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tableturner

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73. Song by Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan Fame) addresses it, but in reverse......

Reply to Are_grits_groceries (Original post)

Sun Jan 6, 2013, 03:18 PM

Jan 2013

Donald Fagen's song I.G.Y (linked below the lyrics) was written in the early eighties by a child of the fifties and sixties, from the standpoint of how society in 1957, the international geophysical year, thought life would be like twenty years later around the time of the next international geophysical year. The lyrics portray great irony (as planned), since none of the predictions came true. Of course this thread is about how much has changed, so this song addresses this subject from the opposite angle.

I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year) lyrics:

Standing tough under stars and stripes
We can tell
This dream's in sight
You've got to admit it
At this point in time that it's clear
The future looks bright
On that train all graphite and glitter < This did not happen
Undersea by rail < This did not happen
Ninety minutes from New York to Paris < This did not happen
Well by seventy-six we'll be A.O.K.

What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free <People in general are no more free than in the 50’s

Get your ticket to that wheel in space < This did not happen
While there's time
The fix is in
You'll be a witness to that game of chance in the sky
You know we've got to win
Here at home we'll play in the city
Powered by the sun < This did not happen
Perfect weather for a streamlined world < This did not happen
There'll be spandex jackets one for everyone <We had reverted to preppy wear when song was written

What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free <People in general are no more free than in the 50’s

On that train all graphite and glitter < This did not happen
Undersea by rail < This did not happen
Ninety minutes from New York to Paris < This did not happen
A just machine to make big decisions < This did not happen
Programmed by fellows with compassion and vision <We are not more compassionate/visionary
We'll be clean when their work is done < This did not happen
We'll be eternally free yes and eternally young <We're neither eternally free nor eternally young

What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free <People in general are no more free than in the 50’s

Here is the song on YouTube:

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If someone from the 1950s suddenly appeared, what would be the mot difficult thing to explain? [View all] Are_grits_groceries Jan 2013 OP

The lack of Flying Cars Ron Green Jan 2013 #1

Avery Brooks agrees theKed Jan 2013 #6

By far, the "family unit". SugarShack Jan 2013 #33

Here, I embedded your link... hunter Jan 2013 #56

OMG, Lotus is still around? Is it still as slow as a snail drinking molasses on a winter's day? nilram Jan 2013 #193

I'm always amazed by how deeply stupid an idea "flying cars" is alcibiades_mystery Jan 2013 #11

I once saw a documentary about travel lanes in the air where lunatica Jan 2013 #162

auto-piloted, networked, intelligent flying cars jberryhill Jan 2013 #207

Reagan = President Drahthaardogs Jan 2013 #2

Time travel. That's always hard to explain. MineralMan Jan 2013 #3

lolol long long ago, the fifties Voice for Peace Jan 2013 #177

The lack of basic human courtesy to one another. RoverSuswade Jan 2013 #4

Agree, as well as people's lack of concern for their personal appearance today AndyA Jan 2013 #30

very true; from a "fifties" person; I have finally learned how comfortable "sloppy" can be. northoftheborder Jan 2013 #45

The smartphone technology Jenoch Jan 2013 #104

When they put Ronnie Reagan's casket in the rotunda at the Capitol when he died, that is when I MADem Jan 2013 #137

I'm a senior in high school and I completely agree with you PennsylvaniaMatt Jan 2013 #150

My son is close to your age (22) Freddie Jan 2013 #188

yes. Manners were taught from infancy appleannie1 Jan 2013 #55

I agree with you. Complete break down of social etiquette. KittyWampus Jan 2013 #83

People not using their turn signals while driving would be a tough one slackmaster Jan 2013 #5

Turn signals? Did they have them back then? LiberalFighter Jan 2013 #47

Yes, I lived back then and cars had turn signals. n/t RebelOne Jan 2013 #75

My dad's 1955 Cadillac Sedan de Ville had turn signals slackmaster Jan 2013 #93

My dad had a Jenoch Jan 2013 #107

The '55 had that too. It didn't work very well. You pushed the left knob in to make it search. slackmaster Jan 2013 #143

They did not have turn signals. They used hand signals. appleannie1 Jan 2013 #58

This message was self-deleted by its author appleannie1 Jan 2013 #60

They still use some of them doc03 Jan 2013 #71

~lol. CrispyQ Jan 2013 #110

Nope. My parents' 1952 Plymouth had turn signals. MineralMan Jan 2013 #86

Our '57 Ford didn't. WinkyDink Jan 2013 #95

My first car was a '57 Ford. Mr.Bill Jan 2013 #140

Um, I'm from the 1950s frazzled Jan 2013 #7

If your dad had missed the last 50 years SpartanDem Jan 2013 #80

It's the question that makes no sense frazzled Jan 2013 #112

Hate Radio lpbk2713 Jan 2013 #8

This existed back then, however it was called propaganda or worst, graham4anything Jan 2013 #41

Umm.. that's not new SpartanDem Jan 2013 #74

Father Coughlin was on the radio in the 50's. I learned about him on DU. KittyWampus Jan 2013 #85

Father Coughlin was on the radio in the 1930s. former9thward Jan 2013 #125

People from the 50s would understand that -they had Joe McCarthy LeftishBrit Jan 2013 #166

What happened to the Twinkie...oh and Montgomery Ward. Tutonic Jan 2013 #9

and Montgomery Clift and who is Eleanor Clift? graham4anything Jan 2013 #37

Woolworth's Control-Z Jan 2013 #50

And Montgomery Ward. n/t GP6971 Jan 2013 #54

Oh, you mean Walmart? MineralMan Jan 2013 #79

Wasn't aware of that. n/t GP6971 Jan 2013 #96

Walmart and Montgomery Ward MineralMan Jan 2013 #103

Why everything costs so damned much. Graybeard Jan 2013 #10

You're reading my mind! I just got back from the store, some toilet paper, some RKP5637 Jan 2013 #38

The toll for the George Washington Bridge is $13.00 UnrepentantLiberal Jan 2013 #195

Justin Bieber n/t Fumesucker Jan 2013 #12

I'm from the present, and don't get that one. eallen Jan 2013 #151

The huge social changes karynnj Jan 2013 #13

spot on Johonny Jan 2013 #18

Don't discount the changes of the role of women in society. amandabeech Jan 2013 #63

Why in comparison to 21st century Republicans, Ike (Eisenhower) seems like a lefty radical. Mrs. Overall Jan 2013 #14

Ike was also a lefty radical compared to most current Democrats. nt hay rick Jan 2013 #23

You're right! Mrs. Overall Jan 2013 #25

Barack Obama. JaneyVee Jan 2013 #15

+1 (nt) enough Jan 2013 #19

Dubstep Dash87 Jan 2013 #16

That Rock Hudson was gay. Mrs. Overall Jan 2013 #17

this is a great answer graham4anything Jan 2013 #36

My grandparents, who had strong connections to Hollywood, knew he was gay all along. hunter Jan 2013 #114

That's cool that your grandparents were opened minded in the 50's--my mother was shocked Mrs. Overall Jan 2013 #158

HELLO?! Did my Boomer Generation/your Grandparents disappear?! I'M FROM 1949!! WinkyDink Jan 2013 #20

+1000 (nt) Control-Z Jan 2013 #51

You missed the key phrase in the OP temporary311 Jan 2013 #72

Um, no, I didn't. Did you miss the misuse of "from"? WinkyDink Jan 2013 #91

Yes, you did. jeff47 Jan 2013 #99

I'm from the 50s kskiska Jan 2013 #21

You've experienced all the time in between. RomneyLies Jan 2013 #26

I was a teenager in the 1950s. I was born in 1939. RebelOne Jan 2013 #77

What I find amusing Jenoch Jan 2013 #124

OP MEANS: "If someone who DIED in the 50's returned,......" WinkyDink Jan 2013 #22

What we watch on TV stuntcat Jan 2013 #24

Black people using the front door Nevernose Jan 2013 #27

I am from the fifties and was taught that there would never be a Great Depression again Cleita Jan 2013 #28

Yep, similar here, except my parents were democrats. And after FDR many thought the RKP5637 Jan 2013 #32

Market fundementalism came back into fashion Prophet 451 Jan 2013 #98

Why we are still so backward in some ways! n/t RKP5637 Jan 2013 #29

pants on the ground tavernier Jan 2013 #31

LOL! KittyWampus Jan 2013 #88

President Barack Obama for a good example graham4anything Jan 2013 #34

*My* parents would be amazed that Arthur and little Paul, marybourg Jan 2013 #205

Hey Little Schoolgirl 1957 graham4anything Jan 2013 #211

Everything Spider Jerusalem Jan 2013 #35

The U.S. virtually canceling space program and hitching Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2013 #39

why we make 99% of our food out of CHEMICALS??? farminator3000 Jan 2013 #40

Well, there's always Soylent Green... derby378 Jan 2013 #61

Why our cars don't look like this !!! RKP5637 Jan 2013 #42

Women as CEOs, as well as serving in the House & Senate Orrex Jan 2013 #43

The change in the role of women of all racial and ethnic groups has been huge. n/t amandabeech Jan 2013 #67

