sure i am in that boat-tounge and cheeck i could offer up
* better interpersonal communication skills--i think they texty-texty culture has nuked what we had
* youth recreation of outdoor play outdoor rec that the tech gen could not experiene
* more health hardships--medicince science advancement miles beyond what was the norm in the 80's
*worse eating habits food knowledge was less common knowledge in the 80's contrasted to today --so much so that a heavy meat diet was considered healthy
* inflation was less of a ball-and-chain /feel like in my county USA it has been weaponized against most working class stiffs (which I am a part of)
* because learning was much less automated and more organic (read books study) the process adn work ethic for it was / is more robust.
*probably add more to this later

If I name the most important ones they already know about its just going to sound like I'm for it, which I'm not.

So, while it would be possible to write a long list of what youth had in the 80s that has been snatched away from them today I'll just list several.

1. Better more believable examples of good, righteousness and heros in movies and tv shows.

2. Fewer dope addicted potheads for parents.

3. Respect for innocence and modesty.

4. Recognition of actual talent.

5. Affordable things to do on a date.

6. No drug or lawyer advertisements promising happiness in a bottle of pills or riches from a car or other accident.

7. Fewer got dayam liars all around them.

Freedom to roam around.

Geesh, I was gone from the house most weekends on my own. No one gave a second thought about it.

A sense of humor

Guts

Hope. I don't think that's even an exaggeration, people in the 1980s thought the world was progressing towards a united techno Utopia, at least in the developed world. Nobody with eyes believes that now

Jobs

Bowie

Respect

Respect

A thick skin

8 track tape decks in their used cars

Carburetors

Distributors

Manual Transmissions

45rpm records

Smoking At McDonald's

Call the radio station to request a song

Put a cassette tape recorder next to radio speaker to record your favorite music

Herpes

Thick skin

Music.

common sense

A work ethic

The ability to disappear for the day and no one knew where you were

Two genders.

Freedom from social media

Thinking logical brain

Lots of good music
Delicious tap water
Freedom from phones
Freedom from internet

More peace of mind back then not having to worry if they would get shot up in English class.

Big hair

Fresh music.
It had to run out sooner or later.

originality/creativity

much unlike SW bots that rip off week old questionnaires from from X, tiktok, etc. 🤔

Considerably more privacy. They could do all kinds of stupid stuff without it coming back to bite them, unless someone had a camera handy. Now everyone has a phone.

A lot of hair spray 😅

Drinking age of 18 in some states

Less surveillance.

A sense of humour.

And some really fucking good music...

HPV

A pocket full of quarters to make the phone booth work.

Yo-yos.