BuzzFeed and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change.

Older Adults Are Sharing The Common "Back In The Day" Experiences That Are Now Obsolete And, As A Gen Z'er, I'm So Confused

Dannica Ramirez
·6 min read

It's always fascinating to think about how advanced the world has become and how it continues to evolve — but as an older Gen Z'er, it's always surprising to think about what life was like way before the social media and tech boom. So, when I asked the older adults of the BuzzFeed Community to share the uniquely common experiences from "back in the day" that would have younger folks shocked, they certainly delivered. Here are the everyday experiences and routines from the past that, depending on your age, will have you feeling nostalgic or perplexed:

1."In the '70s, when people flew on airplanes, everyone spoke to the person next to or around them. Since there were no cellphones, computers, or movies on planes at the time, we entertained each other."

Passengers seated closely together reading newspapers on a crowded airplane

2."I'd usually ride in the bed of our truck when I was a kid, even on highways and interstates. It wasn't considered a big deal back then. I can't remember the last time I saw anyone riding in a truck bed."

—chaoticemmes

3."Salesmen used to walk door-to-door selling encyclopedias. Also, movie theaters used to have intermissions, which are very much needed now for longer movies! You could run to the bathroom or refresh snacks and not miss any of the action."

Snowy street scene with Criterion Theatre's neon lights advertising "My Fair Lady." People walk past as moviegoers arrive for the next screening

—Anonymous

Archive Photos / Getty Images

4."You had to wait until the newspaper was delivered the next day to know the outcome of non-televised sporting events."

—Clay, 66, California

5."If you weren't waiting at the corner for the bus, the school bus driver would come to the door and check if you were going to school that day."

Children in 1950s-style clothing walk towards a school bus outside a school building

—Debbie, 79, Massachusetts

H. Armstrong Roberts / Getty Images

6."Back in the late '40s and early '50s, we still had a man delivering ice to homes with iceboxes. In the summer, he would chip off pieces of ice for us, and we'd wrap them in newspaper and suck on them to cool down."

—slychicken543

7."They taught a safety class for hunters at school, and students were required to bring a shotgun to practice with. I was in the archery club and regularly brought my bow and arrows on the bus. That would be unfathomable now."

A group of young males in uniform, outdoors, practicing shooting rifles with supervision

—Dan

David Turnley / Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

8."When my older brother misbehaved in school, he was made to hold up one of those old wooden desks for 15 minutes as punishment. His teacher was a retired marine, and the school accepted this type of reprimand."

—Anonymous, 50

9."My elementary school closed at lunchtime, so all the kids had to go home for lunch. My friends and I would walk a mile to a pizza shop, have a slice, and then walk back to school...by ourselves...in first grade."

Children with school bags cross a suburban street near a "Slow School" sign

—Bruce, 61, New Jersey

Harold M. Lambert / Getty Images

10."The amount of public trust and freedom kids had in the '60s and '70s was so great. Now, kids have zero freedom, and this shows in their mental outlook."

—shinycake11

11."Girls didn't wear pants or slacks to school until around the '70s."

1950s students walk on campus; woman in checkered dress holds a basket, man in a vest and slacks with books. Groups chat in the background

—Anonymous

Steven Gottlieb / Corbis via Getty Images

12.Penny candy! In the '70s, if you had a quarter, you could get a full-size candy bar for a dime and still have enough to get a full bag of candy. A lot of penny candy were two for a penny."

—awkwardtrash923

13."In the '60s and '70s, our high school had a cigarette machine by the front entrance. Students could buy cigarettes for 35 cents, and teachers would hand them money to leave class and buy them cigarettes, too. The good ol' days."

Vending machine filled with various snack bags and a section of gum packs. The snacks include chips, and there is an attached payment system

—Anonymous

YouTube: CBC / Via youtube.com

14."Our junior high school gym class used to have a 'jock check.' We'd all line up, and our coach would have us drop our trunks to make sure we were wearing a jock!"

—Steve, 67, Utah

15."Our car was a big sedan with no seatbelts or booster seats. There were no headrests on the front seats, either. As little kids, we'd stand on the floor behind the front seats and look out the front windshield. It was so different back then."

