Yahoo Lifestyle People Are Sharing What They'd Never Believe About Our World 10 Years Ago, And It's Kind Of Depressing
2014 seems it was just yesterday and simultaneously a lifetime ago, right?
Over on r/AskReddit, u/papapsie recently posed the question: "What is happening today that people 10 years ago would never believe?"
Here are some of the most eye-opening, interesting, funny, and kind of depressing answers:
1.The advent — and pervasiveness — of ChatGPT:
"Students photographing their essay instructions and getting a usable essay in five seconds from a free phone app."
2.How expensive EVERYTHING has gotten, including fast food:
"A footlong ham sandwich at Subway is $12 and some change."
"$16 burrito + drink at Chipotle."
3.The host of The Apprentice having been in the White House and convicted of a felony:
"The fact that Donald Trump is one of the candidates, and that he has already served one term would be mind blowing to someone back in 2014. Most people thought his candidacy was a joke up until the point when he won in 2016."
"President Donald Trump, convicted felon, secures third GOP presidential nomination after losing re-election in 2020 and instigating violent coup on US Capitol."
4.Streaming forever changing TV consumption:
"The way we binge-watch entire seasons in a weekend would blow minds a decade ago! Streaming has changed the game."
5.Switch-ups in soccer:
"England is playing for a place in the final of the Euros. Ten years ago, they were dead last in a World Cup group."
6.And in baseball:
"The best Japanese hitter and best Japanese pitcher in MLB is the same guy, and he’s won two of the last three MVPs."
"Also, the Yankees haven’t won a World Series in the last now 15 years. :)"
"If you really want it to be 'unbelievable,' do it this way:
The Chicago Cubs have won the World Series more recently than the Yankees."
7.Climate change hitting just about everywhere:
"Air conditioner is a must-own item living in the Pacific Northwest.
I've lived here for 20 years, the first 10 were very mild, and you could get by without one. Not now. I just bought my second unit. The summers are definitely hotter up here now."
8.The introduction of "alternative facts":
"I wouldn't believe how much the meaning of facts would deteriorate."
9.A major win for all of us in the swamp:
"Shrek movie #5 is in production."
10.A very specific, very wholesome take on the prompt:
"I not only got a girlfriend but am now married, LOL."
11.Huge shifts in the precedent on reproductive rights:
"Roe v. Wade being overturned still kinda blows my mind."
12.Lasting worldwide Taylor domination:
"Taylor Swift being the biggest music star by far."
"I agree with this in the sense that 10 years ago, nobody would have thought that she would keep herself relevant in pop music for the period between 2014–2024 such that you now have a generation of tween and teen girls that literally have spent their entire lives (and even in the womb) listening to Taylor Swift."
13.The ubiquitous "Leave at door" option:
"Delivery options for everything, including food. Amazon was on the rise in 2014, but delivery food besides local pizza was still uncommon. Uber Eats didn't exist until later in 2014, and did you really want your food handled and delivered by a stranger?
Then the pandemic happened, and now we can get fast food, groceries, Target/Walmart runs done by strangers and it's socially acceptable to not interact with them at the door. Introverts rise up (quietly hiding behind the curtains for the delivery driver to leave)."
14.Political tides turning in the UK:
"Labour are back in power."
15.Recreational cannabis dispensaries in Missouri, among others:
"Weed legalization (in some states)."
16.Deaths of people we thought might live forever:
"Betty White and the Queen are dead."
17.Living in the actual future:
"Today, I saw people paying for coffee with just a tap of their phones, no cash, no cards. I also saw a delivery robot cruising, dropping off packages down the street. In addition, I had a virtual meeting using a VR headset in a 3D office space. It felt like something out of a sci-fi movie. Ten years ago, this would have been unimaginable. It's crazy how much has changed."
18.And finally, the year 2024 summed up in a depressing nutshell:
