Unite the Right

[Smitty-48]

My expectations are certainly higher, but pragmatists consider the bottom line. I couldn't get a running car today for the adjusted dollars now. I couldn't pay rent. I couldn't pay off an operation and a hospital stay, that's certain.

The bottom line is inflation, and inflation adjusted, it is not more expensive to live in America, it was much more expensive to live in America in 1975, particularly since the inflation rate was 14%, if the market has more expensive tastes now, that is related to market forces, people want more expensive things, be that cars, or apartments, or surgeries, could very likely be that in 1975 there would be no surgery which could save you and so you would just have to suffer or die, now they have a fancy surgery that can save you, in 1975 they were comparitively butchers, so it was cheap, now they are exponentially more sophisticated in relative terms so that costs more.

I lived in the 1970's, peoples expectations now are off the charts now compared to back then, we didn't have as much then, but we just weren't the big self pitying constant complainers that people are now, our expectations weren't so gold plated, we found a way to be happy, without all the frills. We lived in dingy apartments, we had a rusty old VW van, we never went to the hospital, and we didn't complain, at least not about that sort of thing.

Most of the complaining as I remember was more like "Fuckin Nixon, maaan!", "Fuckin cops, maan, the pigs are beating people up again!" and "Fuck, this dope is weak, maan, we got ripped off!"

Sure, people were outraged that Nixon got a pardon, but the idea that your car wouldn't rust, you would have a computer in your apartment, and nano-robots would be performing surgical miracles on you, that was all science fiction.

Computer? We didn't even have a colour TV, and our black and white TV was only 13", and when I asked my dad why we couldn't have a colour TV? He said it was too expensive and we can watch the hockey just fine in black and white.

Now I watch hockey on 55" HD movie screen in effect, with digital surround sound, which again, in 1975; science fiction.

[Okeefenokee]

I couldn't get a running car today for the adjusted dollars now.

Horseshit.

[MilSpecs]

My expectations are certainly higher, but pragmatists consider the bottom line. I couldn't get a running car today for the adjusted dollars now. I couldn't pay rent. I couldn't pay off an operation and a hospital stay, that's certain.

The bottom line is inflation, and inflation adjusted, it is not more expensive to live in America, it was much more expensive to live in America in 1975, particularly since the inflation rate was 14%, if the market has more expensive tastes now, that is related to market forces, people want more expensive things, be that cars, or apartments, or surgeries, could very likely be that in 1975 there would be no surgery which could save you and so you would just have to suffer or die, now they have a fancy surgery that can save you, in 1975 they were comparitively butchers, so it was cheap, now they are exponentially more sophisticated in relative terms so that costs more.

I lived in the 1970's, peoples expectations now are off the charts now compared to back then, we didn't have as much then, but we just weren't the big self pitying constant complainers that people are now, our expectations weren't so gold plated, we found a way to be happy, without all the frills. We lived in dingy apartments, we had a rusty old VW van, we never went to the hospital, and we didn't complain, at least not about that sort of thing.

Most of the complaining as I remember was more like "Fuckin Nixon, maaan!", "Fuckin cops, maan, the pigs are beating people up again!" and "Fuck, this dope is weak, maan, we got ripped off!"

We're coming from different worlds. I never heard anything like that in my neighborhood. We got excited about food and worried about making the rent. If the car broke down you had to find someone to take you to work, or find another job closer. Everything that went wrong was a catastrophe because there was no financial margin for error. I didn't hate Nixon or the police. I hated 'rich kids' in general and college kids in particular.

I paid the bills and remember them. The hospital thing - you were lucky. I was lucky in that I wasn't trying to feed and house children.

[Smitty-48]

We're coming from different worlds. I never heard anything like that in my neighborhood. We got excited about food and worried about making the rent. If the car broke down you had to find someone to take you to work, or find another job closer. Everything that went wrong was a catastrophe because there was no financial margin for error. I didn't hate Nixon or the police. I hated 'rich kids' in general and college kids in particular.

I paid the bills and remember them. The hospital thing - you were lucky. I was lucky in that I wasn't trying to feed and house children.

Oh, so you were struggling in 1975? So then you're not actually worse off now, as I asserted. Me, I'm much more affluent now, ridiculously so, I can barely believe the luxuries we have now as compared to then, many of the things which I read in science fiction then, I actually have now, so I ain't complaining, at least not about that sort of thing, people are more annoying now, with all their ceaseless whining and complaining and feeling sorry for themselves, but lifestyle wise, it's pretty close to the fantastic future I was promised actually.

[Smitty-48]

Can't smoke in a bar nor even on a patio now, that's my chief complaint about the future basically.

[Viktorthepirate]

Can't smoke in a bar nor even on a patio now, that's my chief complaint about the future basically.

[MilSpecs]

I couldn't get a running car today for the adjusted dollars now.

Horseshit.

Adjust $300 and tell me if you could get a car that could pass inspection.

[MilSpecs]

We're coming from different worlds. I never heard anything like that in my neighborhood. We got excited about food and worried about making the rent. If the car broke down you had to find someone to take you to work, or find another job closer. Everything that went wrong was a catastrophe because there was no financial margin for error. I didn't hate Nixon or the police. I hated 'rich kids' in general and college kids in particular.

I paid the bills and remember them. The hospital thing - you were lucky. I was lucky in that I wasn't trying to feed and house children.

Oh, so you were struggling in 1975? So then you're not actually worse off now, as I asserted. Me, I'm much more affluent now, ridiculously so, I can barely believe the luxuries we have now as compared to then, many of the things which I read in science fiction then, I actually have now, so I ain't complaining, at least not about that sort of thing, people are more annoying now, with all their ceaseless whining and complaining and feeling sorry for themselves, but lifestyle wise, it's pretty close to the fantastic future I was promised actually.

I wasn't promised anything so sometimes when the family gets together we look at each other like "can you believe this?"

[Smitty-48]

I couldn't get a running car today for the adjusted dollars now.

Horseshit.

Adjust $300 and tell me if you could get a car that could pass inspection.

That's $1364.00, there's plenty of used cars on autotrader for that, much better cars than anything you could find in 1975. There's perfectly serviceable cars for even less than that, inflation adjusted, you can find cars which would pass any inspeaction, for less than $300 1975 dollars.

[Smitty-48]

I just found a 2000 Toyota Corrolla on autotrader, for $663 USD, certified inspected, only 155,000 miles on it, and that's only $145 1975 dollars.

And you know what's futuristic? I'm looking at the pics, and there's not a spot of rust on it I can see.

A used car that was 17 years old, without a spot of rust on it? For $145? In 1975? Science fiction.

I you could find a 1958 car, that was in that sort of condition, in 1975? Would cost a hell of a lot more than $145, because it would be a classic car, in effectively mint condition by the standards of mint condition then.