Subscribe to Listverse8 Differences Between the 1950s and Now
- Published October 26, 2007 - 131 Comments
It’s Friday, so a little humor is in order. I recently stumbled across this amusing little article comparing scenarios taking place in the 1950s and now. The list is American-centric, but everyone will enjoy it I am sure.
Scenario 1
Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1957: Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack’s shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2007: School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.
Scenario 2
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1957: Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2007: Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.
Scenario 3
Scenario: Jeffrey won’t be still in class, disrupts other students.
1957: Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007: Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.
Scenario 4
Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957: Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007: Billy’s dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy’s sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy’s mom has affair with psychologist.
Scenario 5
Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957: Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smoking dock.
2007: Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario 6
Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.
1957: Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2007: Pedro’s cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro’s English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.
Scenario 7
Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1957: Ants die.
2007: BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny’s Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.
Scenario 8
Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957: In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007: Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy. Johnny’s parents sue the school for negligence and the teacher for emotional trauma and win both cases. Mary, jobless and indebted, commits suicide by jumping off of a tall building. When she lands, she hits a car and also damages a potted pot. The car’s owner and the plant’s owner sue Mary’s estate for destruction of property. They both win. [Thanks jeff, for the addition]
and lesee whens the Deadline for it again.. EST that is 
October 26th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
great list. love this site. keep upthe good work
October 26th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
sadly, its all true
October 26th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Aside from number 1, thankfully the rest of the 1950’s scenarios still apply in the UK. =)
October 26th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Poor ants
October 26th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Ahhh, the way things never were
October 26th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
man i think of the pyrotechnics my friends and I used to create back in the mid 90s and how they would get us labled domestic terrorists these days.
October 26th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
You forgot a little on number 1:
2007: Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy. Johnny’s parents sue the school for negligence and the teacher for emotional trauma and win both cases. Mary, jobless and indebted, commits suicide by jumping off of a tall building. When she lands, she hits a car and also damages a potted pot. The car’s owner and the plant’s owner sue Mary’s estate for destruction of property. They both win.
October 26th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
to true.
October 26th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Jeff: so awful and yet – yes – so true. I have added your extras to the list.
October 26th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
jfrater: it’s an honor. Love the site, btw.
October 26th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Paul: I agree with you on that note. That’s what I thought.
I think Americans have just become way too afraid of everything…But, you know, I only graduated from school six years ago in 2001. And I remember boys coming to school with guns in the gun racks of their trucks. Important note: I lived in a small hick town where everyone hunted, so it was no big deal. Things may have changed since then, but I also graduated several months for 9/11. I think that’s when EVERYTHING really changed.
October 26th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Jeff: thanks – but the pleasure is all mine – I am so pleased to have such interesting people commenting here
October 26th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
This is my favorite list so far. Genius and true.
October 26th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Nici: I think it all boils down to trust – no one trusts anyone anymore. Very sad.
October 26th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
No one trust anyone. The sad truth. Hence why I document and provide proof anytime I need. I am very trusting, or I would not post on here. To note, I am also very trustworthy. But I don’t expect anyone to trust me on that statement since is the way of life these days.
October 26th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
TMoraca: I was actually a bit apprehensive about posting this because I thought it might upset people – but I am glad I did now
October 26th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Ravyn: I trust you
October 26th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
love this list. oh how far we’ve advanced..
October 26th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Jamie: I’d hope so. I have given you no reason to do otherwise, aye…
October 26th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
The list could be from the 70s and today, because I did most of those things when I was in school. Sad.
October 26th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
dalandzadgad: yeah… erm…
Ravyn: so true
October 26th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
Richard: that is true – corporal punishment was still an option when I grew up in the late 70s
October 26th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Hell, corporal punishment was an option when I was in elementary in the early 90’s. I’m not even sure when or where it started not being an option, but I remember very clearly being paddled by the principal several times.
October 26th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Sad but true…I can’t imagine how the future it’s going to be when we are raising the next generation so wrong
October 26th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
How about this one.
Scenario: Johnny goes for a bike ride
1950s 60s 70s
Johnny hops on bike and rides off
2007: Johnny puts on helmet, knee pads & elbow pads along with extra safety reflectors, loads his bike in the car so mom or dad can drive him to the bike path where they can watch him the whole time.