I understand the role of women has Jenoch Jan 2013 #119

You know, almost immediately after I posted that... Orrex Jan 2013 #120

I remember reading about Jenoch Jan 2013 #122

How that person came back to life Music Man Jan 2013 #44

He never died. He was put in suspended animation for a space experiment Cleita Jan 2013 #48

Was just remembering The Spy Who Shagged Me & laughing at Dr.Evil's "One Million Dollars" KittyWampus Jan 2013 #90

It reminds me of "Back to the Future". GoCubsGo Jan 2013 #109

The incredible inequality between rich and poor. Rex Jan 2013 #46

Explaining what happened to all the ashtrays. eShirl Jan 2013 #49

+1 Mrs. Overall Jan 2013 #68

talk radio JEFF9K Jan 2013 #52

That the height of human space exploration would occur in the following decade and a half n/t IDemo Jan 2013 #53

The economy. bluedigger Jan 2013 #57

republicans kydo Jan 2013 #59

how people have become so fucking stupid. datasuspect Jan 2013 #62

+10.000 smirkymonkey Jan 2013 #198

The lack of atomic bomb drills in schools. appleannie1 Jan 2013 #64

When in the fifties? MyshkinCommaPrince Jan 2013 #65

Kids are not taught math tables. appleannie1 Jan 2013 #66

Do you mean log tables? Because they've been absolutely 100% useless for decades Orrex Jan 2013 #78

What happened to unions n/t doc03 Jan 2013 #69

Seeing people walking around GP6971 Jan 2013 #70

Song by Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan Fame) addresses it, but in reverse...... tableturner Jan 2013 #73

Actually 'undersea by rail' has happened in my part of the world.. LeftishBrit Jan 2013 #170

That (s)he lived in a "socialist" country JHB Jan 2013 #76

3D printed cars.... Tikki Jan 2013 #81

LOL ~ Sooo true about the cats and the arguments! Lucinda Jan 2013 #82

How women completely took over veterinary medicine. kestrel91316 Jan 2013 #84

All my remote controls for the TV chelsea0011 Jan 2013 #87

In the '50s, there was no such thing as a TV remote control. RebelOne Jan 2013 #129

Sure there was a remote control for the TV Fumesucker Jan 2013 #133

Starbucks! missingthebigdog Jan 2013 #89

The multicultural crew of the USS Enterprise. Mrs. Overall Jan 2013 #92

What really freaks me out (I'm 50 yrs old) is how people are glued to their phones KittyWampus Jan 2013 #94

Excellent PR. WinkyDink Jan 2013 #100

I think it's really sad. GoCubsGo Jan 2013 #113

Believe it or not I do NOT have a cellphone truegrit44 Jan 2013 #136

Try this: "If a name on The Wall came back, explain vacations now in Vietnam." WinkyDink Jan 2013 #97

The lack of leisure time, and the number of people who have no instructive hobbies. nt Nay Jan 2013 #101

Lack of prosperity for the average American. nt truebluegreen Jan 2013 #102

I was thinking "what the fuck happened to the unions?" but yours is more accurate. TheKentuckian Jan 2013 #171

Closely related tho, for sure... truebluegreen Jan 2013 #179

50's?? Try the 90's........... thelordofhell Jan 2013 #105

+1! gateley Jan 2013 #111

"...and while looking at kitteh photos, I plunge head first into a water feature." CrispyQ Jan 2013 #106

That the Soviet Union has ceased to exist subterranean Jan 2013 #108

Sexual attitudes. SpartanDem Jan 2013 #115

Viagra commercials mainstreetonce Jan 2013 #116

The disappearance of integrity dickthegrouch Jan 2013 #117

My parents were born in the 1950's, I'll go ask them... richmwill Jan 2013 #118

I was born in the 1950s Retrograde Jan 2013 #121

The Pill in 1960 really changed America forever. I remember it as a young woman. CTyankee Jan 2013 #186

The disappearance of Curb feelers/Curb finders on cars. Adsos Letter Jan 2013 #123

My brother had those on his 1963 Dodge Dart Freddie Jan 2013 #190

We allow people to live on the sidewalk. No such thing in the 50's jemsan Jan 2013 #126

Honey Boo Boo graywarrior Jan 2013 #127

Their promise of future utopia morphed into climate change's promise of a decimated civilization NoOneMan Jan 2013 #128

Why everything is in color... Drunken Irishman Jan 2013 #130

Prolly the music. Or sex scandal in the church, school shootings, u know, the little things. MichiganVote Jan 2013 #131

Who is this black man on my TV speaking from what looks to be the Oval Office? Drunken Irishman Jan 2013 #132

