Ah, the good ol’ days of the 80s and 90s, when life was simpler, technology was chunky, and your biggest concern was whether you’d miss your favorite episode of “Full House” because your mom was hogging the TV with “All My Children.” It's like we forged our existence in the fires of dial-up Internet, and if you dared to pick up the phone while someone was online, it was an instant catastrophe fit for a sitcom. Yes, snacks were consumed in excess, hair was crimped to godly proportions, and we had to walk uphill both ways to get to school, usually dodging Mullets and neon leggings along the way.
While today’s kids are glued to their screens, scrolling TikTok like it’s their survival instinct, we were out there actually living. Our idea of social interaction didn’t include a keyboard; it meant a wild dash to the local arcade to drop quarters in “Street Fighter II” while praying no one would take our high score (the horror!). And heaven forbid you misdialed a friend's number—yep, you’d have to navigate a game of “Guess Who?” with someone who thought they were smart by saying “hello” in a weird voice. Seriously, who thought the best way to connect was through actual communication?
Speaking of communication, just try explaining to today’s youth that we used to pass notes in class instead of sending memes. Picture a class full of kids trying to decipher chicken scratch instead of the latest trending hashtag—this was a whole different level of espionage that required stealth and an understanding of the Babylonian code. And don’t even get me started on the wild social experiment that was calling someone’s house phone, where an adult might answer and ruin your plans to talk to a crush by asking the most cringe-worthy questions. I still shudder at the thought of speaking to a crush’s parents; it’s like an episode of “The Office” where everything goes horribly wrong.
Remember VHS tapes? Those glorious clunky cassettes that would eat your precious recordings of “The Goonies" if you so much as looked at them wrong? Kids today wouldn’t know the joy of rewinding a tape or praying that your favorite movie wasn’t stuck behind your mom’s annoying aerobics tape from 1989. Honestly, I wouldn’t trade those memories for the current streaming chaos where "everything is available." How can you enjoy the magic of terrible 80s CGI without having to blow the dust off an ancient tape? It’s almost as if technology became less fun and more efficient—who thought that was a good idea?
So, while today’s kids may think the world revolves around their smartphones and streaming platforms, let’s revel in our glorious past. We survived without Wi-Fi, mastered the art of talking on the phone, and survived a hundred different awkward social situations—all while sporting some seriously questionable fashion choices. Give us a moment to savor that nostalgia, and as you do, I’ll be over here with my boombox, reliving my glory days while avoiding any potential TikTok filters. Cheers to the 90s; you’re the real MVP!