(This is why I’m glad I grew up when I did)
October 26th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
i must say “things shall continue to go from bad to worse”
October 26th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
I’ve had this posted as a blog on my MySpace forever. It is true. (Forrest Gump-like)- That’s all I have to say about that.
October 26th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Best List Yet…unbridled tort claims have ruined the U.S. …this coming from a law student
October 26th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Oversimplied, definately, but funny nonetheless.
October 26th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Hilarious!! Especially #4
I love this website!
October 26th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Re: Scenario 6…
Really? Like…..really? Did that happen somewhere?
October 26th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Scenario: Jacob misses his bus from New York to Boston, hitch-hikes home
1957: Jacob gets home in four hours, thanks the man and pays him 10 dollars for his troubles.
2007: Jacob gets abducted, killed, cut up into tiny pieces and fed to dogs.
October 26th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Reading this list, some people may get nostalgic about the 50’s and forget that it was also a time when african-americans couldn’t even attend the same schools as white people
October 26th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
EAL: that is very true indeed – though one can still be nostalgic for the 50s without tacitly accepting segregation.
October 27th, 2007 at 7:47 am
Very True!!
October 27th, 2007 at 8:48 am
I agree that everything has become so damn complicated now…people are prisoners of fear..and the laws and authorities help fuel this. i’m talking from expirience, I had to serve jail time, take anger management, and be on probation for 6 months for simply slapping a guy, not punching, SLAPPING! And get this, he started it..we tried to take care of it outside of school but I guess he wanted to show off at school..he ended up looking stupid so, he pressed charges ..i love the way things work now adays..lol
October 27th, 2007 at 9:00 am
Joe Blackk: You spent time in jail for slapping a kid in a male to male schoolyard brawl? That is utterly disgusting.
October 27th, 2007 at 9:43 am
Ants die ! Haha..
October 27th, 2007 at 11:01 am
A potted PLANT or POT?
October 27th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
bizzoony: So true! Haha. Good one.
October 27th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
I should be ashamed but,these are sooo true its kinda funny!!
October 27th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
How sad that we all agree that they are true! Not only is it a trust issue, IMO, it’s a responsibility issue. No one takes responsibility for their own actions any more! There is always someone else to blame for every thing!
What about this one-
Woman goes to McDonald’s and orders coffee, then accidentally spills coffee.
1957: Woman receives 2nd degree burns, and vows to never be so clumsy again
2007: Woman sues McDonalds for not telling her the coffee was “hot”, wins millions which forces McDonalds to print “Caution! Contents Are HOT” on all of their coffee cups.
SHEESH!
October 28th, 2007 at 1:28 am
How can you guys say this is “so” true. I guess its funny but its hardly true. For example, a lot of students bring aspirin to school and don’t get searched for drugs. Maybe i’m just being paranoid.
October 28th, 2007 at 1:36 am
Hannah: excellent addition – that just stunned me when I heard about it.
Tom: I guess a lot of it is hyperbole, but the fact remains that while the situations are exaggerated, it does show the mentality we have now compared to the 50s.
October 28th, 2007 at 5:42 am
Tom,
Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days. ~Doug Larson
That’s why I said it was oversimplified but like J said, it is funny.
October 28th, 2007 at 5:58 am
Dana: that is a brilliant quote!
October 28th, 2007 at 10:41 am
or how about this:
Little Susie wants to become a scientist.
1957: Susie is told she has a silly imagination and that women aren’t smart enough for that. She becomes a housewife.
2007: she becomes a scientist.
Or this:
little Robert is black.
1957: Robert is refered to as ‘boy’ or the N word, beaten and intimidated. He has no role models.
2007: Roberts most prominent role models are rappers who sing about killing, drugs, sex, and ‘life on the streets’, or athletes. White people avoid him.
October 28th, 2007 at 10:45 am
There are so many that you missed! What about one about black people having to attend “seperate but equal” schools and socially acceptable racism? And what about one where the only job a woman could hold was as a secretary? Where violence was far more common than it is today or only 2 in 3 americans had full social status? Ah, the 50s…what a great time.
October 28th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Joe – two words: Curie, Obama.
Joel: as I just said – Women had many great jobs through history – even Queen Elizabeth II worked in a factory during the war.
October 28th, 2007 at 11:16 am
Scenario 1
2057: Doesn’t happen, no guns anymore and no killing for sport either!
