As someone who grew up in those good Ole days, I understand what you've said. I was one of the very lucky ones, I had a childhood with parents who were there. I still believe that the music and movies were the best and are classics savored in this world today. I am 76 and appreciate what I had more than ever. Interesting read though, thankyou!
I wrote a post about this one time. I grew up in the early 1950s. I remember it very nostalgically, probably because of television shows, like The Donna Reed Show and Leave It to Beaver. But we had to crawl under our desks and put our hands over our heads in school "just in case" there was a danger from Khruschev's Russia. An air raid siren went off every Tuesday as a test. Some people built bomb shelters in their backyards. There was definite anxiety all around.
I have a tiny page from a Bible-verse-of-the-day calendar pinned to my cork board. (Not my calendar--I just found the page abandoned somewhere.) The verse is Ecclesiastes 7:10.
-Do not say "Why is it that the former days were better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.-
Most of the "music was better back then" is a function of survivorship bias--we remember the standout songs and forget the mediocre ones that shared that decade. It's also a function how music itself changes over time. The golden age of rock and roll is between the ages of 12 and 16--that's the music that's new to you and forms your tastes. What comes later might not sound as good to you, especially if there's a new generation involved.
One of my favorite comments is “the older we get, the better we were”. A close second is “nostalgia is the most powerful drug”. I think fond remembrance and longing for the way things were is inextricably linked to the safety of knowing how things turned out. You see this with all things cultural; movies, music and art. Conservative people tend to eschew the avant garde as dangerous - Elvis is a perfect example - but when he became mainstream and later dead, he became a hero of the same people who’s parents likely condemned him for is morality busting swiveling hips. Aging and becoming weaker also tends to make people cling to what they know. It takes a lot of energy and courage to face an uncertain future. What we do know for certain is that change is the only constant and you can never truly go backwards in time.
As I am approaching my 8th decade of life I find this so true. My jobs were wonderful and I loved every minute of them, Ha. I remember my family as happy and for the most part functional. Thankfully they were there for us. I do have rose colored glasses and I do believe the music and dress were more fun.
As someone who grew up in those good Ole days, I understand what you've said. I was one of the very lucky ones, I had a childhood with parents who were there. I still believe that the music and movies were the best and are classics savored in this world today. I am 76 and appreciate what I had more than ever. Interesting read though, thankyou!
I still believe the music was better, too. I'm about to turn 75. ☺️
I wrote a post about this one time. I grew up in the early 1950s. I remember it very nostalgically, probably because of television shows, like The Donna Reed Show and Leave It to Beaver. But we had to crawl under our desks and put our hands over our heads in school "just in case" there was a danger from Khruschev's Russia. An air raid siren went off every Tuesday as a test. Some people built bomb shelters in their backyards. There was definite anxiety all around.
That's completely right!
I have a tiny page from a Bible-verse-of-the-day calendar pinned to my cork board. (Not my calendar--I just found the page abandoned somewhere.) The verse is Ecclesiastes 7:10.
-Do not say "Why is it that the former days were better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.-
Most of the "music was better back then" is a function of survivorship bias--we remember the standout songs and forget the mediocre ones that shared that decade. It's also a function how music itself changes over time. The golden age of rock and roll is between the ages of 12 and 16--that's the music that's new to you and forms your tastes. What comes later might not sound as good to you, especially if there's a new generation involved.
One of my favorite comments is “the older we get, the better we were”. A close second is “nostalgia is the most powerful drug”. I think fond remembrance and longing for the way things were is inextricably linked to the safety of knowing how things turned out. You see this with all things cultural; movies, music and art. Conservative people tend to eschew the avant garde as dangerous - Elvis is a perfect example - but when he became mainstream and later dead, he became a hero of the same people who’s parents likely condemned him for is morality busting swiveling hips. Aging and becoming weaker also tends to make people cling to what they know. It takes a lot of energy and courage to face an uncertain future. What we do know for certain is that change is the only constant and you can never truly go backwards in time.
As I am approaching my 8th decade of life I find this so true. My jobs were wonderful and I loved every minute of them, Ha. I remember my family as happy and for the most part functional. Thankfully they were there for us. I do have rose colored glasses and I do believe the music and dress were more fun.
You are very much on point.