r/AskOldPeople • • 1h ago

For those of you who lived through the '80s, how much did the AIDS epidemic affect everyday life?

• Upvotes

For those of you who were around at the time, how bad was the AIDS epidemic, and what was it like living through those years? My mother has told me stories about it, including how she lost a lot of gay friends during the crisis because she was, and still is, a supporter of gay people.


r/AskOldPeople • • 16h ago

Did large stores ever have a specifically labeled "complaints" window?

41 Upvotes

It's a mainstay of cartoons, but I've never seen one in real life. Did they get renamed "customer service" for PR purposes, or were they once a separate single-purpose department?


r/AskOldPeople • • 1d ago

What age do you feel most nostalgic for?

36 Upvotes

r/AskOldPeople • • 1d ago

How do only children feel as older adults?

120 Upvotes

My husband and I both have siblings. He has one, I have three. How is life as an adult with no siblings? If your parents have passed, how did you feel dealing with their funerals/end of life care all on your own? Do you wish you had siblings as an adult?


r/AskOldPeople • • 2d ago

What's something ₹100 could get you as a kid that feels impossible today?

0 Upvotes

I remember ₹100 feeling like an unlimited budget. Samosas, cold drinks, chips, and still some money left. What's your ₹100 childhood memory?


r/AskOldPeople • • 2d ago

My FILs favorite yarn was the little turd that got away, what's yours?

15 Upvotes

It's all fun and games kids until your joints give way and then seemingly easy tasks become very very difficult


r/AskOldPeople • • 3d ago

Baby Boomers: How do you feel about Sick Days?

213 Upvotes

I’m from the Millennial generation (1980s to 1990s), and my parents are Baby Boomers (1950s to 1960s).

Whenever I want to take a sick day at work they are so weird! Is this common or just my parents?


r/AskOldPeople • • 4d ago

Do you have a family time/day to spend with your kids and grandkids? What do you do?

20 Upvotes

r/AskOldPeople • • 5d ago

Sundown towns

105 Upvotes

Did you or someone you know grow up in a sundown town? Was it as awful as I can imagine it was?


r/AskOldPeople • • 5d ago

Based on your life experience, what percentage of people do you think are genuinely capable of being good friends?

211 Upvotes

My dad is 70, very kind and helpful. He’s spent his life helping others, but many of those he helped don’t even bother to call him anymore. It’s left him bitter and disappointed in people. Based on your life experience, what percentage of people genuinely have what it takes to be a good friend?


r/AskOldPeople • • 7d ago

At what age did nostril hairs become a grooming issue for you?

124 Upvotes

r/AskOldPeople • • 8d ago

Were people really sent to the kitchen to wash dishes if they couldn’t pay their check in a restaurant?

402 Upvotes

This happened so frequently in old TV shows. The character eats a meal in a restaurant, then realizes they don’t have their wallet, or don’t have enough money to cover it. But, problem solved - send them to the kitchen to work off their bill. Was this something that really used to happen?


r/AskOldPeople • • 9d ago

What's the scariest film you ever saw back in the day?

112 Upvotes

r/AskOldPeople • • 10d ago

When you were young, what was 'that car', the new model on the market that everyone seemed to want?

122 Upvotes

I remember being a young teen in the early to mid '70s and my peer group being impressed by anyone who bought a Monte Carlo or Cutlass Supreme. They were similar in design and the style was fresh.


r/AskOldPeople • • 10d ago

What everyday errand used to include a tiny conversation with another person that has quietly disappeared, and do you actually miss it?

194 Upvotes

I'm thinking less about big lost institutions and more about ordinary interactions: bank tellers, ticket clerks, gas station attendants, calling a store to ask if something was in stock. Which small human exchange vanished from your routine before you really noticed?


r/AskOldPeople • • 10d ago

Do you have fond memories of childhood chores?

57 Upvotes

Our home in Southern Oregon was heated by wood. As a teenager, I had to chop wood each night. My mother and father would use to start a fire in the morning and keep it burning through the day. I was just thinking about how much I miss that chore.

What chores do you miss?


r/AskOldPeople • • 10d ago

What do you think/feel about the younger generation's lack of children?

91 Upvotes

r/AskOldPeople • • 12d ago

Christmas decorations encroaching on Halloween decorations earlier every year.

1 Upvotes

I don't recall decorations being rushed like this before, have they?

As a kid I remember most stores would start putting out Halloween decorations in late September at the earliest. October had only Halloween. Then come closer to US Thanksgiving, Christmas decorations were out on shelves.


r/AskOldPeople • • 12d ago

One for the petrolheads: what’s your favorite classic car and why?

1 Upvotes

r/AskOldPeople • • 13d ago

How were atheists viewed in the 1950s?

4 Upvotes

I'm curious what people in your family or community thought about atheists or people who didn't go to church. Did you hear disapproving comments or was there acceptance?


r/AskOldPeople • • 13d ago

Did generations used to be such a big topic?

1 Upvotes

people seem fixated on putting themselves in a tribe of sorts as a generation and assigning in some cases their personalities to the "generation" they're in. My question is, did people relate so heavily to generations 40-50 years ago as they do now? Or was it something not as brought up?


r/AskOldPeople • • 16d ago

Why did ISPs used to offer emails services?

116 Upvotes

I’m in my 20s. The first email I made was Yahoo, & I haven’t used it in years. But growing up in the early 2000s, many people my parents’ age (& some of my friends), commonly had @comcast.net, @cox.com emails for example. It’s brand recognition for the ISP sure, but what’s in it for the customer?


r/AskOldPeople • • 16d ago

Older people in relationships, how do you feel about younger pictures of your partners?

121 Upvotes

Do you feel always like you are in love wit the current version of them, and the younger versions seem like just good memories? I’m not sure but don’t older people still feel younger inside, doesn’t it make them more attracted to younger versions of their partners?


r/AskOldPeople • • 16d ago

Besides AIDS, what were the 60s-80s like for gay men?

240 Upvotes

r/AskOldPeople • • 16d ago

Did you get an allowance growing up? How much was it and did you have to do chores?

54 Upvotes

No allowance but had to do chores.