*Fingers crossed!*
October 29th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
Well, at least we dont have to worry about the cold war or extreme racial injustice any more….
October 30th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
Oyster: potted PLANT. Guess I had… other things on my mind.
October 30th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
“Well, at least we dont have to worry about the cold war or extreme racial injustice any more….”
Hehe, yeah. Seems like once you scratch the surface things ain’t changed that much, yet.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:23 pm
I agree with some of those but a lot of the 1957 ones seem to condone child abuse which is not cool.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:37 am
its amazing how realistic this list is. i am never having kids. ugh.
November 22nd, 2007 at 12:29 am
hmmm, i agree with parts of this list but i dont like that it how it makes child abuse seem like an innocent practice of the days gone by.
yes some kids who are hit can go on to be successful and unscathed however physical abuse never yeilds a postive outcome and who are we to determine the difference between ‘disciplene’ and child abuse.
November 22nd, 2007 at 12:56 am
phoetus1: smacking is not child abuse – beating is. Smacking was common place before recent years and the greatest world leaders, holy people, visionaries, and entrepreneurs of their day did not suffer. It is also difficult to determine the difference between normal and over eating – should the government legislate that too? You are also using loaded words by referring to smacking as “hitting” – hitting was not a term used to describe smacking in days gone by – it has emerged from the anti-smacking crowd to demonize it.
November 22nd, 2007 at 1:50 am
ok, valid argument
however the two examples used in this list feature a child been hit with objects which i believe consitutes as beating a child
i may be wrong
i just really dont like the idea of innocent children been hurt when words would do just as well
November 22nd, 2007 at 1:55 am
phoetus1: you can’t reason with children under 7 or 8 – that is why that age is called the “Age of Reason” – therefore you need alternate means for teaching – ie, smacking
And to be honest – compare the behaviour of today’s children with that of the past – I would say there is no doubt that using words has failed dismally.
November 22nd, 2007 at 2:07 am
jfrater: well all i know is that been hit as a child has fucked me up royally
i will never hit my child
November 22nd, 2007 at 2:14 am
phoetus1: If it has effected you in that way I would say you were not just smacked – but beaten. Smacking does not damage a child when used in moderation and without extreme force.
November 26th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
yeah dude the kid has to be at least spanked under certain circumstances in order for the parents to get their point across.
December 5th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Kids have been punished effectively for a long, LONG time now via spanking. Seriously people, there are a lot more serious, more harmful things that could be done. This being said everyone I knew that was spanked growing up are JUST FINE (including me). I fully intend on using this method with my kids (god forbid i ever have any).
As JFrader already stated, kids up until 7-8 yrs. cannot fully comprehend or feel the emotion behind words, therefore NO Phoetus1, words don’t tend to work near as well, as is demonstrated by the children being raised these past couple of decades.
p.s. i like this list. makes me think that the whole reasoning behind the town created in “The Village” (i dont know why it was that instance that popped into my head but i know there are others) was actually well thought out…
December 6th, 2007 at 1:44 am
NSEW and InconsistentAngelThings: thanks for backing me up
December 13th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
I’m old enough to remember what is was like in the 50’s. It’s sad that today you can’t even enjoy a little humor with someone whinning and sniveling about child abuse or racism. Please
keep your politically correct BS to yourself.
In the fiftes at least one was able to present their opinion without being shouted down as a racist,hate monger, today that isn’t the case, we haven’t advanced at all.
December 17th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Heck, I’m in a small town in the south and I can honestly say that the majority of the 1950 scenarios would still be the case here. Except for the drugs, we had an incident with perscription drugs last year and now we’re strict on them. But hey, at our school you can have a pocket knife, even use it to cut some paper in the principal’s office, but you better not have a cell phone or iPod!
December 18th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
awesome concept for a list… got me thinking…
scenario: Johnny meets very drunken girl Susie in bar, takes her home and has a wild night with her.
1957: susie wakes up, becomes enlightened as to what happened, calls johnny a “fresh young man”,gives johnny a smack in the face, gets dressed and goes home.