A family of four smiles from a vintage convertible, packed with picnic items, ready for a joyful outing on a sunny day

—Anonymous

Classicstock / Getty Images

16."During the summertime in my neighborhood, the local movie theater had a special on Wednesday afternoons. You could get in for a dime and buy all the candy you wanted and watch cartoons and fun kid movies for hours during the hottest part of the day. EVERYONE went, and it was a blast."

—geow1234

17."In the '60s, a truck with fresh bread and donuts would come, and my mom always bought dinner rolls and donuts. The milkman also had eggs, cheese, and ice cream!"

Delivery person holding a loaf of bread stands beside a Rainbo bread truck, smiling on a sunny day
Joe Sohm / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

18."Around March every year, a sweet, white-haired 60-something man would come to our house. He was Mr. Stiles, THE FULLER BRUSH MAN. My mom was always giddy because that's when she would buy her yearly cleaning supplies. Once, she splurged and got a lampshade duster. She passed in 2001 at 76. I found the brush way back in the linen closet! Good times."

—Lynn, 75, Texas

19."My mom would send me, a 6-year-old, to the bank to withdraw money from her account. She just gave me a little handwritten note to give to the teller. That'd be unimaginable today!"

A young child wearing a red top, floral skirt, and white cardigan is sitting cheerfully on a train seat, giving a thumbs-up

—kaa

Jena Ardell / Getty Images

20."If you were a male and committed a misdemeanor, the judge would give you a choice: time in jail or join the army. Additionally, only girls were taught home economics in school because there was 'no reason' a male should learn any of those skills."

—Bob, 73, Illinois

21.Lastly: "When I was a young child in the 1970s, NO ONE knew where we were 90% of the time. There are memes about this, but it's true. My mother would say, 'Don't come into this house until the streetlamps come on!' and she'd be dead serious."

A man in a denim jacket holds a young child in a yellow shirt. They stand in a parking lot on a cloudy day

—Ellie, New England

Juanmonino / Getty Images

Oh, how I yearn for a truckful of fresh bread to come through my street every week. If you're an older adult, what are some commonly unique things from "back in the day" that would have younger folks utterly confused? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your response using this form!

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

Latest Stories

  • I Divorced When My Kids Were 3. Now, I’m Awaiting A Decision That Will Change Everything.

    "Everything could change with a single answer from my twin sons.”

  • 22 People Got Real Candid About Child-Free Weddings, And Honestly, I Agree With 99% Of Their Points

    Maybe there's a compromise somewhere here...

  • Man ransacks altar at St. Peter’s Basilica, knocking over candelabra worth thousands of dollars

    A man has caused minor damage at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican after jumping onto the main altar and knocking over 19th-century candelabra, worth several thousand dollars.

  • Men Are Sharing The Red Flags They See Other Men Do All The Time

    "Like, bro, who hurt you so bad..."

  • Khloé Kardashian Jokes Her Two Kids and Their Cousins Are Each Other's 'Only Friends' (Exclusive)

    The Good American co-founder is mom to daughter True, 6, and son Tatum, 2

  • 2 people charged in fatal stabbing of Fort Campbell soldier in Tennessee, police say

    CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Two people have been charged in the death of a Fort Campbell soldier who was stabbed nearly 70 times last year, police said Saturday.

  • Alaska Senator Says She Understands Canadians Feeling Betrayed by Trump

    (Bloomberg) -- Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski says she completely understands Canadians’ “sense of betrayal” from President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, but that his demands for the northern nation to boost its border security and military spending are valid.Most Read from BloombergNice Airport, If You Can Get to It: No Subway, No Highway, No BridgeSin puente y sin metro: el nuevo aeropuerto de Lima es una debacleCitadel to Leave Namesake Chicago Tower as Employees RelocateNYC Sees Pedestrian T

  • "Children Are Pretty Coddled" — Parents Who've Moved Abroad Are Sharing The Biggest Parenting Differences They've Noticed Between The US And Other Countries

    "It's not unusual to see an infant on a motorcycle."

  • Players Respond to Trump's Super Bowl Attendance

    Travis Kelce, and Jordan Mailata, among others have spoken about Trump's attendance.