Someone would say to me Wow, you have really aged! asjr Jan 2013 #134

climate change AgingAmerican Jan 2013 #135

A President who is not white (nt) Nye Bevan Jan 2013 #138

That we went to the moon and haven't bothered to go back for forty years. n/t Mr.Bill Jan 2013 #139

The modern day republican tea party.... wandy Jan 2013 #141

"Why is everyone so damn fat?" Ikonoklast Jan 2013 #142

I know. We have a photo of my husband's family, circa 1948 and no one was fat. CTyankee Jan 2013 #164

The incredible amount of violence SheilaT Jan 2013 #144

I think we would have been less surprised by the technical stuff and more surprised CTyankee Jan 2013 #145

yes, more surprise at seeing different races mixing , openly gay couples , Obama as President JI7 Jan 2013 #149

well, maybe Google. I'm still amazed that I can just type in something in Google and CTyankee Jan 2013 #161

And, I forgot, smoking bans! I wanted to smoke when I was in high school in the 50s CTyankee Jan 2013 #178

how old would this person be ? what year were they born in ? also we would need to know their JI7 Jan 2013 #146

I was born in 1940 and lived through WWII, post war, the Korean war and I was Cleita Jan 2013 #154

You made me laugh. k&r Little Star Jan 2013 #147

Why technology has progressed but humanity hasn't. nt. WeekendWarrior Jan 2013 #148

As others have said, the social changes probably would be "most difficult". NYC Liberal Jan 2013 #152

"Where's your jet pack?" randome Jan 2013 #153

The price of gas at the pump and the cost of childbirth, Frustratedlady Jan 2013 #155

LOL Marrah_G Jan 2013 #156

I was a kid during the '50s, and if I'd done a Rip Van Winkle in 1959 and just woke up, The Velveteen Ocelot Jan 2013 #157

Shaving pubic hair. -..__... Jan 2013 #159

How both men and women work 40+ hours to support their families Matariki Jan 2013 #160

They'd have to be taught all our modern jargon as if it were a second language lunatica Jan 2013 #163

The fact that we are drugging our kids and rainy Jan 2013 #165

The DU Lounge. Coyotl Jan 2013 #167

How we let people get away with creating for-profit middlemen between us and Laura PourMeADrink Jan 2013 #168

The Internet; and that we haven't colonized space LeftishBrit Jan 2013 #169

How the vast majority simply allowed pensions to be taken away from them stevenleser Jan 2013 #172

UPC symbols or QR codes demwing Jan 2013 #173

civil rights, gay marrage, no smoking in hosptials or airplanes, black president, crazyjoe Jan 2013 #174

That "Old Joe McCarthy" was Still in Power......... KoKo Jan 2013 #175

The most difficult thing would be to explain how he happened to appear here. Kablooie Jan 2013 #176

Breast implants. And botox. They'd be, like, WTF? nt valerief Jan 2013 #180

Oh, I don't know. My mother had a face lift in the 1950s or early 1960s and her CTyankee Jan 2013 #185

Facelifts are one thing. Basketball boobies from implants and those oversized frozen cheeks valerief Jan 2013 #196

But it was kinda mymother's fault. She sunbathed in the hot Texas sun for YEARS... CTyankee Jan 2013 #197

It would be hard to explain why nuclear energy hasn't made humanity problem-free. OneTenthofOnePercent Jan 2013 #181

I love to cook JustAnotherGen Jan 2013 #182

Incivility in our society that comes from the top and drifts downward. nt Raine Jan 2013 #183

Hunger,hate and homelessness . Nt peace13 Jan 2013 #184

I can think of several things billbailey19448jj Jan 2013 #187

Smoking has become socially unnacceptable NoPasaran Jan 2013 #189

Hundreds of channels on TV Freddie Jan 2013 #191

If the person was say, Isaac Asimov or Arthur Clarke, then very little would be hard to explain Fumesucker Jan 2013 #192

Why all these crazy-ass future doctors won't recommend a cigarette brand for them. n/t JoeyT Jan 2013 #194

The fitness craze, health clubs etc LeftInTX Jan 2013 #199

Why nearly everything at the 5-and-dime store, Art_from_Ark Jan 2013 #200

there's a whole party that wants to go back to that time Skittles Jan 2013 #201

The lack of Hoverboards brettdale Jan 2013 #202

that republicans are now more conservative but call themselves "democrats"; unblock Jan 2013 #203

They would be amazed to learn.. that Congress and Senate no longer serve "We The People" lib2DaBone Jan 2013 #204

How we landed on the moon in 1969.... RagAss Jan 2013 #206

Why pot is still illegal. Stardust Jan 2013 #208

What happened to music Claybrains Jan 2013 #209

Probably the gay marriage. nt cecilfirefox Jan 2013 #210