2007: Susie wakes up, becomes enlightened as to what happened, quietly calls 911 on her cell phone. johnny arrested in bed. date rape charges are filed. Johnny spends 7 years in state prison, undergoes intensive therapy and lives out his days as a registered sex offender, forever in paranoia of his neighbors who are forever on the alert about him. Susie is diagnosed with ptsd and undergoes abuse victim therapy for the next thirty years. concludes she is a mental case and has a miserable life.
December 22nd, 2007 at 6:40 pm
I’d worry if this wasn’t posted in humour. It’s sounds like looking back and glorifying the past to ridiculous extremes. I assume the contrast is dilerberate and not serious
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Number two doesn’t apply. I have seen countless fights at my school, and the police only showed up once. They had a really cool bean-bag gun that they shot this kid with.
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I like all the comments about how today’s youth is worse because they are not smacked. Throughout always, adults were convinced that the day’s youth were worse than they used to be. They read too much, they should do more farm work and whatnot. I am sure your school experience and childhood were vastly different from your parents.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
This is all sadly true in the US. Im glad that it is not quite as extreme in the UK, and many 1950s policies still apply. The trouble is, there are too many stupid laws and stupid goverments. Pretty much anything is a crime, and has a label such as “racist” on it. As well as this, people wont hesitate to sue somebody, even for the most ridiculous reasons!
January 12th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Man…sad but true.
By censoring absolutely everything from teenagers, you’re making them worse…jeebus.
January 13th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Spend some time working in a convenience store in a neighborhood full of kids and tell me you wouldn’t want to smack any of the little brats! Parents are living in such fear of being accused of child abuse that they’re afraid to give the kids a whack on the bottom when they misbehave, so therefore these kids run around the store like little heathens and tear stuff up and steal.
I know I’m young, just 23, but even when I was growing up it was different. My parents weren’t afraid to give me a whack when I had done wrong. And guess what? It worked! I made the mistake once, got smacked, realized I didn’t want that to happen again, then I did as I was supposed to.
All these kids now are just way too babied! Their parents are too busy telling them how special they are and trying to discipline them with words when the kids can’t understand what they’re being told half of the time. Even when they do understand they don’t have enough respect to pay attention and listen. Stupid parents and their stupid kids!
January 16th, 2008 at 1:51 am
Hilarious
January 16th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
#43 Tom, they might not get searched for drugs but I live in Michigan and the kids here are not allowed to have ANY type of medications on them. Zero Tolerance. When my son was 9 he broke his arm on the playground at school during recess. After it was set the doctor said Tylenol for pain. Well medications have to go through the office but they said I had to have a note from the doctor in order for them to dispense the Tylenol, once I got that they then said that wasn’t good enough I needed a prescription.
January 29th, 2008 at 5:15 am
So sad that it could happen to anyone of us
January 29th, 2008 at 5:26 am
i believe in spanking, but with my scenario, daddy was an alcoholic, his leather belt was always in tow, and a linemen for his college footbal team and could bench A LOT! (get my drift) and i wasnt a problem child. there are limits…
February 7th, 2008 at 7:53 am
1957: six black kids beat up a white kid (just for being white) so bad that his eyeball almost falls out, they are arrested, charged with attempted murder, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison, where they all die. No one cares, not even black people, because the people who committed the crime pay for it, and that is how society works.
2007: six black kids beat a white kid (just for being white) so bad that his eyeball almost falls out, they are then charged with attempted murder because they told him they would kill him. Immediately every famous black person in America rushes to these poor oppressed children’s aid. Al Sharpton gets involved, and all the charges are dropped. Children are then held up as heroes of the black community, and are allowed to give out awards at the BET awards. They all think that the publicity means that people and society care about them. They all continue on to be arrested for gun,drug, and assault charges, within 10 years all end up dead or serving long prison sentences. No one cares. White kid becomes next Hitler.
March 1st, 2008 at 2:24 am
I WAS GONNA DO A DETAILED DEBUNKING OF SOME OF THIS, BUT THE RACE HATE AND MISOGYNY GOING ON HERE IS JUST TOO MUCH. AND THAT MCDONALD’S COFFEE CASE? THE WOMAN GOT THIRD DEGREE BURNS, IT WASN’T JUST SOME HOT COFFEE. SHE WAS RIGHT TO SUE, IMAGINE SHE’D TAKEN A SIP RATHER THAN SPILLING IT IN HER LAP.
