25 Things That Used To Be ‘Unimaginable’ 10 Years Ago
Just a decade ago, the world around us was a different place. Our own lives have undergone so much change that a younger version of you would be shocked if they were given a sneak peek into the future.
So when Redditor u/Ok-Squash8044 asked online, ‘What was “unimaginable” 10 years ago, but we’re now totally used to?” folks had a lot to suggest. Scroll to check out the most thought-provoking answers shared in the gallery below.
#1 A felon running for president.
#2 People being able to live a long life while being HIV positive.
#3 I think almost everything about current US politics was unimaginable 10 years ago. 10 years ago we thought our country and our constitution was strong. Now we know better.
#4 That in 2024 we would be fighting about the abortion issue.
#5 A politician with free reign to say or do anything they want, with absolute impunity, and still have a legitimate number of votes to make it close or f*****g win.
In Clintons presidency, even ONE of these transgressions would endanger everything. The man fought tooth and nail to hide a blowie, and the nation reeled in the controversy.
Today, every day, an indictment worthy statement is shot across the news, and no harm no foul. Just keep rolling towards consignment to oblivion. All conditions normal at two minutes to midnight.
#6 Diseases that have been dormant for decades coming back.
#7 Reading headlines about more women dying bc they were denied lifesaving healthcare when their pregnancies went wrong, because that procedure they needed is also a type of abortion.
#8 Subscriptions for damn near everything!
#9 Computers making art, and people still doing mindless repetitive tasks. .
#10 gestures vaguely at the state of U.S. politics.
#11 Working remotely.
#12 Two very uk based ones:
Brexit – I was a final year politics student in 2014 and no one thought we would vote for Brexit, let alone a hard Brexit as that would be economic madness.
The normalisation of the far right – UKIP were on the rise but very much a fringe minority. The Conservatives were dogmatic in austerity but socially they had legalised gay marriage, promoted the big society, and were at least performatively tolerant. Worlds away from the culture war nonsense now. .
#13 A new Cure album.
#14 How much spying our electronics do on us and we’re totally cool with it.
#15 Leave a pizza order on someone’s front porch without even knocking.
#16 People plastering presidential candidate flags and stickers all over their cars and houses like it was their favorite sports team. Even in a sports lens that would be seen as a mental illness.
#17 A president who discusses the size of Arnold Palmer’s d**k.
#18 The cost of living. 10 years ago it was possible to have disposable income, and save up for nice things. Now the entire pay cheque goes towards bills and other living costs, then the credit line has to cover the rest.
#19 It being 95 degrees in f****n October.
Edit: not unimaginable as in “didn’t know it could happen.” But unimaginable as in surely those at the levers of power will be reasonable and take decisive action to prevent it
Despite the decades long screams of “do something” emissions have only fallen a little.
There are success stories like the banning of CFCs and the reduction of acid rain by lowering sulfur and NOx emissions. 2014 me thought that green house gas driven climate change would be another success like that that if not abated, would at least stabilize. There have been multiple international agreements since the 90s that haven’t been ambitious enough or that were not signed by the US/pulled out of by the US. Any progress is good but its not enough. .
#20 Paying more than $10 for a fast food combo.
#21 There’s been massive student-led protests in Thailand against the military junta throughout 2021 with the leaders being jailed yet barely a peep from western newspapers.
#22 Maybe not 10 years ago (more like 20), but according to my grandma, everyone having tattoos. She said not a lot of people had them and even less would show them proudly, but now if you go to a waterpark or any place where lots of skin is exposed, you’ll see so many people with tattoos.
My grandma is very against tattoos, it’s so funny to hear her rant about them. I have a small one that I’ve been hiding from her for 2 years now lol.
#23 Going to the store to buy marijuana legally.
#24 Kids having constant access to an AI that will effortlessly do all their homework for them.
#25 $17 pints.
Shanilou Perera
Shanilou has always loved reading and learning about the world we live in. While she enjoys fictional books and stories just as much, since childhood she was especially fascinated by encyclopaedias and strangely enough, self-help books. As a kid, she spent most of her time consuming as much knowledge as she could get her hands on and could always be found at the library. Now, she still enjoys finding out about all the amazing things that surround us in our day-to-day lives and is blessed to be able to write about them to share with the whole world as a profession.
