18 Misconceptions About Life "Back In The Day" That Older Adults Are Begging People To Stop Believing

It can be easy to look at previous decades through rose-colored glasses, especially if you never lived through them yourself. But those who have experienced the "good old days" can attest to them not being as incredible as people believe they were. Recently, redditor Necessary_Comfort812 asked older adults of the r/AskOldPeople community to share the common myths about "the good old days" that they wish people would stop believing. Here's what they had to say.

1."That families were happier. Abuse and domestic violence were ignored. So many people were trapped literally without options to leave."

—TurbulentSomewhere64

2."That it was 'easier.' Have you ever gotten water out of a well? Or washed clothes in a big tub by hand and dried them on a line? Or canned everything from your garden so you have enough to eat next winter? Or plucked a chicken after you chopped its head off? I remember my great-grandmother telling me this was her normal morning as a young woman. She died in 1955. Hot and cold tap water, central heat, washing machines, and refrigerators were daily miracles to her. I remember this whenever I need to be grateful for what I have."

3."That they were any 'better' than now. People romanticize the '40s and '50s. I was around for both. The '40s were during a World War, not fun and games. In the '50s, women could not get credit, buy a house, or open a bank account without a man's approval. Women were not allowed in many colleges without a struggle and were not hired in many professions. People of color were excluded from educational institutions in many places."

"It may have been a good time to be a child. It was not a good time to be a woman, POC, an LGBTQ person, or a member of a religion that was not mainstream Christian. I suppose it was the 'good old days' if you were a white male of European ancestry. Otherwise, not."

—madqueen100

4."One myth is that we were healthier before there were vaccines. Nope. In my town cemetery, it's heartbreaking to see all the little gravestones in family plots, the kids that died of now preventable childhood diseases."

5."That American society was less violent. My god. I grew up in a small town in the '70s and '80s, and it was like being in a Billy Jack movie: fights in school, fights in town, and plenty of property crime. Our per capita murder rate was on par with Memphis. And I can only imagine what women couldn't or wouldn't report. People who came up around here in the '50s and '60s have horror stories, too."

—SteveinTenn

"I grew up in a small town in the '80s/'90s; it was so rough, fights everywhere all the time. The '60s/'70s holdover middle school gym teacher encouraged it while smoking a cigarette."

—heyitspokey

6."People think that home ownership then looks like home ownership now when they say you used to be able to pay for houses on one income and think those houses look like houses now. Those houses were maybe 800 square feet with one bath and kids sharing bedrooms. No air conditioning, homemade clothes, minimal decorative furnishings, never eating out, and tinned food for dinner. There was one car, and you had maybe five days of clothes, a church outfit, a play outfit, and maybe two pairs of shoes."

7."That our nation wasn't divided. Civil rights, the Vietnam War, women's rights, gay rights, etc. Seriously, some people openly talked about a revolution in those days; most were scared of the possibility. The Beatles even did a song about it."

—MadisonBob

8."That kids were safer."

9."That everyone could get a job that paid well. Not only were those high-paid union jobs closed to women and minorities, but many were even closed to most white men. To get into many of those unions, you had to know someone. All the jobs went to the sons, brothers, and nephews of members. There was a lot of resentment fostered by the disparity between the pay and benefits of union members and everyone else that contributed to the decline of unions."

—QV79Y

10."That all women were full-time housewives."

11."That you could purchase a house, buy a car, have a family, and take a vacation on any 40-hour/week job."

—Silly-Resist8306

"The only time we left our homes was to visit family, and then we stayed in their homes. Kids got doubled up in beds, slept on couches, or made up beds on the floor. I remember once there were five of us in one bed, laid head to heel to fit us all in."

—SongOfRuth

12."'Traditional' marriage in the '50s and '60s. That was when my parents were married. I have heard many times, 'That was when marriage meant something.' The only thing it meant was that couples stayed married despite being grossly unhappy in their particular wedded state and that women were still piggybacking their own financial and emotional well-being onto a partner."

13."Anyone remember banking in the good old days? Every time you needed cash, you had to physically visit the bank. You were at the mercy of 'banker's hours,' which were identical to your working hours. That leaves your lunch hour as the only viable time to get cash or deposit a check. Want to deposit your paycheck? So does everyone else on exactly the same day, with the same lunch hour. I used to eat my lunch in line to save time and annoy the bank. Want to buy something? Get in line behind all the people writing checks. You'll write one too. The whole thing was a glorious technicolor musical."

—financewiz

"Not to mention that most restaurants didn't take checks, so you had to either get cash from the bank or write a check at the grocery store for more than the amount of your purchase."

—nakedonmygoat

14."'They don't make cars like they used to.' Thank goodness, auto technology is incredible. Old cars suck, but bring back good memories."

15."That children were raised better back then. I'm so tired of generational bashing. I'm Gen X, and I see a lot of parents in my generation bashing Gen Zers because they didn't get spanked and don't play outside until the sun goes down. I feel the same way when Boomers bash Millennials. When I see young people who are changing things for the better (better work-life balance, less alcohol consumption, choosing a career path that they will enjoy versus a career path that makes a lot of money, etc.), I am proud of them for standing up for what they feel they deserve."

"So many people in my generation were just mean to each other. I look back at how my friends and I treated each other back in our teenage years, and I'm horrified at what assholes we were to each other. Also, we are teaching them that debt is okay when we know damn well how much stress debt creates in your life."

—CostaRicaTA

16."I'm 61 years old. We did not have it good. We worked multiple jobs just to make ends meet. My wife and I bought our first house in our 30s. Our mortgage was at 8.7%. I got my first new car at 35. However, we are doing well now."

17."That people were kinder to each other. That's blatant bullshit. The majority of people are much more tolerant of differences today because of societal pressure, if for no other reason. They may still harbor the same bigotries, but they're much less likely to broadcast them. To those people whose fallback is always that you can't change people's hearts or beliefs with laws, that's fine, but you can surely change their behavior, and that's good enough for now."

—WineOnThePatio

18."That one income could easily support a family of four. I mean, it could, BUT the house was 900 square feet, the family had one car, and the kids had one pair of shoes for school. I see this idea posted all the time that the middle class used to be attainable with one income, but I don't think people realize what middle class used to mean."

What misconceptions do you often hear about the "good old days"? Let us know in the comments or fill out this anonymous form.

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.