this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2023
172 points (97.8% liked)

Asklemmy

45280 readers
1240 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy πŸ”

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Some news that would be completely mundane today but scary or shocking in the past.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] kglitch@kglitch.social 143 points 1 year ago (2 children)

A convicted rapist (also charged with 91 other felonies) running for president, with as much chance as winning as the other guy.

[–] haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com 55 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Thanks for saying this. I bet most americans dont know that a convicted rapist was their president. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/19/trump-carroll-judge-rape/

[–] MudMan@kbin.social 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm not an expert on the nuance of the US legal system, but "convicted" probably applies to the criminal system, right? What would it be in this scenario? A confirmed rapist? Just "a rapist"?

Still, the guy raped some lady and he's actively running for president. That one would be shocking any time before the mid 2010s, honestly.

[–] skullgiver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

[This comment has been deleted by an automated system]

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] andrewta@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago (4 children)

They know . A huge chunk just doesn’t care.

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] MudMan@kbin.social 108 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (6 children)

So in this scenario you're back in 1923?

I'm pretty sure it'd be anything including the words "World War II".

Bonus points if it also includes a date.

[–] Carighan@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

Yeah, like in that Doctor Who special where they tell the WW1 soldier "Now let's get you back to your first world war" and he goes "FIRST world war?!".

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 82 points 1 year ago (3 children)

"Man fired for criticising homosexuality", or maybe "man imprisoned for refusing to hire black person".

People are thinking about technology, but in 1923 people were very familiar with breathtaking technological change. The complete reversal of some social norms, on the other hand, would be almost existentially disturbing to these dudes who believe in the great benevolent Christian empires, and in some cases thought ending slavery was a mistake.

I have to wonder what the residents of the 1920's third world would think. I'm sure there would be many interesting perspectives.

[–] nnjethro@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Those type of headlines upset way too many people today. It's the point of the make America great again slogan.

load more comments (2 replies)

Only the richest people have horses. Most just use cars.

[–] IWantToFuckSpez@kbin.social 61 points 1 year ago (2 children)

That Germany is Europes biggest economy. 100 years ago Europe was fresh out of WW1 and Germany was bankrupted as punishment.

[–] dylanTheDeveloper@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Mid 1930s that headline would also be quite disturbing

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Auk@kbin.social 52 points 1 year ago (3 children)

How pervasive surveillance and tracking of people (and their data) is in todays society. We've become accustomed to it but I'd bet people a century ago would be shocked at the idea of stuff like regular people being filmed from multiple angles when just going to the shops, having a device in their pocket constantly recording their location, receiving targeted advertising based on what information they've looked at previously, etc.

[–] Wahots@pawb.social 10 points 1 year ago

It wasn't really that strange, people got tailed all the time during the nuclear weapons program and after, to make sure that they weren't gay. Shit was wild in the early 50s. A senator committed suicide because his son was outed as gay, getting dirt on people was hardcore. People got fired on the flimsiest of claims.

Physical surveillance was pretty bad, even then. Digital surveillance has gotten worse today, but it's much more fragmented and not so...eerily similar to the CCP. Also, fuck McCarthy. The book on this timeframe is a wild read, highly recommend it as it explains the postwar era and cold War paranoia.

https://www.amazon.com/Lavender-Scare-Persecution-Lesbians-Government/dp/0226401901

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] luciferofastora@lemmy.zip 44 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Most international experts consider the outbreak of a third world war unlikely in spite of global surges of violence

Not mundane, but the implications would be horrifying to 1923 society still recovering from "The Great War".

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

And funny enough, still misleading about how soon the next one is. Nukes really changed the game (for better or worse) and they don't have them yet.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de 42 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Quite a few people would be probably surprised that colonial empires are no more

as for headlines: British PM Rishi Sunak negotiates Scottish independence with First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf

[–] skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

also anything involving european union

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 37 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

– β€œYou can freely marry a Black person in most of the civilized world.”

– β€œWhy would you?”

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] friend_of_satan@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

Many countries all around the world possess weapons that could obliterate an entire other country, or their own country if detonated by mistake, and possibly destroy the whole planet.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Just an advertisement with a smiling black guy would do.

[–] HandwovenConsensus@lemm.ee 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] bitsplease@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 year ago (3 children)

feels a bit like cheating given that the man in the picture is clearly being presented as a server, not a consumer

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] kibiz0r@midwest.social 25 points 1 year ago (6 children)

You can buy groceries from a mechanical grocer, but it’ll accuse you of shoplifting like three times while checking you out.

load more comments (6 replies)
[–] ArumiOrnaught@kbin.social 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You can have a heart transplant.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Most tram networks and passenger trains have been abolished. Yeah, and you can't walk on the street anymore.

