There’s something about being the first, or one of the first, people in on a thing you know is going to be special. It’s like a little club, the smaller the better.

These 15 people say they remember when these things were like that – before too many people got involved.

15. It’s too bad, really.

Flying drones.

Thanks to all the idiots doing dumb s*%t with them, it’s not even worth getting into the hobby nowadays – you pretty much can’t fly anywhere worth flying, need all sorts of permits, are constantly risking hefty fines or even being investigated for terrorism… no thanks.

14. You could still die, though.

Climbing Everest. It used to be about accomplishing a truly formidable challenge.

Now it’s just a pissing contest for rich people with too much money to burn and not enough respect for nature and insufficient climbing skills.

13. They went online.

Thrift shopping.

I blame the online sellers. Our local Thrift stores have people who go in when they open and drop a few hundred dollars on stuff and resell it on the FB Marketplace, Craigslist, Ebay, etc.

It’s not just Thrift stores either. They do it at all the local discount stores. Retail Arbitrage is the new entrepreneur.

12. Make it stop.

Subscription everything…especially software. I want to buy Office/AutoCAD one time and use it for a decade. I don’t want to buy it every year.

11. The rules are out of control.

Used to love Airbnb years ago. Now it’s pricier than a lot of decent hotels, and some of the house rules are nutty.

10. That is disappointing.

We had an amazing Halloween house in our small town, walking distance from my place. Every year the family who owned it would bring in Hollywood level props and lighting and 10 or so actors in full regalia to replicate a Pirates of the Caribbean scene all around the property. The Jack Sparrow was a dead ringer for Johnny Depp. Every kid would get a bag full of real candy, not the mini Halloween stuff.

Unfortunately people started coming from other towns and it turned into a mob scene to the point that cops had to direct traffic and they shut it down.

9. Technically…

Adblock.

Now every website has a warning. It used to be a rare sight.

Fun fact: You can block Adblock warnings. Technically, they’re ads.

8. People really suck.

Visiting major historical sites…

Most of them have been turned into badly maintained, super expensive tourist traps.

Add in the trash and damages tourists do, and yikes.

7. The same old stuff.

Cooking shows. It used to be a few talented chefs who had shows to teach. Now it’s every damn celebrity who can or cannot cook making the same recipes as everyone else.

6. Not what the people want.

Craft fairs. Now they’re crowded with dozens of mlms. I just want to find knitted slippers made by an old lady who clearly has a drinking problem, not more Norwex.

One of the small towns I’ve lived in has an annual street fair, used to be great as you’d have local artists and crafters, local food trucks and kids rides, and while it did bring in outside people for the day, it was predominantly locals so you’d wander around and stop often to chat.

Local politician decided to set up a booth one year, the next year the opponent did the same thing and now one whole street of the fair is just filled with local politicians handing out flyers and trying to get people to vote for them. Really dragged down the tone of the fair.

5. What even is it.

Etsy. Started out as a legit community to buy & sell original handmade arts & crafts, all kinds of art made and sold by the artists.

It was really cool. Then it started to turn a profit and it became whatever the f**k it is now.

4. Social media strikes again.

Havasupi Falls in AZ.

Went back in the early 2000’s and it was nice and little to no trash…. Now all these f**k heads have trashed the park and over crowded it for a effing instagram post making wait times ungodly long.

I hold great anger towards people that litter in cities but i get enraged at dips*%ts that litter in parks! Like wtf is wrong with you people?! CLEAN UP YOUR S*%T!

And for those who actually care please bring a waste bag and we can start cleaning up after these f**k sticks.

3. This seems to be a theme.

The Appalachian Trail. People leaving their trash everywhere is really ruining the trail and it’s so f**king crowded now.

People who litter on trails or campsites or in general annoy the f**k out of me. If you brought it in, you are fully capable of bringing it out.

Do you actually like being out in nature if you leave your trash in it?

2. A fun little hobby.

You used to be one of only a few people around bidding on storage lockers. It used to be a fun hobby I gave up on because it became too popular and people are grossly overpaying for the lockers which is often time just paying to make a dump run for someone.

1. Nature isn’t for everyone.

Basically anything outdoorsy. Hiking trails, National Parks, fishing spots, etc.

It’s fun when you’re the only person on the trail, the lake, or at the camp site. It’s not so fun when you’re hiking and someone is blasting their music on their Bluetooth speaker, when the lake is packed and people decide to fish 10 feet away from you and are obnoxiously loud, or you go to a National Park and there is graffiti and trash everywhere, random people’s names carved into the largest and oldest trees on Earth, and mobs of tourists taking selfies in the middle of the trail.

People don’t know how to respect nature. People don’t appreciate silence. People don’t know how to “leave no trace” or appreciate the natural beauty in the world around them.

I don’t know whether or not I agree, but it’s definitely a fun list.

It’s fun to muse on what else would be on it, too!