March 1st, 2008 at 2:28 am
six black kids beat up a white kid (just for being white)
This never ever would have happened in 1957, the black kids were too busy being beat up by white kids just for being black. And then they’d pack some cold chicken and have a lynchin party.
Welcome to reality.
March 1st, 2008 at 2:33 am
JANE: “IMAGINE SHE’D TAKEN A SIP RATHER THAN SPILLING IT IN HER LAP”
I suspect that had she have done so, she would have realized it was very hot and held on to it more carefully and not stuck it between her legs like a moron.
March 1st, 2008 at 2:38 am
Oh, those good old days – when men were men, women were servants and black people didn’t exist.
March 1st, 2008 at 2:57 am
jfrater: She didn’t stick it between her legs. She was holding it and the lid came off. A very simply google search would turn these things up.
March 1st, 2008 at 3:06 am
If it was hot enough to give her third-degree burns (which are when you actually lose skin), then if she’d sipped it she would have just gotten third-degree burns inside her mouth. I’m kind of surprised that a site-owner that does as much research as you seem to wouldn’t have looked up the exact facts of the case.
March 1st, 2008 at 3:16 am
Wait, I have another one!
scenario: Jan is walking home when she is pulled down an alley and raped.
1950: Her mother tells her not to go to the police because she wasn’t really hurt, but Jan finally does. The police don’t take her seriously and tease her; they put no effort into the investigation and the rapist goes free. Everyone in town knows that she was raped, and most people think it was her fault and she’s a slut. Eventually, Jan gets married and has kids, then has a mental breakdown due to the repression of the event.
2007: Her friends urge her to go to the police, and she does right away. An investigation is made, and the rapist is caught and put in prison. Some people say it was her fault for walking alone and wearing a skirt, but her friends and family stand by her. With some therapy, Jan works past the traumatic event and has a fulfilling life.
March 1st, 2008 at 3:28 am
“She didn’t stick it between her legs. She was holding it and the lid came off.”
Some facts :
1. she was not holding the cup, she had put it between her knees.
2. the coffee spilled when *she pulled the lid off*. It did not “come off”
I’m not playing down the extent of the injuries that the 79 year old plaintiff suffered…but remember, the jury found her partly at fault.
March 1st, 2008 at 8:12 am
i believe in spanking, but with my scenario, daddy was an alcoholic, his leather belt was always in tow, and a linemen for his college footbal team and could bench A LOT! (get my drift) and i wasnt a problem child. there are limits…
That’s the trouble. Saying, “Okay, it’s okay to smack a kid sometimes, but too much is bad!” just doesn’t work, because it’s too objective. Even if you do manage to set up a precise, definable description of what kind of corporal punishment is allowable, you’re still going to have cruel people who will punish a kid the “acceptable” way for no reason, just because they want to. It’s better to just say that none of it’s good and make parents come up with other ways to punish kids.
March 1st, 2008 at 8:39 am
The fun thing about this site is after you think everything has been said, the subject is closed, and Randall has written his epistle, a few weeks later someone makes another comment and starts the whole debate over again
March 4th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Very good list. Thanx for the laughs. A couple of mistakes though. You forgot in #7 that PETA would also sue Johnny for animal cruelty. Also in #8, Mary ONLY goes to jail if she merely hugged Johnny. If she ACTUALLY molested him, she’d be let off with a warning and smart ass talk show hosts (think Howard Stern or Bill Maher) would call her a “hero.”
March 8th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
In scenario 8, 2007 you said “Potted pot” do you mean potted “Plant”?
June 5th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Here’s one for you.
Bob stops by local saloon after work and has a couple too many. He hops into his car an proceeds to wrap his car around a telephone pole, killing two pedestrians.
1958 – Bob winds up getting a hefty jail sentence for maslaughter and is ostracized for being a lush.
2008 – Bob is sent to some cushy rehab place. When he gets out, he sues the bar that served him to the point of intoxication due to “mental and emotional suffering”, and wins a huge financial settlement. Bar owner is driven to bancruptcy and his employees all wind up on the dole or unemployable for their “wrecklesness”.
I say this as someone who has worked as a bartender and heard some real horror stories.
July 19th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Awesome list. Scenario 4 is just so true.
