Movies and other bits of pop culture can feel like little time machines that whiz us right back to periods we never actually lived in. Of course, these worlds, however well-constructed, offer only a glimpse into what life was like for the people who really lived through them. Even films or songs made in the actual decade only offer a limited snapshot of the time. Certain details are bound to get missed.
It’s probably one of the reasons why past decades are so easily categorized into instantly identifiable aesthetics. Take the 1970s, for instance. We instantly think of disco, bellbottoms, hippies, the “free love” movement in full force, etc. But if you ask people who were actually around in the ‘70s, you’d probably find a lot more than just that.
But never fear, we did that research for you! Thanks to a few educational videos, as well as good old-fashioned Reddit mining, here are some interesting quotes from Redditors and historical tidbits from the “Me Decade” (named for the uptick in individualism and self-help books…see, we’re learning already!)
Things were dirtier
“More litter, more air and water pollution. There were commercials and such to discourage littering, and the EPA got involved with corporate polluters.”
“The cars were stinkier, the ports were in shambles.”
“Ashtrays, ashtrays everywhere.”
“There was a big environmental push to clean up the country. ‘Acid Rain’ was not a drug but a serious environmental problem.”
As much as the '70s are known for disco, there are other music genres that had a huge impact on culture
- YouTube www.youtube.com
“Glam rock, blues rock, funk, disco, new wave and punk rock were all new and competing for our attention.”
“There was Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, and so on. All the classic rock you hear now came from the late 60's and the 70's.”
This perhaps especially goes for punk rock. Which, contrary to popular opinion, did not start in the U.K.
It's easy to forget it was a time of great political turbulence
- YouTube www.youtube.com
“I was 18 in 1974 and living in England. I remember it as a time of strikes, demonstrations, and shortages. The rise of Thatcherism saw the steel industry in my hometown decimated and violent demonstrations with miners clashing with police happened just down the road from me. The music was great and punk really caught the feeling of the times.”
“It kind of sucked to be a teenager then. It was post-Vietnam and Watergate, and we were very cynical as a result. The energy crisis loomed large, stagflation gripped a sliding economy, and crime and cities were turning to sh**. The Cold War was a pervasive threat and popular music was at its nadir; post-60's and pre-1977 and punk.”
“College had anti-war demonstrations. People were getting drafted and sent to Vietnam to die for no reason. I watched them pull my draft lottery number and fortunately, got one in the 300's.”
“I recall the feeling of ‘everything sucks, especially us.’ The USA was starting to come to grips with its history not as a patriotic parade, but the horror show it was. In the 1977 inaugural of Carter, Paul Simon sang a beautiful song containing the lyric ‘Still, when I think of the road we're traveling on, I wonder what's gone wrong - I can't help it, I wonder . . . what's gone wrong.’ AT AN INAUGURATION.”
“Hostages in the Iranian embassy.”
Living frugally was a necessity
“Everyone in my middle-class neighborhood lived frugally. My parents had one car and my mom worked nights so they could both commute. I had five pairs of shoes - dress, running, casual, work in the yard and boots. Most kids wore hand me downs - not because it was cool but because there was no money in the budget. We never went out to eat even for special days. Summer was playing in the various back yards and once in a while you got a popsicle from the neighbor. Vacations were camping or trips to relatives. When people scream about inflation today I think you haven't seen anything. But we were happier...life was simpler and everyone seemed to pull together.”
“Got my driver's license about the time gas shortages started. Imagine pulling into the station and asking for a dollar's worth of regular today.”
Things weren’t all low-tech
- YouTube www.youtube.com
Sure, there were no iPad kids or Waymos, but the ‘70s saw a ton of technological advancements, including the personal computer. It's wild to think that Apple technically came out of this time period.
You also had the rise of video game consoles, arcades, VCRs, and VHS tapes.
We know cigarettes were mainstream, but it's crazy to think about how it affected younger people
“Your mom gave you 2 bucks and a note and sent you to the store for cigarettes.”
“Smoking was allowed on high school campus in smoking areas. Smoking areas were the teachers lounge in the school for teachers only. Also, just outside of two exits for the students. Hold your breath!”
“Most adults and many teens smoked. I was allowed to smoke at home at 15. I was sooooo lucky! A small pack cost 50 cents.”
And just imagine witnessing the cultural juggernaut of Star Wars for the first time
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“Younger people have no idea what an impact it had. We had grown up on Star Trek reruns and lots of old, bad science fiction. But Star Wars inspired us like nothing else. It had special effects that had never been seen, and a story that was hopeful and uplifting in a time when everything seemed to be getting worse.”
The bicentennial—you either loved it or hated it. There was no in-between.
- YouTube www.youtube.com
For context, the United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the U.S. as an independent republic. Some events included reenactments of the Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere’s ride, as well the red, white, and blue American Freedom Train, which carried historical artifacts and stopped at 48 contiguous states.
“The bicentennial was the bomb.”
“My siblings and I didn’t love the bicentennial! We were so sick of the 'bicentennial mattress sale' etc ads blaring on the tv. My sister and I wrote a song called 'We Hate the Bicentennial' that we still sing occasionally.”
“The bicentennial years seemed party-less as far as GOP or DEM - we all were just Americans. Everything was red, white, and blue. There were continuous celebrations, picnics, parties over a two year period. I think it would have made our fore father's proud, when you think back to that two year period two hundred years prior.”
The sexual revolution was fun…for men and women alike
Imagine it: Birth control and premarital sex are finally normal. Roe v. Wade offered protection for a woman’s right to choose whether or not to become a mother. Even the queer community, while obviously still facing discrimination, began to develop safe havens in places like San Francisco.
“It was still during the sexual revolution where women were not ashamed of openly exploring their sexuality.”
“This was pre-AIDS. The idea of 'catching herpes', and this being a serious problem came in around 1980. So there was a short period, more or less from 1950 - 1980, when people thought you could just get rid of STDs with a shot.”
But not everyone was on board
There were plenty of cautionary tales (particularly for women) about the dark side of the sexual revolution. Take, for instance, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, a book and subsequent movie based on the real-life murder of a woman named Roseann Quinn, who was murdered by a man she had a one-night stand with. The killer's violence was partially stirred by his feelings about his own sexual identity.
Similarly, Cruising is a ‘70s novel that follows an undercover cop looking for a homosexual serial killer in New York City.
You also had conservative activists like Phyllis Schlafly, who vehemently rallied against feminism, abortion, queer rights, and most notably, the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
- YouTube www.youtube.com
History is a fascinating thing. The more we learn about it, the more we realize that every era is full of contradictions. Because while life continues to march forward, there will always be a tug-of-war between the past and future.
There's a difference between likeable popularity and status popularity.
Social media has pushed status popularity last beyond high school.
Spreadsheet of food costs from 2020 vs. 2025.Image via ReNamed00d/Reddit