General Discussion

DetlefK

(16,423 posts) Mon Feb 18, 2019, 03:20 PM Feb 2019

Try explaining the year 2019 to a time-traveller from the past.

Try explaining to him/her the defining cultural and social issue of this era.

The one question to which every discussion eventually circles back:

Whether the President is a power-mad dictator and/or demented and/or actively trying to destroy the country.

Try explaining to him/her that this is a perfectly normal discussion that people have every single day.

Welcome to 2019.

6 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Try explaining the year 2019 to a time-traveller from the past. (Original Post) DetlefK Feb 2019 OP

How or what you'd explain would depend on where and when the time traveller originated. PoindexterOglethorpe Feb 2019 #1

I've wondered what taking Ben Franklin on a road trip would be like... TreasonousBastard Feb 2019 #3

We are all time-travelers from the past. MineralMan Feb 2019 #2

Also, it's easy to forget just how recently and how thoroughly PoindexterOglethorpe Feb 2019 #4

complain? Locrian Feb 2019 #5

Many plots of old movies and sitcoms are not possible anymore nowadays because of that. DetlefK Feb 2019 #6

PoindexterOglethorpe

(25,929 posts)

1. How or what you'd explain would depend on where and when the time traveller originated.

Reply to DetlefK (Original post)

Mon Feb 18, 2019, 03:21 PM

Feb 2019

I actually think about this sort of thing a lot, although it's usually more in terms of explaining modern technology to someone from 1960 or so.

TreasonousBastard

(43,049 posts)

3. I've wondered what taking Ben Franklin on a road trip would be like...

Reply to PoindexterOglethorpe (Reply #1)

Mon Feb 18, 2019, 03:41 PM

Feb 2019

or Darwin to a modern zoo.

60s? Meh. They saw a moon landing, the first computers, Kennedy getting shot... They can handle iPhones after they saw Dick Tracy's gadgets.

But take Galileo to a modern planetarium if you want to see some serious pants pissing.

MineralMan

(146,351 posts)

2. We are all time-travelers from the past.

Reply to DetlefK (Original post)

Mon Feb 18, 2019, 03:32 PM

Feb 2019

Yes, indeed.

PoindexterOglethorpe

(25,929 posts)

4. Also, it's easy to forget just how recently and how thoroughly

Reply to DetlefK (Original post)

Mon Feb 18, 2019, 04:08 PM

Feb 2019

modern technology has changed our lives.

I want to write a science fiction story about someone from 2019 (or whatever year I write it) going back to, say, 1980, and then spending a lot of time complaining about no internet, no GPS, no smart phones, and so on.

Speaking of traveling to the past, one thing that jarred me about Steven King's novel 11/22/63 was that the main character observed that people smoked a lot more, but in reality a non smoker from the present travelling back to that era would be horrified by the constant presence of smoking. Or a smoker would be delighted. Either way, it wouldn't be a neutral thing as it is in the novel.

Locrian

(4,522 posts)

5. complain?

Reply to PoindexterOglethorpe (Reply #4)

Mon Feb 18, 2019, 05:18 PM

Feb 2019

I want to write a science fiction story about someone from 2019 (or whatever year I write it) going back to, say, 1980, and then spending a lot of time complaining about no internet, no GPS, no smart phones, and so on.

No that's a dream come true!

DetlefK

(16,423 posts)

6. Many plots of old movies and sitcoms are not possible anymore nowadays because of that.

Reply to Locrian (Reply #5)

Tue Feb 19, 2019, 05:39 AM

Feb 2019

Can't find an address?
Can't get a message?
Don't know a crucial piece of trivia?
Cannot contact somebody?
Missed phone-call?

All of these set-ups for conflict are no longer possible due to Smartphone and Internet.

Reply to this discussion