July 31st, 2008 at 8:12 am
This is absolutely stupid. At first, I thought the list was funny and had a ring of truth, but then it just got stupid somewhere around “Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.” Yeah, right. There were no dropouts in 1957? How about “Pedro drops out of school, and gets a tedious, menial job”? Also, you need to go back a little further than 1957. There were gangs and hoods in 1957, just like now, and they (as your list points out) broke windows and got into trouble, and it didn’t always end happily ever after. Get real.
August 18th, 2008 at 9:16 am
I can easily tell this is 100% true.
August 21st, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I go to school now and trust me it’s nothing like this…
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:15 am
This list is a bit far fetched if you ask me.
August 28th, 2008 at 5:12 am
propaganda & nostalgia for an age that never existed
August 28th, 2008 at 6:11 am
You forgot the scenario about the lynchings that happened in the 1950’s and the seperate bathrooms.
August 29th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Funny, sure.
True? Not even minutely.
August 31st, 2008 at 7:52 am
this is stupid. and it is VERY far fetched!most of the things here did happen in the 50s
September 12th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Those that think that this list is “far-fetched” or “not even minutely true”- you need to pull your head out of the sand!
BTW-Hannah – (October 27th, 2007 at 5:17 pm)
The cup was ALREADY HAD a warning label; but- “…Though there was a warning on the coffee cup, the jury decided that the warning was neither large enough nor sufficient…”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restaurants)
October 7th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Realist: Just have to add to your comment, I agree those commenters have to pull their heads out of the sand but at the same time they also have to find a sense of humour. Light-hearted material presented in a great way to show the vast differences between “then and now”.
And as for the smacking comments above, everyone I knew growing up were smacked if they misbehaved, taught right from wrong. Only last few years has it been termed as child abuse, leading to roaming hoodie gangs terrorising the high street when all I want is a drunken kebab. Why not ask a true victim of child abuse what their definition is!
October 20th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Rofl
October 21st, 2008 at 11:12 pm
all of it is very true. it just goes to show you that society today is way more complicated and has taken a turn for the worst. i wish it were still so simple nowadays
November 12th, 2008 at 7:22 am
#5 is So true. Add the addendum that little Johnny needs a Dr’s excuse, parental excuse and permission from the school nurse to take the aspirin after the school nurse gives then to him and watches him take them. Meanwhile, school nurse helps little Betty get an abortion and doesn’t notify anybody – of course little Betty has the right to privacy ya know.
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:50 am
Love love love this list
Although I can’t really comment on “the good old days” since I wasn’t even born back then, but otherwise great list!
Cheers
December 14th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
This makes me so sad. Has anyone read the book “The Death of Common Sense”? That book was full of this kind of stuff.
December 29th, 2008 at 12:12 am
man are we living in a fucked up generation v.v
December 29th, 2008 at 12:19 am
oh my god this is so stupid ( not the list i mean how times have changed ) i wish things were as simple as they were in the 50’s.. so many more pressures. ya know?
January 16th, 2009 at 9:25 am
ahh… the mythical fifties – nothing like it. i vividly remember the mythical fifties from my childhood in the eighties. just wondering, when do we start making up a fantasy version of the eighties?
January 31st, 2009 at 8:56 pm
I think many of the comments here are the best showing of what today’s society has come to. Instead of having a laugh and moving on with life we argue and consider how non-politically correct the whole thing is. Way to go. I appreciate the author for not taking himself or humor too seriously.
March 29th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
#80 not really true. It was mostly white kids ganging up on a black kid, but my dad was a teen then and he told me about being seriously beat up once by a bunch of black guys.
March 29th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
grandpa: have to agree with you. same with you, Love It!
how about this scenario? It’s pretty much based on scenario 4, but more based on me, so too bad I don’t live in the 50s:
Scenario: Danny often gets hit by his father
1957: Danny was okay with it, most of his friends were hit, and it was no big deal. Danny grows up happy.
2007: Danny calls the local police station. Cops come and warn Danny’s father of the consequences. Danny hates his father and causes trouble so his father will hit him again or his parents will divorce. Danny has troubles with friends at school, and becomes emo. Danny breaks a law, comes home being chased by cops, and when his father finds out, he beats Danny up. Danny is hauled off to a reformatory and his father’s hauled off to prison. Danny’s mother commits suicide and Danny’s sister is taken off to another foster home while the granny they lived with gets sent to a senior home.
so, adding to comment 102, i’m a victim of child abuse, and that’s MY definition. That’s more of an extreme case, but I feel that maybe spanks on bums is alright for little children up to age 6 or 7, but otherwise, it’s only normal if the society thinks it is. Meaning, in the 50s or 60s it was more okay, but now, not so much.
