Well maybe not everything but let’s just say that a solid 95% of everything that we actually enjoyed was better back then compared to now. Remember all of the people that were younger than you or weren’t around during your day that always seemed to get mad and dispute you when you said things like “back in my day” or “things were better back then”? Suddenly most of them have had a change in their own philosophies and realizing that the things that they actually used to enjoy are now over or ruined and aren’t what they used to be. Most of what they actually enjoyed was basically a rehash of things that came before them which they think that they were the first to do. Sorry kiddos but nothing that you do is original or new and now that you are reaching that age of really seeing things clearly, you sound just like the previous generations before you.
With that said, let’s really start at the top and discuss things that were actually better back then compared to now.
Movie Theaters / Video Rental – Going to the theater used to be an exciting outing where it was catching the $5.00 matinee or the 3rd / 4th run for $1.00, spending the afternoon or evening with friends catching a flick was a fun time and you had your pick of a dozen movies at any given time. Movies used to stay in the theater for a year which meant you could catch it multiple times or the fact that you could stay in the theater all day for the price of one ticket and watch the movie. Sure, streaming is convenient but nothing beats going to rent a movie at your local video store especially pre Blockbuster. Picking out something you knew and something you didn’t but based your options off of the box art meant that you were exposed to something new and if you rented it, you were going to watch it. Unlike with streaming, ending a movie in the middle because you don’t like it happens far too often. The appreciation for film has definitely gone down hill with the ease of technology.
Physical Media / Vinyl / Blu-Ray – I’m pro physical media all day. Yes it’s partly nostalgia but it’s 100% common sense to own things that you truly love. When it comes to print media, a kindle just doesn’t do it and reading something online that will ultimately disappear once the site is taken down or post removed means that it’s lost forever. As a DJ and music lover, sure streaming is convenient, but just like movie streaming services, when those licenses expire or companies decide to remove the content, you are no longer allowed to view it. Streaming services are one big scam in the big scheme of things especially when they say that you can rent a movie for $9.99 or own the movie for $15.99. You never really own the movie, it’s just in a cloud somewhere until they decide that you don’t deserve it anymore and then poof, it’s gone. Physical media isn’t for everyone and yes things take up space which is why I say buy what you truly love. For someone who has never not purchased physical media, the popularity of younger generations now becoming fond of things like vinyl now means major record labels are looking to cash in and of course prices start to go up and we are overwhelmed with things like Record Store Day which is a big cash grab.
Club Nights – As someone that has been going to the club for the better part of 30 years and DJ’s around the globe, clubs just aren’t as fun as they used to be, but that also depends on they types of clubs. The experiences once enjoyed in Hip Hop and R&B type clubs in the 80’s and 90’s where people went to dance are very different now where people go to stand around, look too cool to sweat, hang in the vip booth and complain that the DJ isn’t playing what they want to hear. People have become too accustomed to the microwave life where everything is instant when they themselves are living an illusion. Commercial, Top 40 and open format parties are the absolute worst and of course this new trend of R&B parties are absolute trash. Seeing DJ’s who weren’t in the clubs during the 90’s to understand how those genres were actually played yet trying to play them now is one big train wreck. I can say though that Disco nights are still fun as are Funk & Soul nights and Northern Soul nights haven’t changed much with the exception that they aren’t as snobby as they used to be and are open to hearing other things. House nights are fun when they are still in the cultural context of the people who it comes from and less fun when it’s a room full of non Black, Brown or gay people. Everything has become so gentrified that people have no clue of the lineage or meaning of anything that was once cultural.
Journalism / Reporters / Podcasts – The death of journalism and talent without a doubt happened during covid where everyone with a camera and microphone suddenly became some sort of host to discuss topics that they had no clue about yet suddenly gained Google knowledge. Or instead of doing research on topics they became click bait or shock connoisseurs just for interactions. Just about every Hip Hop podcast is a gossip column regurgitating old beefs and stories from the 90’s that if you were around you already lived through or if you weren’t it goes viral like it’s new. Rappers, athletes and celebrities airing out their dirty laundry because they have nothing else to say and most likely don’t have any new projects that are worthy of talking about. Black podcasts the entertain that type of fuckery are the same as white bro podcasts and their racial tones that went to bat hard for this current administration to get elected. There are very few music journalists out there yet everyone seems to think that they are qualified to critique some sort of art. We’re doomed!
Food – Do we even need to go there!?
Anyway, say what you want or live in denial, there’s no debating that things were definitely better back then and I’m standing on that. From TV’s and appliances not lasting as long as they used to cars being more expensive and made cheaply to not being served meals on flights anymore, everything was better back then including your paycheck, interest rates, house prices and most likely your health!