I was in an Indian Casino in Oklahoma which had a huge $5 buffet.   I paid my five bucks and, being such a self-disciplined soul, only selected a few items which really appealed to me.  My point? I'm one of those "older folks" and I look back at the "good old days" like I looked at the buffet.  Sure, there were good things about the late '40s and '50s when I "grew up."  We kids could walk to the park and play baseball, kickball or whatever till dark and then walk home w/o worrying about being kidnapped, assaulted or whatever.  Working class employees made a "living" wage...my Dad was a teamster and we lived a solid "lower middle class" life...even bought a TV in 1949 (Dumont..and got two channels.. one from San Diego..one from LA).  On the flip-side..racial and ethnic prejudice were still "part of life"...Blacks, to most, were "N##@" and Hispanics were "wetbacks" or "beaners"... nothing is simple...some things have gotten "better"...great.  Some things have gotten "worse"...not great.