  • Kim Kardashian Freaks Out About Wardrobe Malfunction Ahead of White House Meeting

    “Nothing like a little wardrobe wig malfunction to get the day going," the TV personality said of her April 2024 visit to the White House

  • Why you might not want to use AI to spruce up your job application

    This week, a company made a request to job seekers who may be considering using artificial intelligence to spruce up their résumés or applications: Please don't.

  • Ukraine gets French Mirage fighter jets, more F-16s from the Netherlands

    Ukraine’s Air Force got a boost in its fight against Russia on Thursday with the arrival of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets from France, along with F-16s from the Netherlands.

  • A drug-producing 'superlab' is cleaned up after being busted by RCMP in Falkland, B.C., which is an unincorporated community about 50 kilometres east of Kamloops. The RCMP say there's evidence that organized crime groups are moving from smuggling fentanyl across the border to producing it in Canada.

    The federal government is looking to list Mexican cartels as terrorists under Canadian law, but experts say there are a number of other groups heavily involved in the illicit drug market.U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to impose hefty tariffs on Canada and Mexico, in part over his apparent concerns that fentanyl and other drugs are pouring into the U.S. from those two countries.While the amount of fentanyl that has been seized at the Canada-U.S. border is minor compared to the southern U.S. border, Ottawa struck a deal with Trump earlier this week to hold off on tariffs after making some last-minute additions to its border security offer.Part of that deal included listing Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations under the Criminal Code.Minister of Public Safety David McGuinty hasn't yet named the cartels that would be designated terrorists. (David Lipnowski/The Canadian Press)Public Safety Minister David McGuinty suggested to reporters on Friday that "all criminal cartels" are being looked at, but didn't name any.Experts point to two likely suspects: the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)."Those are the ones that appear to converge at the most senior levels of transnational organized crime in Canada," said Calvin Chrustie, a former RCMP superintendent in Vancouver who has investigated transnational crime networks on cross-border cases.President Donald Trump signed an executive order enacting steep tariffs on Canada last week. But after Canada made additional border promises, including listing cartels as terrorists, he put off the tariffs for a month. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)Trump signed an order in January directing the U.S. government to list cartels as terrorist organizations under American law. Vanda Felbab-Brown — an expert on organized crime and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution — said it makes sense Canada would make a similar move."Once the Trump administration has done that, there is no territorial limitation on the implications of the designation. So it's kind of natural that Canada would move in the same way," she said.Jessica Davis, a former senior intelligence analyst with CSIS who now heads the consulting firm Insight Threat Intelligence, said it's fairly "straightforward" that cartels meet the definition of a terrorist group under Canadian law."That definition includes things like committing serious violence for a political purpose and most cartels do that," she said.WATCH | Mexican drug cartels 'thriving' in Canada, police and analysts say: Felbab-Brown said Sinaloa and the CJNG have largely been focused on smuggling illicit drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine into Canada.But RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme told CBC's Rosemary Barton Live that there are signs cartels are getting involved in production on Canadian soil."We do know from the intelligence picture that Mexican organized crime or cartels are involved with the fabrication. What you're seeing in Canada is you're seeing more of the precursors [chemicals used to make illicit drugs] coming into Canada," Duheme told host Rosemary Barton in an interview airing Sunday.WATCH | Inside the 'most sophisticated' drug lab in Canadian history: The Criminal Intelligence Service Canada's (CISC) most recent public report on organized crime said that cartels are getting increasingly involved in money laundering.Canadian involvement in financial crimes was pushed into the spotlight in October when Toronto-Dominion Bank was fined more than $3.09 billion US in a historic U.S. money-laundering case. At least one of those schemes involved TD Bank employees laundering up to $670 million from selling fentanyl.Felbab-Brown said Canada has become a bit of a hub for money laundering. But she noted that more groups than just cartels are involved.Other criminal networks in illicit drug marketFelbab-Brown said the "big question" is whether the government will consider adding these other groups to the list.Chrustie said when it comes to money laundering and the fentanyl trade in Canada, the "the upper echelon" of criminal organizations include cartels, Chinese triads and Iranian crime groups — and he said they are, in ways, all interconnected."They converge and collaborate and co-operate at the strategic and operational level of transnational organized crime in Canada. But, like any major enterprise, they have subcontractors and other components and operational cells," he said."I think there's probably increasing awareness that Canada provides all these networks … a high-gain, low-risk environment to operate."Chrustie said the Chinese and Iranian groups are the ones generally responsible for smuggling precursor into Canada.Felbab-Brown said biker gangs are the primary distributors of drugs in Canada and "some of the most violent actors." But she questioned whether Ottawa would consider adding them to the list.The CISC report indicates that motorcycle gangs are heavily involved in the distribution of fentanyl and other drugs but says little about their involvement in smuggling and production.What does adding crime groups to the terrorist list do?The process of designating a terrorist group is meant to be apolitical, starting with a cross-government consultation that identifies potential groups for addition to the list.But Davis says the process has become politicized in recent years, pointing to the addition of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after years of pressure."That politicization has already happened. This is just an externally imposed politicization," Davis said of the move to add cartels to the list.McGuinty said Tuesday that listing cartels as terrorist organizations would give law enforcement agencies more powers to investigate those groups."It's going to be giving our law enforcement authorities more powers to track the money, follow the assets and disrupt the activities of cartels," he told reporters while visiting the Manitoba border town of Emerson.WATCH | What will Canada's 'fentanyl czar' do?: Last month, Canada's financial intelligence agency released an operation alert saying that online betting platforms are being used to launder proceeds from fentanyl dealing and production. The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (Fintrac), said there is reason to believe people are depositing and withdrawing funds at online casinos to disguise proceeds from the traffic of fentanyl and other deadly opioids as wagers and winnings.Davis and Chrustie said that as it currently stands, cartels are solely in the wheelhouse of law enforcement agencies from local police to the RCMP. But listing cartels as terrorist organizations would bring intelligence agencies such as CSIS into the conversation."The prosecutions go up, the tools increase and then it also gets the political support, priority and possibly additional funding. So it enhances the all Team Canada type of approach," he said.But Davis said who takes the lead on cartel investigations would still be in question."Traditionally in Canada, this has not been the purview of the security intelligence service. That could change. That's a policy decision," she said.Davis said it's also unclear if anything would change operationally given that Canada is adding cartels to the list to appease the U.S."It does unlock all of the counterterrorism powers if the government decides that they want to use those against cartels. But I'm not entirely confident that's 100 per cent going to happen, mostly because of the way this listing has come out," she said."This is an externally imposed listing and so it's not immediately clear that would happen."