[–] PlexSheep@feddit.de 43 points 1 year ago
[–] mrbubblesort@kbin.social 24 points 1 year ago (5 children)

That I have a device that fits in my pocket and can connect to almost anyone else on the face of the planet, as well as tell me any fact I'd like to hear, or any story I'd like to experience. And it does all this about as fast as my thumbs can type out the request.

[–] Carighan@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago (7 children)

And yet 99,9% of the time you just use it to get into arguments with people you don't even know.

load more comments (7 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Anything price related. Imagine telling anyone from 1920s that you paid 50 dollars for a piece of clothing.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Most people spend more than three hours a day staring at a small mirror in their pocket that makes colorful dancing lights.

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I, and the vast majority of the world, wander around with instant access to the sum total of human knowledge, as well as the ability to instantly talk with anyone else in the world that we know. Face to face in many cases these days. These devices also allow many of us to remember that *we have a universal translator in our pockets, so language isn't even much of a barrier to communication and understanding each other.The vast majority of us use these wonderous devices to get into arguments with people we are extremely unlikely to ever meet in person.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 21 points 1 year ago

Brexit would have confused a lot of people.

[–] catreadingabook@kbin.social 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I'd imagine it's the things that still kinda make it as headlines today, but don't get much coverage anymore because everyone is used to it by now.

"By the way, this weekend's mass shootings led to 10 deaths and 29 injuries total, a little more than last week. Parents, remember to bundle up your kids this fall semester with the latest BulletBlocker Youth Jacket, 10% off if you order today! Now back to the news you actually wanted to hear about: the former U.S. President allegedly commits even more crimes..."

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 17 points 1 year ago

Yeah, but you have to consider that "Italian democracy overthrown by former journalist" and "bank sprayed with tommy gun" was recent news at that point. All that shit would shock people in the 60's, but in the 20's the main revelation would be the affordability of bulletproof clothing.

[–] yojimbo@sopuli.xyz 17 points 1 year ago

8 billion people and growing.

[–] vis4valentine@lemmy.ml 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

"A N***** WANTS TO BE PRESIDENT. AMERICA HAS LOST ITS WAYS TO INSANITY"

"F*****S PARADE AROUND THE CITY AND THEY WERENT SHOT AT FIRST SIGHT"

"PATRIOT ARRESTED FOR BURNING CROSSES"

"PEOPLE CLAIMING STATE AND CHURCH SHOULD BE SEPARATED ARE NOT FIT FOR OFFICE, THEY ARE COMMUNIST TRAITORS"

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Bloodwoodsrisen@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nearly anything from the Onion or Florida

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 year ago (4 children)

1923?

Lenin's body lays in the mausoleum on the Red Square for the last 99 years. Impersonators of him and Stalin walk around in their daily routine, asking money for photoes with them. In a shop not far from them, you can purchaze chinese merchandize with a soviet, russian flags, as well as with a monarchist-sympatising one, even though Romanovs are as dead as they were back then. Some items cost over a thousand of rubles, a sum that was enough to buy a factory - and that's after two recent denomonations. Pretty good that these crowds of international tourists don't count their money being there, these prices can easily drive someone insane.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] hackris@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 year ago (7 children)

That nearly everyone is carrying a tracking device with them, designed to disguise itself as a convenient entertainment device.

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] 0x4E4F@infosec.pub 14 points 1 year ago (5 children)

There are still no flying cars.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] makingStuffForFun@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm at the airport, and the robot waiter is standing at the bar, staring at me in a passive / aggressive manner. Taunting me with its non delivery of my food.

Now, I'm no writer, but there's a headline in that somewhere.

[–] Phen@lemmy.eco.br 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"world now has more androids than people"

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] baatliwala@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (3 children)

That people from my country actually had the gall to behave like our country belonged to us and not white people.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] raubarno@beehaw.org 12 points 1 year ago

The storm of the U. S. Capitol would be the most shocking one, probably, as nobody dared to do that.

Also, 9/11 events, nuclear/thermonuclear bombs, nuclear power plant disasters, many things.

Technologically, the fact that an everyday laptop can deliver tens of billions of arithmetic instructions per second is still mind-boggling to me.

load more comments
view more: next β€Ί