When people talk about the world older generations grew up in, it’s often looked at through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. Life was simpler back then. We didn’t have all the trappings of technology or the burdens of busy modern life. Sure, we had to do more things manually, but the world was safer and cleaner and generally better back then, right?

Not so fast. As some of the younger generations have noticed, the 1970s is often spoken about with nostalgic fondness but portrayed differently in entertainment. That observation led someone to ask Gen Xers and Boomers, “Were the 1970s really as grimy and gloomy and sleazy as the movies make it look?” Surprisingly, folks who lived through the ’70s took off their rose-colored glasses to remind us all of how far we’ve actually come in the past 50 years.

Were the 1970s really as grimy and gloomy and sleazy as the movies make it look? byu/SandNo2865 inAskOldPeople

While “grimy” and “gloomy” and “sleazy” may be strong terms, they’re not entirely inaccurate, according to the older folks who responded to the question. Of course, some places had more problems than others and big cities had it the worst, but some of the “grime” was widespread. Here are the truths behind the film portrayals:

While L.A. still struggles with air quality, it has seen a vast, visible improvement since the days of thick, brown smog hovering over the city and people mistaking it for a gas attack.

Downtown 1968. Yeah, this tracks. Those of us who grew up in LA up thru the 1970s recall not being able to make out buildings or mountains just blocks away on bad smog days & you'd cough just by inhaling a deep breath. I've never smoked but I'm sure my lungs think otherwise. 😆 pic.twitter.com/QEljzskXrn— L.A. Dork (@la_dorkout) July 25, 2025

Downtown 1968. Yeah, this tracks. Those of us who grew up in LA up thru the 1970s recall not being able to make out buildings or mountains just blocks away on bad smog days & you'd cough just by inhaling a deep breath. I've never smoked but I'm sure my lungs think otherwise. 😆 pic.twitter.com/QEljzskXrn— L.A. Dork (@la_dorkout) July 25, 2025

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