Dear Folks,

I can think of many, many things that are worse today than what we experienced in 1960, in the USA.

So, my question to you is:

What, exactly, is better today than what we had in the year 1960?

(Anything, besides YouTube and Facebook, for example.)

I fully admit that Facebook has been a definite boon to Mankind in recent years.

But, other than Facebook, then what do we have, NOW, which is better than what we had in the year 1960?

“I really want to know”….À la Holden Caulfield….

I just want to know what is so great about what we now have in 2026 that is better than what we had in the year 1960.

Thank you for your input.

Let us not dwell on the negative changes we have seen, please, during the past six decades.

Because….We just wish to accentuate the positive, here on TV.

Best regards,

Gamma

16 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Dear Folks,

I can think of many, many things that are worse today than what we experienced in 1960, in the USA.

So, my question to you is:

What, exactly, is better today than what we had in the year 1960?

(Anything, besides YouTube and Facebook, for example.)

I fully admit that Facebook has been a definite boon to Mankind in recent years.

But, other than Facebook, then what do we have, NOW, which is better than what we had in the year 1960?

“I really want to know”….À la Holden Caulfield….

I just want to know what is so great about what we now have in 2026 that is better than what we had in the year 1960.

Thank you for your input.

Let us not dwell on the negative changes we have seen, please, during the past six decades.

Because….We just wish to accentuate the positive, here on TV.

Best regards,

Gamma

GG that's a "no brainer". In 1960 a husband was able to support a wife and 3 children financially. Today (unless employed in a high paying job) has to have 2 to 3 jobs to achieve the same goal.

Long live Ronald Reagan and his "Laffer Curve" and the salesmen that sold us "globalisation" and neo-capitalism.

Perhaps I should have qualified this Topic by stating:

1960 was truly a golden age for the middle class and the upper-middle class in the USA.

This cannot be overstated.

These days, however, are arguably a Gilded-Age for the super-rich in the USA, or so most of them believe.

Yet, this rarefied minority, the "super rich", in 2026, remain unaware that they are not as "well-off" as most of us were in the year 1960, in the USA.

The super rich of today, one hears, are either living in bunkers, or are building bunkers...and what kind of life is that?

Therefore, can anyone argue, logically, that almost anyone is better off today than they were in the year 1960?

==========

We are not talking, here, about the billions who were raised out of abject poverty in the years following 1960, in places like China.

And, this is really not the point.

In 1960, the world population was 3 billion.

At that time, both you and I lived in a better world, and better than the world, today, by almost any metric.

I am speaking here about life in the USA, and in the year 1960.

==================

If only the world population were 20 billion today....

Just imagine how many souls we could raise out of abject poverty....but....

Into what????

Edited August 10Aug 10 by GammaGlobulin

Gamma, I think you’ve accidentally answered your own question.

You’ve asked what is better in 2026 than 1960, while posting the question on a computer, over the internet, to people you’ve never met, using a platform that didn’t exist in 1960. 😂

In 1960, if you wanted to ask this question, you’d probably have to find a typewriter, put it in an envelope, lick a stamp and wait several days for someone to disagree with you.

And if you wanted to check whether they were right, you’d have to go to the library.

Personally, I’m going to nominate antibiotics, modern surgery, air conditioning, GPS, smartphones, instant global communication, cheap international air travel, online banking, streaming, and the small matter of not having to get up and change the channel on the television.

But apart from all that… yeah, I’m struggling too. 😎

27 minutes ago, swissie said:

GG that's a "no brainer". In 1960 a husband was able to support a wife and 3 children financially. Today (unless employed in a high paying job) has to have 2 to 3 jobs to achieve the same goal.

Long live Ronald Reagan and his "Laffer Curve" and the salesmen that sold us "globalisation" and neo-capitalism.

But it is not just politics that has gotten the better of us.

Quality of Life in the USA, for the middle class and the upper-middle class, has taken a beating, decade by decade, since the year 1960, on so many fronts.

The impacts of over-population (compared to the USA population, 1960) and other social changes, including radical cultural changes, has very significantly degraded quality of life for those who once enjoyed "the good life" in the USA, in the year 1960.

Even the super-rich, these days, find it super-hard to find an exclusive enclave which can provide them half as good a quality of life as the average middle-class or upper-middle-class individual in the year 1960.

So, it really matters not one's wealth, these days: We are all sinking together.

A good tide raises all boats.

And, the very bad tide, which we have experienced since the year 1960, is lowering expectations and quality of life for all, both the rich and the middle class.

The super-rich are only less unhappy, since they gain a boost from being "better than their neighbor"...but, in truth.....all classes are now suffering.

9 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

But it is not just politics that has gotten the better of us.

Quality of Life in the USA, for the middle class and the upper-middle class, has taken a beating, decade by decade, since the year 1960, on so many fronts.

