• Post Nixon, the country took a turn to the left politically. Following Richard Nixon’s impeachment and the gross incompetence of the Ford Administration, America – during the administration of Democratic President Jimmy Carter – was a very different place. The humiliation of Viet Nam turned the majority of the nation against war in general, and military waste in particular. By the end of the 70s, progressives were actually winning; the nation was far more permissive and inclusive culturally, socially and politically.
• There used to be something called ‘liberals.’ Left-leaning politicians proudly self-identified as liberal – and they actually supported truly progressive causes. We also had Women’s Lib, No Nukes, United Farmworker’s Union, Black Panthers, Affirmative Action…we had UNIONS…
• There was a time when all Democrats weren’t demonized as radical socialists. They actually behaved like the “opposition” party, too…unlike today.
• There was a time before ‘parental warning’ labels were stuck on everything deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes thanks to the supposedly liberal “Washington Wives” led by Tipper Gore, wife of VP Al Gore. Suddenly, the unwashed masses weren’t grown up enough to decide for themselves if something was ‘obscene’ or not. The infantilization of our society had begun.
• Believe it or not, there was a time before every human being on earth carried a tracking / monitoring device on them everywhere they went. You could go to a concert and a million arms weren’t in the way, holding iphones aloft. US intel agencies created the most effective social control mechanism ever devised…and then figured out a way to make people pay through the nose for the privilege as well! It wasn’t always so…
• In the before time, BIG PHARMA was regulated. Once upon a time, ads for toxic chemicals masquerading as pharmaceutical drugs didn’t saturate the mainstream media day and night. That’s right! There was a time when commercials for dangerous prescription drugs weren’t ubiquitous on every TV channel and radio network, 24 hours a day. (Before Reagan’s deregulation, it was illegal for drug companies to advertise on TV). Direct marketing of potentially harmful drugs to citizens has caused undue suffering to millions of Umerkins who were told to “ask your doctor!” Now they’re filing class-action lawsuits.
• There was a time before “Child-proof” packaging: you didn’t need a fucking hammer and chisel to open every goddam thing..!
• You used to have to call time on your phone if you didn’t wear a watch and there was no clock around. In SoCal the number was 853-1212: “At the tone, the time will be…”
• Automatic transmission was rare. Cars had stick shifts.
• Before the “PC Police” took over, parody and satire was alive and well in Umerka. We had real-live humor back then. Shit was funny. There were magazines like National Lampoon and Spy; we had Richard Pryor, Cheech & Chong, George Carlin and early SNL. Jokes about drugs, sex, race relations, politics; important things – these were fodder for comedians. There was a time before POLITICAL CORRECTNESS ended all forms of satire and social commentary in the country. BLAZING SADDLES…need I say more?
• A lot of women chose not to wear a bra. Female characters were permitted to go BRALESS on prime time TV! From All In The Family to One Day At A Time to Welcome Back, Kotter…! And no one batted an eye. The sight of an errant nipple didn’t TERRIFY the fuck out of people back then.
• We had GUN CONTROL LAWS: real, effective gun control legislation was passed by both parties and approved by the vast majority of law abiding citizens. The NRA used to SUPPORT reasonable gun control legislation..! My, how times have changed.
• Investigative journalism was alive and well. Journalists were respected and admired. Government waste and incompetence was exposed by brave and persistent investigative reporters. There was a vibrant, flourishing ‘free press’ in America before the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE was repealed by Reagan.
• Thousands of hard-copy daily newspapers were still in circulation in every major city.
• News organizations weren’t simply government propaganda outlets. There was a time before FOX “NEWS.”
• The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allowed historians and journalists access to documents exposing government misdeeds. It was created during the Carter administration, and it worked well for about 3 years until it was severely gutted by guess who? Reagan.
• There was a time when commercial breaks on TV were actually only 30 seconds long – instead of 4 minutes!
• We used to have something called ‘Peace Talks.’ Yep, back in the good ole days, the USA was intimately involved in facilitating peaceful negotiations between nations in compliance with UN initiatives in every corner of the world, especially in the Middle East. Until the end of the Cold War, the USA used to pretend to care about shit like ‘peace on Earth.’ It seems like such a quaint notion now.
• There was a time when politicians from both sides of the aisle voted to CUT the defense budget – and they actually got away with it in the wake of Watergate and the humiliating end to the conflict in Viet Nam. That lasted until THE REAGAN REVOLUTION came along and instigated the biggest “peace-time” military buildup in history. It is VERBOTEN now to talk about cutting even ONE PENNY from the obscenely bloated military budget. For Democrats or Republicans. Our only foreign policy objective now is to sell more weapons – as many weapons as possible – and it makes NO DIFFERENCE who we sell them to, either. America supplies weapons of mass destruction to some of the most vicious, repressive regimes on the planet.
• We used to have what they referred to as ‘upward mobility’ back then. Wages used to keep pace with cost of living increases. It was a given that if you worked hard and paid your bills you could own a home and raise a family. That pipe dream no longer exists for most people.
• One didn’t need a college degree to get a decent job and earn enough money to support a family. Most importantly:
• College was actually AFFORDABLE.

These are but a few examples of what life used to be like in THE BEFORE TIME.

I never thought I’d be looking back at the 1970s as the HALCION DAYS of my youth. At the time it seemed like to most boring decade ever to be alive. Even though I wasn’t old enough to enjoy all the cocaine and unprotected sex, I realize that we’ll never have it as good as we did in those days.

Except for disco. They can keep their fucking disco!