The way things used to look vs. today

Not sure how young or old some of you are, but if you're at least in your late 20s, you might recall how things used to look when you were a kid versus how they look now. I have never been a fan of malls, but I remember they used to be less hideous than they look today. I like the predominate colors of the past.... browns, oranges, etc. Today, wherever you go things look so bright and sterile.

Does anyone know what I am talking about?

 

There were no malls when I was a kid.

 

When I was a kid there were almost no cars, we used to play on the street. Now theres one car behind the other.
There were lots of abandoned buildings and place where we played- no kid was spending free time behind a computer or TV back then, was cool

 

I don't know if it looks illusionary because I can see through the bullshit now, or if that's just the way things have went.

Probably a little of both.

 

Sure do. Look a little further by checking out the architecture of yesteryear (pre 1960s) vs today. Buildings are so boring today compared to that of the past. They used to pay so much attention to detail, no its whatever's cheapest/easiest.

 

The difference is not in the world but in the age of the eye. Wonder puts vibrancy into everything, but the too familiar lends to contempt. Beyond that we find what we look for.

I think there is as much art as ever but mass production dilutes our appreciation. There is no reason that more than enough should be too much but our minds are infected by a belief in scarcity, that is common things loose their value and we instead seek the novel or the rare or the special.

There is a saying then to counteract this depreciation with age, become as little children. I remember having no complaints about the state of the world, I was simply excited to meet it.

 

YES!

I loved the stylings of the 90s. It reflected a much healthier state of the hive mind. Things are slowly becoming more quaint again with this hipster scene -- but in a very overt way that makes it corny.

old amp:


new amp:

 

I think about this a lot, especially when I visit somewhere new. It's really interesting to see old photos of towns and cities back in the day and then to compare it to today. Bright and sterile would be a great way to describe how everything looks today.

 

Yeah you're right . I'm from a town that still has a lot of the real old architecture and it amazes me . Back to a time where tradesmen took pride in their trade and had craftsmanship . Only the right way would do . And those buildings last and still shine today . The old ways were the better ways . Today cut throat construction industry slams everything together as fast as they can , even if it's wrong . It's all about greed and profit .

The inside malls are going to become a thing of the past as well . Three have already gone under around me . The big box stores are driving them out . The latest trend is outside strip store "malls" that use up more land cause they are only one story .

The urban spraw is out of control . How many stupid stores can they build ? In an economy that's crap . Where retail service industry is pretty much all that's left . What amazes me is when I drive by them during the day . They are jammed with people shopping . In this economy it's a sure sign to me that people haven't learned anything , and still living on credit . Stupid is as stupid does I guess .

 

I was a kid in the 80s, and it really did look different back then. Every time I watch the original Dawn Of The Dead, where they get stuck in the mall, it makes me think of this very thing. And I love the building architecture of the 50's and 60's. There was also a more care-free feeling in the 80's.

 

YES!!!!

I love the original Dawn of the Dead and the way the mall looked.

Great album in your sig, BTW.

 

Amen to that you guys, Dawn of the Dead kicked ass!

 

I'm only 21, but I remember things were a lot different in my country when I was little... If you had a Cola, for example, or if you went to Mc'Donalds, you were a living god; there were very few computers, video games, toys, if you wanted to have fun you had to play outside... Nowadays you rarely see children playing outside, which is quite disturbing; all they care about are video games, getting cool clothes and having boyfriends/girlfriends, all this when they're less than 10 years old...

 

Malls are psychologically preparing us to journey into outer space, they’re self-contained, bright and sterile, and the air is being re-circulated

Hotwater

 

I, for one, LOVE the way styles and aesthetic appearances are developing.

Things are beginning to look so fantastically futuristic and smooth. Things are much less clunky and faded-looking than they used to be.

 

You're right I agree :2thumbsup:





hotwater

 

To me one of those most obvious ways to tell how things have changed in terms of looks is in our cars and trucks we drive. Last week i was getting my oil changed and inside was a 1965 mercedes for sale at $4,500 i think they said. Beautiful looking for for its price. Who knows how much the thing weighs, its soild fucking steal.

Then i look at my car thats a 1999 and it looked like a flimsy piece of plastic. My car is great vehicle and ill drive it tell it can't run..but those old ones sure do loook different.

Then i hit the road and i see these ugly toyota prius, or honda elements, fucking UGLY and all of it looks so cheap... if i hit a rabbit on the highway with it, the rabbit might live, but i sure as hell wont. All the new cars look...like a cheap over priced POS.

Most things now days do look really flashy and shiny and might look pretty, but that shinyness has become part of the selling gimmick because i think the truth is its a cheap piece of trash...

Same with houses being built. If you know a thing or two about building a home, its amazing how many nice looking paces when looked at up close are made of solid particle board..Yea it looks nice, but if you know a thing or two about building you would laugh at the selling price of $500,000

 

I hate this style of housing:



all the new neighborhoods in my town look like this. All the houses in each neighborhood are identical.

Whereas if you drive through the older neighborhoods from the 1930s-1960s, all the houses are unique and each one has so much character.

There is this one road in my town that used to be a two lane road. Its a long road, 20 miles or so, and when I was a kid you could go from one end to the other and the only thing on the road was a few houses, a grocery store, and an old diner. Now its a four lane highway with at least 6 different grocery stores, a mall, a huge shopping center with a whole foods, best buy, all the usual yuppie stores, and a million other smaller shopping centers up and down the road. Traffic is always gridlocked. Its bananas.

My grandparents used to own a farm on the same spot where Best Buy is now.

 

I think I notice the reduction of green space more than anything else. City limits have stretched to where it use to be country.

I often feel badly for those who bought years ago and now are in the middle of suburbia instead.

 

This is how I feel.

Thankfully I live in an area that basically hasn't changed since the 60s. There aren't really any places here that people could build ugly new homes and malls because most of it is protected to preserve the environment and in town chain stores and big box stores aren't allowed.