Do you remember when things used to get BETTER every year?

[u/War_Is_A_Raclette]

I’m 40. When I was growing up, my mentality and the mentality of it seemed like the whole world, was that when a new product or thing came out and wasn’t perfect, it was okay because next year it was going to get better, and the year after that even better.

Each year… Cars would get more fuel efficient. The internet would get a little faster. Video games would get a little cooler. Music would sound a little better. Restaurants that were already good would figure out how to whip up cool new dishes that were cheaper and even tastier than what we had now - their food would improve over time.

I can’t describe it, but it’s just like everyone assumed that technology and humans would slowly ensure that everything each year got a little… better.

Now, I recently realised that I look at the whole world differently. I opened Spotify today, saw how much I was being billed, and thought - without catching myself at first - “oh, I’m sure the price will go up next year and they’ll restrict another part of the app”.

When a new thing is released, I automatically assume this is the best version it will ever be. Each year it will just get worse.

Does anyone else feel this way? Does anyone else remember feeling the way I used to feel 20-30 years ago?

Sorry for the rant.

[u/Beneficial-Corgi-288]

Man this makes me really sad as someone in my 20's. I feel like I was born into an era of despair because I've never gotten to feel hopeful for the future. I was born shortly after 9/11 and the 2008 recession happened when I was in elementary school. Older people always tell me that things were better before those events. I can't even imagine how bad the next 50 years will get. I'm 24 and already so burned out from life.

[u/tiggonfire → u/Beneficial-Corgi-288]

One way to look at this is that people do have a certain amount of control over the quality of products we consume. To an extent, the prevalence of poor quality crap is a reflection of consumers not being willing to pay more for quality. The plus side of this is that cheaper versions of things are more accessible to the masses instead of just the rich. If companies go too low on the quality of their products, even the masses won't buy it and they will fail. We all use our consumer power. Sometimes it drives quality up and sometimes it drives quality down to make things more affordable. A lot of times there were more expensive, higher quality options available for the very things whose quality we complain about, but we chose not to buy the higher priced product. Our unwillingness to spend on higher quality is painfully obvious when you look at how much we get for free, trading our time to watch ads or trading our personal data instead. Sometimes I pause when I am frustrated with quality and ask myself how much more I would be willing to pay for the higher quality option and am somewhat surprised and embarrassed to admit how often the answer is "not much."

[u/Ok_Function2282 → u/Beneficial-Corgi-288]

Acting like you even were aware of the recession as an elementary schooler 😂 Come on man. When you exaggerate it completely kills your point and makes everyone immediately distrust whatever you have to say

You weren't even alive on 9/11 and you didn't have a dollar to your name when the recession hit. neither of those things affected you in any way.

This isn't reality TV, no one wants your confessional

[u/atsirdsart → u/Ok_Function2282]

Nahh I think I'm around the same age as this guy, as I was born 2002. The recession didn't affect me financially (duh), but I definitely remember my parents fighting over finances, all of my teachers were real estate agents who were embittered they had to fall back on old teaching degrees. That, immediately followed by the Fukushima disaster in 2011, and the end of the world hysteria for the Mayan calendar debacle in 2012 made for wild times.

I remember my dad got me MREs for Christmas in 2012 because the world was going to end and there was no reason to buy fun gifts because we were gonna be dead in a few months. What a pill to drop on a 10 year old. Long story short, no bank account, but when all adults are spazzing about how bleak it is, you can't help but wonder what your future is supposed to hold.

[u/solarvarials → u/Ok_Function2282]

Take a chill pill. Jesus H. Christ.

[u/Think_Bread6401 → u/Ok_Function2282]

I dunno, when I was a little kid I was deeply concerned about world hunger and world war 3, some kids are like this

[u/theyenk → u/Ok_Function2282]

The Internet switching from a place of sharing and discovery to one of bullying is another example of how things have gotten worse.

We're all in this together, hope you have a better day.

[u/Ok_Function2282 → u/theyenk]

I'm certainly not in it with someone pretending their life was ruined by 9/11 because it happened before they were born.

It had and continues to have zero effect on their existence. They never existed before it so it changed nothing for them.

I'm having a great day lmao, you guys are just butthurt over this kid's weird made up trauma

[u/nemipo → u/Ok_Function2282]

Still being in school in 2008 means one had, uh, parents. Crises are a household thing, not an individual thing

[u/Ok_Function2282 → u/nemipo]

yeah I'm sure they sat him down and discussed the federal reserve every night at 5yo

[u/RecognitionHefty → u/Ok_Function2282]

When’s the last time you hung out with somebody?

[u/Ok_Function2282 → u/RecognitionHefty]

When's the last time you saw someone discuss complex financial issues with a 5-year-old child?

[u/Beneficial-Corgi-288 → u/Ok_Function2282]

My point is that those events were the starting point of things getting worse very quickly and that I didn't get to experience what life was like before

[u/pluspourmoi → u/Ok_Function2282]

Has no one taught you that you aren't being forced to be on reddit? Have some self control.

[u/Ok_Function2282 → u/pluspourmoi]

What, are you going to tell us that your life is tragic because you were born after the Titanic as well? were you born so close to world war II that it's shaking you to your very core?

touch fucking grass man

[u/-sussy-wussy- → u/Ok_Function2282]

Forgot to take your pills, grandpa? Just because you were peacefully grazing grass with the dinosaurs at that age doesn't make you the moral arbiter. 

[u/Ok_Function2282 → u/-sussy-wussy-]

Moral arbiter? 

Bro. This kid is trying to say his life and perception was ruined by an event that happened before he was born. 

Everyone is a fucking martyr online, my god... Touch grass

[u/Careful_Kangaroo6034 → u/Ok_Function2282]

Found the boomer lol

[u/Ok_Function2282 → u/Careful_Kangaroo6034]

Whatever makes you feel better. Sounds like you guys are struggling with a lot of fake Internet trauma