If someone from the 50s suddenly appeared today....

[pinkytoe]

I saw this question posted on Reddit and thought it was an interesting question:
If someone from the 50s suddenly appeared today, what would be the most difficult thing to explain to him or her about life today?
One interesting answer was "I possess a device, in my pocket, that is capable of accessing the entirety of information known to man. I use it to look at pictures of cats and get into arguments with strangers."
There have been so many changes though it is hard to pick just one when you ponder the question.

[TxZen]

I agree with the technologies being an interesting choice.

How about who we are fighting in this world today and how it's now a global and on our shores types of fight?

Also, how women age now. When 40 used to be old, now 40 is just getting started.

[catherine]

Really! Reminds me of that hilarious movie Blast from the Past with Brendan Fraser, although that movie was made in 1999, so there's a whole slew of life-changing things that have happened in the past 15 years.

If I could sit down with my mother in 1962 or so, I'd say,

"The Jetson's didn't really get it exactly right. We don't have human-like robots. We don't have airborne cars to get to work. Many of us don't have to "go to work" because we can "telecommute" which means, we use a computer to communicate with our colleagues… No, no we don't need a huge house for the computer, because these computers are small. No, smaller than a car. Smaller than a breadbox! Almost like carrying a magazine. Oh, and speaking of magazines, hardly anyone gets subscriptions to newspapers, because you get your news on this computer. How? Well, it kind of comes through the air. They call it the Internet. No, you don't have to wait until the next day. The minute something happens you can read about it. I know, it is hard to understand. Kind of like a TV might have been for Grandma.

Oh, and you know how the Jetsons have video telephones? Well, we do have video telephones--which also come through the computer, but mostly people have phones that are portable….. Yes, kind of like a transistor radio--that's right! But these telephones do a lot more than let you call people from anywhere. You can watch movies on them…. No, really, I'm not kidding! And you can buy these things called "apps" and your phone can do almost anything. Cameras are not even needed, because this phone is a camera AND a photo album…… No, not really. Well, kind of like a Polaroid, but you don't need that chemical thing, and the pictures don't come out. They stay in the phone. And you know all your record albums you play on your hi-fi? Well ALL those songs can be stored in this phone and you can play them any time you want, wherever you are. You can even play them through the speakers of your car! No, they're not little teeny records, and there's no needle. They're just, well, they're called MP3s, but don't ask me to explain that.

On this phone you can also balance your budget, play games, take notes, do recordings, pray, send messages to people, set your alarm. You can talk to the phone and ask it what the weather will be like tomorrow and it will tell you. If you're lost, you can look at a map and the map tells you how to get from where you are to where you want to go. How does it know where you are? You drop a pin. No, not a straight pin, that's just what they call it. Something in the air knows where you are and puts your location in the phone.

I know… it is mind-boggling. That's OK. Why don't you go grab a Tab. It's time to watch Guiding Light."

[razz]

What women in North America are able to do now. Huge difference!!!!!

[LDAHL]

Sorry to disappoint you, but cars still can’t fly.

Except for a few cultural backwaters like North Korea and Berkeley, nobody takes communism seriously anymore.

That movie actor Ronald Reagan was elected President. Did a pretty good job, too.

Don’t smoke in here! You’ll get us arrested.

Men can marry men now.

India is now capable of sending probes to Mars.

The Cubs still haven’t won a World Series.

[JaneV2.0]

Boffo post, Catherine!

I'd love to explain how women are no longer limited to being housewives, teachers, or secretaries--that we have the freedom to succeed or fail on our own merits. We can support ourselves, wear slacks to work, and buy property without our father's signature (really!) That we are making strides in human rights--people are no longer segregated or closeted--but we have a way to go. That we still face some challenges, but are confident that we can overcome them with community effort, know-how, and technology.

[Spartana]

$5 for a cup of coffee - and no refills
gay marriage and ability to adopt
racial equality and no more "separate but equal" crap
stay at home dads
no hats, glove or dressing up to go...anywhere
Smart Cars (OK I don't get those either :-)!)
microwaves

[catherine]

$5 for a cup of coffee - and no refills

To your point, what do you think our grandparents would say about paying for drinking water?
And also to your point, what about the average homes being in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and gas topping $3.00/gallon.
What about day care centers? Did daycare centers exist in the 50s? I don't think so--not in my town.
What about explaining that not only do you have to pay to watch TV shows, you STILL get all the commercials.

[ctg492]

I was born in 1961 and I am already saying "back in the day".... So many things have changed since then.

[Spartana]

To your point, what do you think our grandparents would say about paying for drinking water?
And also to your point, what about the average homes being in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and gas topping $3.00/gallon.
What about day care centers? Did daycare centers exist in the 50s? I don't think so--not in my town.
What about explaining that not only do you have to pay to watch TV shows, you STILL get all the commercials.

Ha Ha! Yeah I think our grandparents would probably be rolling up their eyes at most of the "normal" things many do now. Probably our parents too. Of course I'm a throw-back because I don't have cable and use rabbit ears (no aluminum foil on them though). They would probably be amazed (and not in a good way) at what people pay now for the "better" or "trendy" version of things they used everyday - like cook ware, appliances, etc... My Grandma would have a heart attack on the spot if she heard some people pay hundreds of dollars for a blender (Vitamix) or a pot, pan or knives (Sonoma-Williams) that seem basicly the same to what they used daily from Sears.