The impacts of over-population (compared to the USA population, 1960) and other social changes, including radical cultural changes, has very significantly degraded quality of life for those who once enjoyed "the good life" in the USA, in the year 1960.

Even the super-rich, these days, find it super-hard to find an exclusive enclave which can provide them half as good a quality of life as the average middle-class or upper-middle-class individual in the year 1960.

So, it really matters not one's wealth, these days: We are all sinking together.

A good tide raises all boats.

And, the very bad tide, which we have experienced since the year 1960, is lowering expectations and quality of life for all, both the rich and the middle class.

The super-rich are only less unhappy, since they gain a boost from being "better than their neighbor"...but, in truth.....all classes are now suffering.

Good analitical post by you for a change.

But if the tide is sinking for everybody, the millionaires and the billionaires have better boats than the rest of us.

sucks now without rheingold beer and buying guns through the mail

20 minutes ago, swissie said:

Good analitical post by you for a change.

But if the tide is sinking for everybody, the millionaires and the billionaires have better boats than the rest of us.

Still, their blue-blood noses are just barely above the waterline, keeping them from drowning....and...

They know this is true.

Note: I never post good posts; I only post mediocre posts, at my best.

Edited August 10Aug 10 by GammaGlobulin

11 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

sucks now without rheingold beer and buying guns through the mail

While out in the back seat of your '60 Chevy....?

But, you are still the same....

Seger had a beautiful set of choppers, back in 1978.

Edited August 10Aug 10 by GammaGlobulin

20 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Still, their blue-blood noses are just barely above the waterline, keeping them from drowning....and...

They know this is true.

Note: I never post good posts; I only post mediocre posts, at my best.

Exception. A good post that even makes sense for a change. Keep it up, there is hope.

Whatever happened to dem days....anyway?

Did we lose our johnsons?

1960s, the early years, were the best America ever knew.

Edited August 10Aug 10 by GammaGlobulin

lyndon johnson, like most democrats, was a racist

Better rights for women, blacks and gays.

The average person lives longer.

Personal computers Internet and the availability of instant researching.

Cleaner air and water, especially certain rivers.

More availability of world foods and extreme increase in trade.

Better hunting for deer.

Better household appliances.

Cell phones and better communication. If you lived there, you would see a lot more changing than being away.

34 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

The average person lives longer.

FALSE

FALSE

FALSE

Because, the stats are not yet in.

We do not know how long children of today will live, compared to the children of the 1950s.

So far, the prognostications are not looking good for the children of today.

Do you need substantiation re this point, or not?

Or, please feel free to check with your favorite AI.

(Do not forget to add in....Quality of Life.)

Edited August 10Aug 10 by GammaGlobulin

1 hour ago, Yagoda said:

lyndon johnson, like most democrats, was a racist

And did something about rectifying that failure in his character…..why are you so frightened that you need to by guns through the mail??anyway on topic obviously the Information Age has improved things in every way imaginable….need to know how much concrete ya need?google what compression google….want to know something historical google want to know a fair price….ect ect….banking……transportation….longevity in manufactured goods….longevity in humans….in pets…..access to goods and services…..it goes on and on

3 minutes ago, Tug said:

And did something about rectifying that failure in his character…..why are you so frightened that you need to by guns through the mail??anyway on topic obviously the Information Age has improved things in every way imaginable….need to know how much concrete ya need?google what compression google….want to know something historical google want to know a fair price….ect ect….banking……transportation….longevity in manufactured goods….longevity in humans….in pets…..access to goods and services…..it goes on and on

got it. you got your welfare check and beer was on sale

4 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

got it. you got your welfare check and beer was on sale

Well there ya go yagoda guess ya got me there!lol in a working career starting in 1966 (started contributing to my SS) spanning all the way through 2019 I did collect exactly 1 unemployment check.guess that makes me a bum ehh??

I'm a big fan of the 60's, but weed is much better now, and 7-11 delivers muchies 🙄

Everything is better, except music.

Many would argue that technology has raised the quality of life, and it certainly has to some degree. The biggest issue facing the average person these days is the cost of living, and the quality of life has diminished dramatically in regard to inflation and the fact that wages have not come anywhere close to keeping up with inflation. Anything labor related in America right now is priced at a very ridiculous level.

Back in the 1960s a postal carrier could buy a nice house for his family. These days if you don't own a home free and clear you're pretty much screwed back in the West. Here nearly any of us can afford to rent, thankfully.

Those who have significant pensions and savings will argue that the quality of life has gone up, but the majority of the planet would argue that the quality of life has definitely gone down.

6 hours ago, Nemises said:

Personally, I’m going to nominate antibiotics, modern surgery, air conditioning, GPS, smartphones, instant global communication, cheap international air travel, online banking, streaming, and the small matter of not having to get up and change the channel on the television.

