Socially/politically what we’re the 70s like?

4 comments

1. I was young but, while there were similarities, the 70s seemed “worse” in my memory. Particularly with strikes as unions had more power and there was more industry. It seemed like everyone was on strike, miners, car workers, steel workers, refuse collectors and for much more than the odd day here and there. Blackouts and rubbish piling up in the streets were commonplace.

   But energy prices are worse now and greater levels of home ownership mean that interest rates are a bigger factor for many people.

2. Life was hard. Yes great music and fashion. But day to day life was a grind.

3. Not great. Strikes and literal rubbish on the streets (bin men strike) with rats running loose everywhere. Power cuts and listening to a crappy radio by candle light. Food was awful, processed shite (Findus Crispy Pancakes . . .).

   We did have the 76 summer . . . Oh wait, stand pipes in the street with the house stopcock turned off by the council. ‘Flushing’ the toilet once a day with saved dish water (5 kids in the house, so yeah, not great). Strip wash for weeks.

   Then. PUNK happened.

4. I was in my teens/early 20s in the ’70s. One of the things that has changed one *hell* of a lot is how much overt racism and homophobia there was then compared to now, even though there’s still too much now. Misogyny was a lot worse then as well, though we haven’t improved in that respect anything like as much.

   In my local, I regularly see groups of young people made up with all mixtures of different skin colours – I’d *never* have seen that in the ’70s.

   There was also a lot more religious observance then as well. I’m a firm believer that it’s no coincidence that religion, homophobia, racism and misogyny all declined together.

   Enthusiasm for the royal family has also declined a hell of a lot, I’m glad to say. Compare the number of street parties for the old bird’s silver jubilee compared to the recent one and it makes for an enlightening comparison. I recall at one point predictions for the number of street parties for the latest one *across the whole country*, were lower than the number just held in London in ’77.