Like every decade, the 70s was a special one with a unique history. The era includes some weird and awful things considered the norm back then.
Thankfully, most of these things would only ever be history. After asking an online forum about awful things that were acceptable in the 70s, this is what they had to say.
1. Wildly Dangerous Cars
Over the years, cars have evolved a lot. Still, at each stage of the evolution, they were only as safe as the existing level of technology allowed.
Most of the cars in the 70s were designed or modified with little to no safety measures for those in the vehicle if anything were to go wrong. Today’s vehicles have a plethora of safety features like airbags, backup cameras, blind spot detection. The 70s can’t relate to that.
2. Spanking Kids
In most climes today, people consider spanking a child outright child abuse. But in the 70s, spanking a child for doing something they should not be doing was a normal part of the discipline process for parents. Now, parents can even get arrested for doing that.
3. Key Parties
Imagine a party with a handful of people where you all place your keys in a bowl. Some raffle draw is started, and keys are picked randomly. Here is the fun part; you must go home with whoever owns the keys chosen.
Key parties were the 70s attempt at blind-matchmaking sessions. It worked for them then, but imagine something like this happening now. Disastrous or a fun risk?
4. Hitchhiking
This adventurous 70s trend first because popular around the Great Depression when cars became scarce. It made a massive comeback around the 60s and 70s.
Most would agree that this is something people would feel uncomfortable doing in this day and age. Not with all the random crazies walking around.
5. Drinking and Driving
It was not a crime to drink and drive in the 70s. Then, if the police pulled a driver over and discovered that they were inebriated, they would ensure that the driver made it home safe and sound.
Nowadays, it is considered a serious offense if the police pull you over and you have alcohol on your breath. You could go to jail and lose your license.
6. Creepy Music
In the 70s, there were a lot of creepy songs that reeked of illicit behavior, especially targeted at the underage. If you take a journey down to the music of the 70s, you will notice this in many of the songs, such as “Christine Sixteen” by Kiss, “My Sharona”, “Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon”, and many more.
7. Driving Without A Seatbelt
Although there were some laws about wearing a seatbelt while driving, the enforcement was entirely different.
It didn’t help that the movies shot in the decade showed actors not wearing seatbelts while driving. Driving without wearing is now non-negotiable. People’s lives are most important than their comfort.
8. Neglectful Parents
In the 70s, it was common for parents not to know exactly where their kids were or what they were up to until they returned at night. This practice was a norm up until the early 2000s.
But today, if a parent allows their kid to as much as play unattended, they could get into a lot of trouble. I mean, look at the story of the mother in Florida who faces up to five years in jail for letting her son go to the park unsupervised. That is proof enough.
9. Driving With Kids On Your Lap
Most people who were kids during the 70s might have fond memories of sitting on their father’s lap while he was driving. Sounds like fun times, right?
If you were caught doing that now, you would be behind bars long before you could explain what made you do it and why you would put your child’s life in danger.
10. Dog Poop Everywhere
Seeing chalky, white dog poop on the floor was normal back then. The dogs pooped anywhere they liked, and their owners did not pick up after them.
Now, thankfully, more dog owners clean up after their dogs. There are even some laws that make sure that happens in some places.
11. Child Abuse
Police are uncovering an epidemic of abuse of children in the 1970s. In most cases, the abusers got away with the crimes they committed.
While child abuse is unfortunately still a reality, thankfully, more laws are in place to seek justice for the abused.
12. Weird Haircuts
Although every decade had its share of weird and funny haircuts, the pictures from the 70s are of a different breed.
The 70s were known for some memorable fashion trends, which included hairstyles. And we can also see some hairstyles from that decade making comebacks now, however hilarious they may be.
13. Unsafe Baby Equipment
The pictures from the 70s of children’s strollers, cribs, and car seats give me the heebie-jeebies. Most of these products should have considered the baby’s safety, but they did not. It is a big wonder what they did take into account when they were making them.
The good news is that these products would not see the light of day in today’s market.
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