  • 21 Signs From This Week That'll Make You Laugh So Hard You'll Just Plain Pass Out

    "Are you kind, bearded, and OK-looking? Perfect, we need your sperm."

  • Woman in Labor Says She Snapped at Her Sister-in-Law for Unsolicited Advice: 'She Has Since Unfriended Me on Facebook'

    “Perhaps I shouldn't have been texting in the group chat while in labor,” the mom of three wondered on Reddit

  • A bill would cap credit card rates at 10%, echoing a Trump pledge. Are there downsides?

    A bill would cap credit card rates at 10%, something Trump promised on the campaign trail. Will Trump follow through? Will consumers benefit?

  • Woman Is Completely Surprised by Her Boyfriend’s Proposal: 'I Think Someone Is Getting Engaged!' (Exclusive)

    The woman spotted the romantic setup and thought it was for someone else

  • Hailey Bieber Okays Business Dress For Date Night With Justin Bieber

    Hailey Bieber wears a pinstripe ensemble for date night in New York City that leans into her entrepreneurial reputation and taps a autumn/winter 2025 trend already.

  • Trump Voters Angry at ‘Chaos’: ‘Not What We Signed Up For’

    The Wall Street Journal reports that the consumer confidence that accompanied President Donald Trump’s entry into office has eroded. The University of Michigan’s February report on consumer sentiment found that it fell by 5 percent, from 71.1 percent in January to 67.8 percent this month. Americans now expect inflation this year will be 4.3 percent, a 1 percent increase from last month. Morning Consult also found that consumer optimism is quickly fading. Consumers are worried about volatile deci

  • Man Utd now confirmed to be targeting 104-goal 25-year-old who’s available for nothing this summer

    Despite shelling out over £100 million on strikers in the last two summers, Manchester United have likely conceded that they’ll need to pursue a forward again at the end of the season.Indeed, neith...