Who wants in? We can talk about what is was like to write a letter to your grandma or having no other way to ask someone out other than by calling them on the phone. Or checking out movies at Blockbuster or whatever your national equivalent was (we usually checked out videos at the grocery store, actually).
We’re cool because we can actually remember the USSR and “East” Germany. Although not as cool, I can remember when homophobia and transphobia was so much more widely accepted and the “default” position for most Americans. Not as cool.
True, but it was much less than now for plenty of things in the USA right now. This includes healthcare, child care, universities, education, holidays, public transport, funnily even flats at this point if you are looking at SF or Berlin.
Pretty much everything you needed for everyday life or a substitute you could get fast. What was your experience living there?
Sure there was "Bückware", but the standard of things you could get without large time expenditure was decent and much better than it is now for plenty of poor in the USA. With the advances in productivity and technological prospects since then what level of consumption could we create now? With near instant availability and stock information for consumers, retail, logistics and producers?
With plenty of green areas in which trees had to grow (you see it now) and also a ton of Lauben/Datschas and regular holidays in greenery. Cities could've been much more colorful indeed.