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A lot of formerly-enjoyable leisure activities outside the home have become a lot loss fun over the last few decades, too. I know a lot of people in the US, an

A lot of formerly-enjoyable leisure activities outside the home have become a lot loss fun over the last few decades, too. I know a lot of people in the US, and especially Canada, who've stopped going to restaurants for example. They now cost too much, the food is often mediocre or even outright bad, the service is often terrible, parking can be an issue in some cities, and it's generally a miserable experience. Cooking at home, even if takes more effort, ends up being comparatively more enjoyable. That's also the case for movies, concerts, sporting events, exhibitions, and tourist venues. The tickets cost a lot relative to the enjoyment that's provided, and the pricing of food and drinks at such events can be astronomical. It has just become prohibitively expensive, especially for families, in addition to the other inconveniences (such as travel and parking) that can be associated with such events. Even something as simple as going to a beach or a lake has become an awful experience in Canada. A problem at Canadian beaches has been foreigners defecating in the sand, rather than using the proper washroom facilities. Even when that isn't happening, such places can be quite crowded and nowhere near as fun as they were in the past when they were quieter. I certainly can't blame people for not wanting to subject themselves to unpleasant experiences like those.

MattGaiser 2y ago
Options have also expanded. The options are also not cooking at home vs going to a restaurant. There is now food delivery. It used to be that the only way to get ribs was to make them yourself or go to a restaurant and order them. But now a majority of my rib consumption is via Uber Eats. Movies used to be either in a theatre or a grainy home screen. The home screen is no longer grainy. Same with sports. You have to want the atmosphere to go to a game now. Beaches being crowded indicates use, so I wouldn't put it into the category of restaurant visits, movies, and sports, which are all declining categories overall.
- freeone3000 2y ago
  We have a lot more people but the same amount of beach — even if people spend more total time at the beach, on average every person goes less often.
- shiroiushi 2y ago
  >Movies used to be either in a theatre or a grainy home screen. The home screen is no longer grainy. Yes, and it's actually better than going to a theater in most ways: 1) You can pause and go to the bathroom when you need to, instead of holding it and being miserable and then rushing to the crowded bathroom when the credits roll, or going during the movie and missing important plot points. 2) You can rewind it if you missed some important dialog. 3) You can turn on subtitling so you can understand all the dialog, in case your hearing isn't great, or the actors are mumbling as is common these days. 4) You can eat/drink whatever you want, and it costs only whatever your grocery store charges. 5) You can pause the movie and talk to your friend/SO about it. 6) You can put your feet all the way up with your recliner. 7) You can adjust the volume to whatever you like, so you don't have to listen to it deafeningly-loud as is common in theaters now. 8) You don't have to deal with some stupid stranger using their phone or talking loudly to their friends, or having their head block your view. 9) You don't have to worry about a retired cop shooting you.
  - janalsncm 2y ago
    It’s also way cleaner at home. Movie theaters are probably going the way of the dodo. That doesn’t mean all outside activities are doomed. There’s just a higher bar. Entrepreneurs will have to focus on experiences people can’t get at home and make them accessible and affordable.
beaglesss 2y ago
When my parents wanted to go out they did, and if I didn't want to I went down the creek, biked to the store, ran around the neighborhood with friends or whatever. Now that earns a call from CPS and the parents are arrested and the kid may end up in a foster home which are common sources of abuse. So the family just stays home if the kids won't/can't be taken.
- Terr_ 2y ago
  I've seen the narrative before and I agree that parenting attitudes have changed, but are there any stats/studies to show that kind of severe outcome has really become more common over the decades? (As opposed to simply more-feared.)
  - bilegeek 2y ago
    Most of the stats come from media outlets reporting on singular cases, and most of the articles on the subject are op-eds rather than scientific studies. It does seem to be more common, but overall data is unfortunately very hard to come by. The plural of op-ed anecdotes is not objective data, but I can give you some jumping-off points: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2018/09/05/mom-parenting-police-free-range-neglect-children-column/1156144002/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2018/09/05/mom... https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/13/living/feat-maryland-free-range-parenting-family-under-investigation-again/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/13/living/feat-maryland-free-ran... https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/07/arrested-for-letting-a-9-year-old-play-at-the-park-alone/374436/ https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/07/arreste... https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-mom-accused-of-leaving-kids-at-food-court-during-job-interview/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-mom-accused-of-leaving-ki... https://www.businessinsider.com/teen-bans-curfews-malls-theme-parks-chick-fil-a-2023-4 https://www.businessinsider.com/teen-bans-curfews-malls-them... https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4861&context=wlulr https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?art... https://le.utah.gov/~2018/bills/static/sb0065.html https://le.utah.gov/~2018/bills/static/sb0065.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/well/family/utah-passes-free-range-parenting-law.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/well/family/utah-passes-f... https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-coddling-of-the-american-parent https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-coddling-of-the-american-p...
actionfromafar 2y ago
I am sorry, the rest of what you said resonates, but I must point out how funny it is that nobody goes to the beach anymore, it's too crowded. :-)
- charlie0 2y ago
  lol, this so true and it keeps from visiting certain places. You just know it's going to be either circling around for 20 minutes or more trying to find parking, or parking really far away and then having to carry everything to the beach which may not even be possible to do on a single trip.
- vel0city 2y ago
  TBH though some of their other examples like sporting events and concerts are similarly tied to this. It's too expensive so nobody goes. Except the tickets still sell very well, and the stadiums are still largely full despite the higher concession and ticket prices. Restaurants are too expensive, so everyone eats at home. And yet it's still hard to get reservations at many places and drive through lines circle the buildings. Its stupid expensive to go to a Disney park these days. Think those places are empty?
mikehodgson 2y ago
The rumours about some great number of foreigners pooping on the beach are generated to create resentment against a certain part of the population. They come from the same place as the "litter boxes in school washrooms" rumour from last summer. It isn't something that is actually happening.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- VancouverMan 2y ago
  That recent Wasaga Beach controversy didn't come as a surprise to me, since what was described there corresponded well enough with what I've heard from a number of other people in various places in Ontario, BC, and even other regions over the past eight to ten years. What was described there is also not far off from the other unsanitary practices and obnoxious behaviour I've personally seen arise over that period of time. Considering what I've heard and seen over the years, I don't have any reason to doubt those latest claims. They sound quite plausible.
charlie0 2y ago
It's not even just about the cost though. I understand there's inflation and I like to help out the mom/pop restaurants survive. I'm willing to pay extra as long at the food is good, but what I notice (at some places) the turnover is very high leading to inconsistent food quality. Sometimes the food is great, then I go back 2 weeks later and the food is awful. There are some places I visit every month and I don't recognize anyone from the last time I was there and it's like that frequently. Can't keep paying high prices and then rolling the dice on whether the food is going to be good. On the flip side, I've noticed that restaurants with great quality almost invariably have low turnover and those are the one I keep coming back to.

