Things I miss about the 1970s

I used to think of the 1970s as a relatively dreary era, painted in earth tones, textured with synthetic fabrics and an absence of innovation. I was born in the 1970s, and lived out most of my childhood in the 1970s. Maybe my personal history shaped my experience of the time; the fallout of my parents divorce, yadda yadda. Yet I get the sense that most people see the 1970s as an intermission of American culture and history, a decade defined by blunders, debacles and inconveniences: the Watergate scandal, the Vietnam War, the Iran hostage crisis, an oil shortage.

So, I have to think to myself, then why would the 1970s have any appeal at all to me?

The thing is, the 1970s was the last decade to pass before the behemoth of technology took over by way of computers, the Internet, plasma TVs, fax machines and cell phones. It was the last time that anyone would live in more simple ways, practicing customs and behavior more in line with a less advanced era. It was the last time being a stay-at-home mom was still considered honorable, that teenagers didn't loose their virginities until college, and the best thing about summer was roller-skating and drive-in movies. With less to distract, life facilitated conversation and pastimes, and these in turn cemented friendships and community. These things are what pulls me to kindly remember the 1970s. Here is a short list of other things I miss:

1) I miss Saturday night television, when no one had VCRs or cable television, and everybody stayed home so as to not miss the latest episode of the Love Boat or Eight is Enough.

2) On that note, I miss Saturday morning cartoons. That was the big event of my week when I was little. I’d get up early, before my mom was awake, turn on the TV and grab a box of cereal to snack on while I watched Land of the Lost or Scoobie Doo.

3) Although I depend on answering machines and voice mail, and would never give them up, I have a nostalgic yearning for the time before these gadgets when nobody could leave messages and it was your guess or anybody else’s when you might be able to reach someone by phone. It somehow made contacting someone, being lucky enough to call when they were home more special.

4) Sometimes I miss being able to drive or ride in a car and have no understanding of the need to wear a seatbelt.

5) Yes, I hate smoking, I am glad you can’t smoke too many places anymore, but I sort of miss seeing people light up anywhere they damn well pleased: the elevator, the hospital, an office, bars and restaurants, movie theaters. Wasn’t that sorta cool?

6) I wish people stayed at their jobs longer, you know how people would have jobs for thirty years and then retire with a pension? Nobody really does that anymore.

7) In a bizarre way, I miss the Cold War. I loved how the USSR was so dangerous and forbidden, a dark entity across the ocean, that we were told was the embodiment of evil (but somehow in a more benign, predictable way than the evilness of today’s world). It made things interesting and there was always the distant goal we all hoped for, whether we agreed with politicians or not, that someday we would triumph over communism. I love that kind of structure.

8) I miss records and record players.

That’s the short list folks. Feel free to add to it. )H