Lifestyle
Older Adults Are Sharing The Things That Have Changed For The Better In The Past Two Decades, And Some Of These Never Crossed My Mind
A lot can change in a decade or two, and for many things, it’s for the better. Recently, Redditor u/angelbeetle asked older adults of the Reddit community to share what they honestly think have changed for the better within the last two decades, and it’s super insightful:
1.“Minor surgeries. Many are laparoscopic with smaller incisions and faster recovery times. My kid and I compared our appendectomy scars. Mine isn’t really visible anymore, but it was a cut the length of my appendix, complete with stitches. His scar is essentially a dot.”
—TheRealEkimsnomlas
2.“Food transport and availability. Thanks to globalization, I can afford to eat fresh Norwegian salmon and Peruvian blueberries in Bangkok for less than they’d cost in the US.”
—Own-Animator-7526
3.“The percentage of people who smoke cigarettes has decreased.”
VioletaStoimenova / Getty Images
—Imaginary_Shelter_37
4.“Online banking is straightforward and convenient (I was a late adopter). Also, attitudes toward sex and gender are generally much better.”
—Intelligent_Put_3606
5.“GPS. I started driving when you had to use a map or ask someone else for directions. MapQuest was a revelation but still required a bit of attention. Now, I can get anywhere in America with turn-by-turn directions from my phone.”
Andresr / Getty Images
—professorfunkenpunk
6.“Air and water quality almost everywhere has improved.”
—Turbulent-Name-8349
7.“In my lifetime…streaming. My family first got a VCR when I was 7. I have some vague memories from before then, like only having three channels on the TV. But then renting happened after VCR, and the concept of a video store was ‘renting a movie is the same cost as a single movie ticket, but now you can bring the family and pause it.’ It was pricey, but still held tremendous value. I was 21 when TiVo came out, when you could suddenly record basically any show. When Netflix started streaming, I was 30.”
“Another subsequent side effect is the rise of prestige TV. Twenty-five years ago, we had The Sopranos, and that was basically it. Now, there’s a goddamn arms race on every streaming platform for intense, compelling television. Like, I remember loving Knight Rider as a kid, but trying to rewatch an episode was rough. TV just wasn’t designed for people to watch EVERY episode of something, but streaming makes it easy.”
—supergooduser
8.“Availability of random products with the internet. You can buy nearly anything online.”
—prpslydistracted
9.“Car durability. Everyone says, ‘They don’t build ’em like they used to,’ but cars today routinely last 10–15 years. Back in the day, cars were shot after a couple of years and 50,000 miles.”
Vinnie Zuffante / Getty Images
—Eastern-Finish-1251
10.“Internet speed.”
—Wizzmer
11.“Acceptance of formerly ‘nerdy’ hobbies like video games, comic books, collecting, being a big fan of a particular piece of media, etc.”
—AshleyWilliams78
12.“Battery-powered tools.”
—KomplexStatic
“IMHO, it’s the best current use of lithium. EVs aren’t there yet. I think they need fuel cells.”
—mthockeydad
13.“Dentistry. Specifically, pain management.”
Picture Alliance / picture alliance via Getty Images
—NansDrivel
14.“Engine horsepower and gas mileage have improved.”
—HuckleCatt1
15.“Cancer survival rates.”
O2O Creative / Getty Images
—sbsb27
“For multiple reasons, too: better detection, greater awareness, better medications to combat the cancer and the side effects of the chemo, new classes of drugs with a greater selection within each class, and improved radiation therapy delivery.”
—TheSlideBoy666
16.“General public safety. Despite what the politicians like to scream about, serious crime has been on a decline for many years. I remember what it was like in ’60s and ’70s. We give up some freedoms for greater safety. It’s a trade: camera monitoring, facial identification, DNA, etc. But these trades conceptually give up freedoms, but have a demonstrable effects on safety.”
—Just_Keep_Asking_Why
17.“Mental health. It’s still vastly underfunded, and we still don’t understand much, but we have made incredible strides in the last 25 years. There are better medications, and there’s genetic testing that can quickly make it easier for a psychiatrist to choose the right meds for a patient rather than just trying one, after one, after one. There’s a better understanding of the role of abuse and trauma in the personality disorder cluster, and more willingness to consider new and old treatments that actually work for drug-resistant issues.”
Galina Zhigalova / Getty Images
—Late_Resource_1653
18.Lastly: “I taught high school until a couple of years ago. Teenagers are far more accepting of differences than they were when I was a teen. There is still unkindness because there are assholes in any population, but still. I was both surprised and gratified at the level of acceptance of cultures, lifestyles, and differences. I sincerely hope this trend continues.”
—sharoncherylike
As someone who remembers having to print out directions from MapQuest, I’m SO glad for GPS and CarPlay. What do you think has genuinely changed for the better within the last two decades? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your thoughts using the form below!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.