Modern surgery, a/c, and antibiotics all available in 1960. GPS? I never use it. Can live without instant global communication. cheap air travel and smartphones have made things much, much worse. Sonic remotes in 1960 for TV. Online banking is okay. Too bad I'm being forced off of it to use it on a damn phone app.

7 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I can think of many, many things that are worse today than what we experienced in 1960, in the USA.

Quality of food and physical activity being two of the most important.

4 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Better rights for women, blacks and gays.

Jason Arday and Claudine Gay thank you.

1 hour ago, John Drake said:

Modern surgery, a/c, and antibiotics all available in 1960. GPS? I never use it. Can live without instant global communication. cheap air travel and smartphones have made things much, much worse. Sonic remotes in 1960 for TV. Online banking is okay. Too bad I'm being forced off of it to use it on a damn phone app.

Fair enough, mate. By that logic, the invention of the wheel was pretty much irrelevant if you preferred walking. 😂

Yes, modern surgery, antibiotics and air conditioning existed in 1960 — but they’re rather better now. And GPS may be useless to you, but I suspect the millions of people who use it every day, including pilots, ships, emergency services, delivery drivers and ordinary motorists, might disagree.

As for smartphones, cheap air travel and instant communication making life “much worse”… you’re currently using a computer connected to a worldwide communications network to tell strangers on the other side of the planet how much better things were before computers and worldwide communications networks existed.

That’s a rather magnificent piece of 2026 technology being used to make a 1960 argument. 😂

And yes, 1960 had TV remotes. So I’ll concede that particular technological breakthrough was clearly the high point of human civilisation. 😎

7 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

The super-rich are only less unhappy, since they gain a boost from being "better than their neighbor"...but, in truth.....all classes are now suffering.

Jeff Bezos is so terribly unhappy, he's just stumped up for a 25% share of Liverpool FC.

It depends on what colour you are.

You old white men always have this unrealistic fondness for 1960's nostalgia, conveniently forgetting that a large swathe of your population suffered systemic inequality, pervasive legal segregation (Jim Crow), constant threats of violence (including severe police brutality and threats from white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan). There was also economic marginalization, limiting housing choices, higher education, and career paths.

So those rose tinted glasses you so love to wear give a very differently view depending on what colour your skin is/was.

Edited August 11Aug 11 by johnnybangkok

Everything was better in 1960.

Except for survival after heart attack, treatment of heart disease, treatment of stroke, cancer diagnosis, cancer treatment, childhood cancer survival, infant survival, maternal survival, neonatal intensive care, premature-baby survival, vaccines, antibiotics, antiviral drugs, diabetes treatment, insulin technology, blood-pressure treatment, cholesterol treatment, organ transplantation, dialysis, joint replacement, cataract surgery, LASIK and modern vision correction, hearing aids, dental care, anesthesia and surgical safety, automobile crash protection, seat belts, airbags, child car seats, smoke detectors, fire-resistant building standards, workplace safety, food safety, food refrigeration, water treatment, sewage treatment, cleaner drinking water, cleaner air, reduced exposure to industrial pollutants, emergency medical services, 911 emergency response, weather forecasting, tornado warnings, hurricane forecasting, earthquake monitoring, internet, search engines, smartphones, GPS, instant messaging, video calls, email, digital photography, streaming television, streaming music, online banking, online shopping, digital maps, real-time traffic information, artificial intelligence, personal computers, cloud storage, cheap digital data storage, instant access to scientific literature, instant access to world news, air travel safety, airline navigation, jet aircraft, global air travel, modern automobiles, automatic transmissions, fuel injection, electronic engine management, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, GPS navigation, ride-sharing, high-speed interstates, modern public transportation systems, much faster international travel, air conditioning, central heating, modern insulation, refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, microwave ovens, modern cooking appliances, water heaters, modern plumbing, vacuum cleaners, robot vacuums, home internet, massive variety of foods available year-round, online price comparison, huge variety of consumer products, credit and debit cards, electronic payments, affordable entertainment.

Other than that... 😁

12 hours ago, Tug said:

Well there ya go yagoda guess ya got me there!lol in a working career starting in 1966 (started contributing to my SS) spanning all the way through 2019 I did collect exactly 1 unemployment check.guess that makes me a bum ehh??

no. your drunken incoherent posts and blatant hate for the usa make you a bum, although thats a word thats not strong enough. needs adjectives

Pornography has improved hugely. Less hair, more perversion than the Marquis could have ever imagined. You weren't even allowed to have porn in the 60s. Now it's a click away. And the quality is better than it has ever been.

52 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

no. your drunken incoherent posts and blatant hate for the usa make you a bum, although thats a word thats not strong enough. needs adjectives

Ahh I only occasionally drink and then in moderation and just how are you conflating that I hate my country because I share the same revulsion the vast majority of Americans feel for trump…..ehh???