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  1. #1

    Why do people always think the past is better than the present?

    No matter the time, there are always a ton of people thinking, 'We live in dark/bad times', and that the past was 'the golden age'. Obviously you can't always be living in bad times there have been plenty of worse times as well. And this is with anything, WoW, music, movies, etc.

    The past is always better apparently, and they look back at it with rose-tinted glasses only seeing the good from the past and the bad from now, and then go to say 'the future will be much better than now' and then when the future comes curse the present (future from now) and praise the past (now).

    What is your take on this, and why do people do it?

  2. #2
    Elemental Lord Reg's Avatar
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    I've never thought the past was better as a whole, but there are certain aspects of the past that were indeed much better than they are today.

  3. #3
    Because we've got a bad memory, all of us. We can remember what happened but we can't remember how we felt like when it happened, even if some think they can. But sometimes they're right I meant nostalgia mostly.
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    may i suggest you check out wowwiki or any similar site, it's Grom that orders the murder of Cairne

  4. #4
    Perhaps its better to ask why people make broad sweeping generalizations.

  5. #5
    Field Marshal Lomanoft's Avatar
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    Fond memories, I suppose.

  6. #6
    Moderator chazus's Avatar
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    What is your take on this, and why do people do it?
    ...People.. dont?

    I honestly am a bit curious why you think people think that. I can't think of a single person I know that thinks that 'the past' is better than now. And if they do, I'm sure it's in regard to something specific, and not vague generalizations that you take word for word.

    I mean, I can easily say that things now for me aren't as good as they were... Because last year I was making a fair bit more money than I am now. But that doesn't MEAN anything.

    I dont think anyone thinks that any period of time before now is a 'golden age'.

  7. #7
    Because they're not currently living in it. They're not currently enduring whatever hardships that time entailed and so they conveniently ignore them in favor of whatever positives (real or fabricated) they attribute to that time period.

    I've seen people (Americans) say they wish they'd lived in the 30s, things were so great and wholesome then, tra-la-la! If they could somehow tell that to the starving kids during the Depression and/or their out-of-work parents struggling to survive, they'd get punched in the face.

    The truth is that every time period has its pros and cons...and during that time period, it was thought that the youth was corrupted by whatever was popular and new at that time, that morality was going out the window, and that generally everything would be better if reverted to *insert time of now-adult's youth here*. The older I get and the more I learn, the more it just looks like society is cyclical. Oh noes, pirating music and movies is killing the entertainment industry! Only the same thing has been said about tape cassettes, VCRs, player pianos, and even the damn printing press.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by chazus View Post
    ...People.. dont?

    I honestly am a bit curious why you think people think that. I can't think of a single person I know that thinks that 'the past' is better than now. And if they do, I'm sure it's in regard to something specific, and not vague generalizations that you take word for word.
    Well given the state of the economy right now, I find it hard to believe you don't know a single person that can think the past is better than now =) When you make such broad absolute statements you set yourself up to look foolish.

  9. #9
    Herald of the Titans Ynna's Avatar
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    People who actually think about it don't say things like that.
    Resurrected Holy Priest

  10. #10
    Moderator chazus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zdrasti View Post
    Well given the state of the economy right now, I find it hard to believe you don't know a single person that can think the past is better than now =) When you make such broad absolute statements you set yourself up to look foolish.
    Im not sure if you're being sarcastic... Or didn't read my post. I said the same thing. Its a broad question, and most people (at least people I know) Dont base the state of the entire world and everything in it off of things like 'the economy'

  11. #11
    Deleted
    Why does preferring something as it were in the past over the present always get blamed on nostalgia, is what I'd like to know.

    As for the OPs question; I think it's easier to look back at things and say "oh, I liked that" or "I didn't care for that too much" when you have some perspective and can add in what happened afterwards. Maybe you didn't like going to school, but years later you know you got to know some of the best friends you ever had and suddenly school doesn't seem so bad. It doesn't mean you were wrong not liking school in the past, nor does it mean you're just being nostalgic. It's just looking at an event from different eras of your life.

  12. #12
    The Lightbringer KingHorse's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zdrasti View Post
    Well given the state of the economy right now, I find it hard to believe you don't know a single person that can think the past is better than now =) When you make such broad absolute statements you set yourself up to look foolish.
    The person you quoted specifically said "if they do, I'm sure it's in regard to something specific, and not vague generalizations." I believe the economy would be covered by that.

    But feel free to insult people more I guess.
    I don't argue to be right, I argue to be proven wrong. Because I'm aware that the collective intelligence of the community likely has more to offer to me by enlightening me, than I do to an individual by "winning" an argument with them.
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  13. #13
    Deleted
    Nostalgia..?

  14. #14
    People are typically driven by nostalgia.

  15. #15
    "the past" is frequently childhood which, while the world was not sunshine and gumdrops, was likely a lot more carefree than their current life.

    I'd never go back to middle/high school, it was miserable.
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    Having the authority to do a thing doesn't make it just, moral, or even correct.

  16. #16
    Mostly nostalgia and because new things require it to be learnt again (e.g. new rules).

  17. #17
    Banned Video Games's Avatar
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    I'm betting most of you like ff7 more than 13. Too bad ff7 is shitty and you can't prove me wrong or it's just nostalgia.

  18. #18
    Titan Kalyyn's Avatar
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    We get over the bad memories, but we hold on to the good. It's important that we do that, otherwise we'd be cynical as hell. Unfortunately, one side effect of that is that we do see the past with a certain filter.

    Also, FF7 was amazing and fun as hell. Fuck anyone who says otherwise.

  19. #19
    Because video games didn't use to cost $60 and have half the content as DLC.
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    can you leftist twits just fucking admit that quantum mechanics has fuck all to do with thermodynamics, that shit is just a pose?

  20. #20
    How far back? Im sure i would enjoy living around 1k! (Ofc i dont know how it was like to actually live "horrible" and die young, being slaves etc) But when there is a hurricane here, and the power goes out for 3 days, then im in heaven, no tech is good sometimes>_<

    But i guess sometimes i would say "i miss the old day", example were i live, people would go outside, do things.. (as in go out, have a bonfire, drink some beers and have fun) but today, this generation.. People never go out, they dont gather up for anything (facebook is not going out).
    Im 25, so dont really know all that much of this yet, il come back in 25years and answer and whine about generations!
    “The worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else. I hate that.”

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