April 16th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Very Funny, but I don’t agree with the first one. No Guns!!! :p.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
this list must b true bcus now things are crazy as hell
May 25th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Wow, I can’t believe that so many people would aplaude such a ridiculous list. I agree that regulation has gotten out of hand, but it has all been put in place for a reason. There have been events of people abusing the more relaxed system at every turn and so new rules have been put n place. Consider Columbine, if school systems didn’t crack down on the possesion of fire arms at school after such a horrific event what would people have said about that? No matter how strict or lax the rules are there will always be someone ready to exploit them. The fact of the matter is it’s up to us to decide when people have malicious intent or when they’re just acting human. O.K. reading back over my comment calling this list ridiculuos was a little much, I suppose I’m just not entirely sure where your coming from.
May 25th, 2009 at 10:48 am
number 7 doesn’t work in idaho, it looks more like this
billy shoots illegal mortar fireworks over his neighbors wood shake roof, a cop comes up and talks to him, the cop leaves and billy is now shooting illegal mortars over a gas station.
July 14th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
This is by far one of the most interesting lists I have read on this site. I have never really thought about the differences from my time to the past and it’s weird to think that what I deem normal could have been out of the question in another time period.
July 16th, 2009 at 1:17 am
My little scenario:
Rebecca sees Dad’s porn collection, tells Mom.
1950s: Mom laughs it off with Dad, and reprimands Rebecca.
2009: Mom calls up police, Rebecca treated for any sign of abuse, Dad sent to jail.
Huh. I knew it.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:38 am
Kind of makes you mad, how anal our society is today. The gun thing I understand, but some of the others just shows how psychotic our society is.
August 26th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Just a little cynical?
September 8th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Very cynical indeed. Try this one…
Scenario: A black man attempts to vote during a presidential election.
1957: Gets the crap kicked out of him. (at least)
2007: He votes.
September 13th, 2009 at 6:19 am
^What #122 said.
This list was pretty lame.
September 22nd, 2009 at 3:26 pm
I like the blatant one…ANTS DIE! lol
September 25th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Sadly, this is a pretty accurate reflection of society today. Frivolous lawsuits and over-reactions. Granted, sometimes these reactions are warranted but for the most part are completely unnecessary.
This makes me sad lol
September 26th, 2009 at 1:56 am
These are amusing but the plain fact is that society and people in particular are failing to take responsibility for their actions, and would rather blame someone else. This leads to paranonia with laws, rules, regulations, lawsuits, claims and counter-claims. Makes money for lawyers and everyone else miserable.
October 12th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
This is reason#8,why I went into self-exile in Thailand.
November 2nd, 2009 at 7:09 am
Gotta love our bubble-wrapped society ;D
November 6th, 2009 at 8:46 am
I understand the use of exaggeration for comic effect, but there’s way too much moral panic in these, way too much romanticising of the “bygone era”, and way too much conservative fear. Yes some things are over the top about modern society but in general things are much better now than then. This whole thing smacks of those stupid newspaper articles when someone tries to ban christmas or stop people wearing crucifixes, the usual bullshit that makes people think they’re under attack from minorities and makes them yearn for the good old days when the only ones with a say where rich white straight men.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:31 am
It´s always fun when you find a old list you had not read before. This one was absolutely hilarious! What shocks me is the amount of people who cannot seem to stop taking themselves so seriously. Yes, yes, we all know that in the 50´s black people in the US did not have equal rights. It´s a good thing that some things have changed.
However, when we as a society have our collective heads so far up our collective asses that we cannot even see the humor in the ways our society has evolved, then that just makes me sad. No offense but you people are getting all PC and self-rightous over a HUMOR LIST.
In case you missed it the first time, here´s a hint: remove head from sphincter and laugh a little.
November 8th, 2009 at 4:43 am
Yes, there were racial and gender issues etc. in the 50s, but lighten up a little! It is a funny list, and Im not saying those things were funny, but you gotta admit, we love to make thing a whole lot more complicated these days…but I wasn’t even alive in the 50s…lol…