability to post every sodding activity they do every day or nowhere to post the latest selfie to get 'oooh gorge hun' replies and likes, but there was a time when it was not there, people would meet over coffee down the local shopping center to pass the events of the week, we spoke to anyone and everyone who wanted to speak as there did not seem to be the hatred and mistrust there is now...the shopping trip was the big day out for many and there really seemed to be a damn sight less 'nasty' gossip and those willing to spread it, those shopping trips are almost gone now as people prefer to do the online shop where half the stuff you order arrives as a substitute, the clothes are always the wrong size, colours totally wrong, and electrical goods with no safety built in at all...yet they are willing to put up with all that as long as they get the latest mobile phone upgrade, they are contented.

 

Sheep mentality Smug, they all follow what they perceive as the right way to do things on these God awful shows, housewives of wherever, love island etc etc, pouting lips full of god knows what and false tits the list is endless.
fashion is awful they are all cloned in the same image.
the only good thing I've noted lately which could be masked by the Covid carry on is teenage binge drinking seems to have run it'scourse, or has it?
I'm starting to sound like my dad did 50 years ago

 

I agree with most if not all the previous posts and I’ll add why the **** is it cool to be thick or fick as today’s younguns would say. And being able to identify as a gay dwarf giraffe if that suits you, man **** off. Thewestern world will be ****ed in 25 years if these lovey dovey mamby pamby twats get much more of a say in how we should all behave and think.

 

I don’t think binge drinking was any different at it’s worst to what it was when I was a youngan except we just called it getting pissed.

 

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be .

 

You're dead right there, except in days gone by we would get pissed by drinking a vat of beer. Nowadays, it's hoying shots down ya neck at a rapid rate, making you incapable much quicker, while the lasses guzzle down pints of lager!

 

I can only speak for myself but, at 18-ish, my visits to pubs weren't always just to get drunk or meet girls. We'd become involved with the pub culture from playing for various sports teams, participating in charity events to organising gigs, etc.

To a great degree that culture is vanishing and I don't know what's filling the void.

 

Do pubs,still have darts teams or has that gone tits up as well.

 

I've not lived in the UK much so can't say.

What I do find sad, when I'm back, is driving though lovely villages where the only pub is aluminiumed up ...

... it must rip the heart of out the place.

 

The demise of the pubs has changed local community so much . Especially prior to 24 hr opening and cheap drink being available to buy from every retail outlet going, the pub was where people congregated at the same part of the day . That way they actually knew people - none of this hundreds and thousands of “ friends” people supposedly know on Facebook. People could place individuals with their wider families , who lived where , and kids were more wary of misbehaving because they had to assume that any adult may know their parents . I would vote for a return to 11-3 and then 6-11- and a reduction in pub beer duty to be reclaimed by the chancellor by putting it on supermarket prices

 

i never saw the need for 'all day opening' and still don't, i have no idea if it increased or reduced alcoholism but one thing is for sure, cheap supermarket crap almost certainly has.

i would also vote for a return to opening hours and a much needed reduction in taxes, the rate at which the locals are closing down/becoming take-aways is crazy, it is almost as if the government knew the outcome while they sat with their subsidised drinks, i grew up with 5 pubs and the club near me and right now there is 1 pub and the club, two take-aways and an ex-newsagents shop.