MattGaiser 2y ago

Options have also expanded. The options are also not cooking at home vs going to a restaurant. There is now food delivery. It used to be that the only way to get ribs was to make them yourself or go to a restaurant and order them. But now a majority of my rib consumption is via Uber Eats. Movies used to be either in a theatre or a grainy home screen. The home screen is no longer grainy. Same with sports. You have to want the atmosphere to go to a game now. Beaches being crowded indicates use, so I wouldn't put it into the category of restaurant visits, movies, and sports, which are all declining categories overall.

freeone3000 2y ago
We have a lot more people but the same amount of beach — even if people spend more total time at the beach, on average every person goes less often.
shiroiushi 2y ago
>Movies used to be either in a theatre or a grainy home screen. The home screen is no longer grainy. Yes, and it's actually better than going to a theater in most ways: 1) You can pause and go to the bathroom when you need to, instead of holding it and being miserable and then rushing to the crowded bathroom when the credits roll, or going during the movie and missing important plot points. 2) You can rewind it if you missed some important dialog. 3) You can turn on subtitling so you can understand all the dialog, in case your hearing isn't great, or the actors are mumbling as is common these days. 4) You can eat/drink whatever you want, and it costs only whatever your grocery store charges. 5) You can pause the movie and talk to your friend/SO about it. 6) You can put your feet all the way up with your recliner. 7) You can adjust the volume to whatever you like, so you don't have to listen to it deafeningly-loud as is common in theaters now. 8) You don't have to deal with some stupid stranger using their phone or talking loudly to their friends, or having their head block your view. 9) You don't have to worry about a retired cop shooting you.
- janalsncm 2y ago
  It’s also way cleaner at home. Movie theaters are probably going the way of the dodo. That doesn’t mean all outside activities are doomed. There’s just a higher bar. Entrepreneurs will have to focus on experiences people can’t get at home and make them accessible and affordable.

