In my opinion the world today is much better than it was fifty years ago, in many ways due to, technology, civil rights and medical breakthroughs. Technology today is far more advanced than it was back in 1961. Computers were not household products back then. If you look in a house today you will see at least one computer in most homes. Not only were computers not household items but flat screen televisions, cable, internet, DVD/Blu-ray player, cell phones, digital cameras/camcorders were not in the homes either. With all these things it’s clear that we have more now than people did fifty years ago and these are only a few examples of what we have now that was not around fifty years ago. Today with the technology we have, we can do more and achieve more than anyone ever did fifty years ago.

Advancements in technology that have been made today have made life easier for people than it did for the people in 1961. The cost alone for a computer has dropped thousands of dollars, making it possible for us to have one or more computers in our house instead of not having one at all. In 1961 people didn’t make enough money to have a household computer. The cost of computers were anywhere from five to ten thousand dollars back then. Very few people would have ever been able to afford that. Now computers cost as little as three hundred dollars and they are much better than the computer that were made back then. Computers are not only for our homes though. We now have the technology to use them in our everyday life to make our life easier. We can even do our banking right from out cell phones. In 1961 you would have to take the time to go to the back and do all the banking inside the bank. Right from my phone I can pay bill if I wanted to or transfer funds even. But with the internet and computers we have the means to do so much more.

Another reason I believe that today is a better world than it was fifty years ago is because of the civil aspect of life. Look how far women’s rights have come and African-Americans have come. Women in 1961 were really just looked at as house wives and nothing more. Today there are some very successful women in the world. Some are more successful than some men. That would have never happened fifty years ago. A woman with a job in 1961 was probably pretty rare. With college degrees and all the knowledge a woman can achieve these days they are treated as equals now and not looked down as not being as good as a man like they were in 1961. When it comes to how far African-Americans have come, just look at our president. Do you really think in 1961 we would have ever had an African-American president? In 1961 there were parts of the country still treating African-Americans like they were they scrum of the earth. They were not being served in restaurants. Some were not allowed to uses public restrooms. They had to ride in the back of the buses. Now they have the same rights as everyone else. Riding in the back of the bus is now an option instead of a requirement. Getting served in a restaurant is not a problem. The owner may even be an African-American. Again like the women have come, African-Americans have become some of the most successful people in the world.

Medical technology has also come a long way from fifty years ago. The machines alone to be able to detect more than an x-ray machine can. CT scan and MRI machines were not around fifty years ago. Those two machines are much more accurate than just a simple x-ray machine. They are able to look at more than just the bones in the human body. Not only are the machines better, but the way surgeries are done have also have improved. Surgeons at times are able to use the scoping method on a patient, where they only have to make a tiny incision and then use a camera to be able to navigate inside the body. Fifty years ago for the same surgery they would have had to make a much larger incision to open the entire area so that they were able to look in and see with their eyes what they were doing. With using that method it would leave a much bigger scar and a longer healing time. Because the technology has come so far it has advanced the medications also. People with AIDS fifty years ago were dying because of having AIDS. While there is still no cure for AIDS, with the technology today Doctors have been able to come up with what they call “cocktails” that suppress the disease and many people that have AIDS can live a normal life as if they don’t have it at all. When it comes down to it most of the time it’s something other than the actual AIDS that kills them because it has been suppressed so well. It’s not only AIDS medications that have come so far. Even vaccinations for babies and children have become better. Not as many deaths of infants are due to a sickness that could have been avoided from a simple vaccine that we commonly give now that they never would have thought of fifty years ago.

In conclusion I strongly believe that the world today is so much better than it was fifty years ago from just the few things I have talked about. If we have come this far in fifty years just imagine how much further advanced we will be fifty years from now. How can anyone not believe that the world is not better off now than it was back in 1961? I look at my grandparents and parents and see that they had to grow up with nothing, and now get the joy of all this technology. Watching my grandparents alone using all the technology we have today shows they have adapted and know they have it better now than they did fifty years ago. Now that they use it they would be lost without it. I would also be willing to bet they are grateful for the much better medical technology than fifty years ago. I know I am considering my grandma has had two knee replacements. She wouldn’t have had that fifty years ago. The world fifty years ago doesn’t even compare to now. Today is much better hands down.