beaglesss 2y ago

When my parents wanted to go out they did, and if I didn't want to I went down the creek, biked to the store, ran around the neighborhood with friends or whatever. Now that earns a call from CPS and the parents are arrested and the kid may end up in a foster home which are common sources of abuse. So the family just stays home if the kids won't/can't be taken.

Terr_ 2y ago
I've seen the narrative before and I agree that parenting attitudes have changed, but are there any stats/studies to show that kind of severe outcome has really become more common over the decades? (As opposed to simply more-feared.)
- bilegeek 2y ago
  Most of the stats come from media outlets reporting on singular cases, and most of the articles on the subject are op-eds rather than scientific studies. It does seem to be more common, but overall data is unfortunately very hard to come by. The plural of op-ed anecdotes is not objective data, but I can give you some jumping-off points: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2018/09/05/mom-parenting-police-free-range-neglect-children-column/1156144002/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2018/09/05/mom... https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/13/living/feat-maryland-free-range-parenting-family-under-investigation-again/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/13/living/feat-maryland-free-ran... https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/07/arrested-for-letting-a-9-year-old-play-at-the-park-alone/374436/ https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/07/arreste... https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-mom-accused-of-leaving-kids-at-food-court-during-job-interview/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-mom-accused-of-leaving-ki... https://www.businessinsider.com/teen-bans-curfews-malls-theme-parks-chick-fil-a-2023-4 https://www.businessinsider.com/teen-bans-curfews-malls-them... https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4861&context=wlulr https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?art... https://le.utah.gov/~2018/bills/static/sb0065.html https://le.utah.gov/~2018/bills/static/sb0065.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/well/family/utah-passes-free-range-parenting-law.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/well/family/utah-passes-f... https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-coddling-of-the-american-parent https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-coddling-of-the-american-p...

actionfromafar 2y ago

I am sorry, the rest of what you said resonates, but I must point out how funny it is that nobody goes to the beach anymore, it's too crowded. :-)

charlie0 2y ago
lol, this so true and it keeps from visiting certain places. You just know it's going to be either circling around for 20 minutes or more trying to find parking, or parking really far away and then having to carry everything to the beach which may not even be possible to do on a single trip.
vel0city 2y ago
TBH though some of their other examples like sporting events and concerts are similarly tied to this. It's too expensive so nobody goes. Except the tickets still sell very well, and the stadiums are still largely full despite the higher concession and ticket prices. Restaurants are too expensive, so everyone eats at home. And yet it's still hard to get reservations at many places and drive through lines circle the buildings. Its stupid expensive to go to a Disney park these days. Think those places are empty?

mikehodgson 2y ago

The rumours about some great number of foreigners pooping on the beach are generated to create resentment against a certain part of the population. They come from the same place as the "litter boxes in school washrooms" rumour from last summer. It isn't something that is actually happening.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
VancouverMan 2y ago
That recent Wasaga Beach controversy didn't come as a surprise to me, since what was described there corresponded well enough with what I've heard from a number of other people in various places in Ontario, BC, and even other regions over the past eight to ten years. What was described there is also not far off from the other unsanitary practices and obnoxious behaviour I've personally seen arise over that period of time. Considering what I've heard and seen over the years, I don't have any reason to doubt those latest claims. They sound quite plausible.

charlie0 2y ago

It's not even just about the cost though. I understand there's inflation and I like to help out the mom/pop restaurants survive. I'm willing to pay extra as long at the food is good, but what I notice (at some places) the turnover is very high leading to inconsistent food quality. Sometimes the food is great, then I go back 2 weeks later and the food is awful. There are some places I visit every month and I don't recognize anyone from the last time I was there and it's like that frequently. Can't keep paying high prices and then rolling the dice on whether the food is going to be good. On the flip side, I've noticed that restaurants with great quality almost invariably have low turnover and those are the one I keep coming back to.