What was more idiotic? Streaking, pet rocks or disco?

Daily Dirt for Sunday, April 20, 2025

All things considered, I think I lean toward streaking. And for the record, I have never appeared in public without clothing … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,260 of The Daily Dirt

1. Ahhh … the 1970s. We remember them well, sometimes too well.

The ’70s are often looked at for their wild-and-crazy blend of cultural shifts, technological advancements, iconic fashion statements and major political events.

But make no mistake about it, stupidity also reigned in the ’70s, for many of the same reasons already mentioned. For those of you who lived through that decade with me, maybe you, too, found the following developments as totally ridiculous. Presented in medal-worthy fashion, here are the three cultural developments from the ’70s that I am still shaking my head about all of these years later:

Gold medal: Streaking.

“Streaking,” or running naked through a public place, became a bona fide trend early in the decade. Streaking hit its peak in 1974. Universities even competed for world records, professional sporting events became irresistible targets and singer Ray Stevens immortalized it all in “The Streak,” a catchy novelty song that topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. But thanks largely to crackdowns on public nudity laws, the streaking craze faded by the end of that year, almost as suddenly as it arrived. For the record, when I was a freshman at Bowling Green State University in Ohio in the fall of 1972, streaking had become so commonplace that few, if any, paid any sort of attention. And the colder the weather grew in the fall and winter, the fewer the number of streakers. I can also attest to streaking being commonplace at MLB stadiums in the early ’70s. On more than one occasion, a Cleveland Indians game I was attending was interrupted by a streaker in the outfield. The best part was always when the streaker was tackled by police officers. That had to hurt.

Silver medal: Pet rocks

Dreamed up by a California advertising copywriter, the pet rock was exactly what it sounded like: a small, smooth stone nestled in a cardboard “pet carrier” box that came complete with breathing holes and a “training” manual that was, of course, tongue-in-cheek. What started as a joke wound up selling 100,000 units a day at $3.95 apiece. At the time, the U.S. was being hit with the Watergate scandal, the 1973 oil crisis and the latter stages of the war in Vietnam. The pet rock made us laugh … and that advertising writer? His name was Gary Dahl, and he became a millionaire. Brilliant, but still incredibly stupid.

Bronze medal: Disco.

By the latter stages of the decade, disco was everywhere. The numbing (and, can we say, stupid?) music and the clubs were everywhere. It took about five years for disco to run its course, and then … it was gone. Thankfully.

2. Did you know (Part 338) …

— That the words “silent” and “listen” are comprised of the same letters.

— That the word “bed” actually looks like a bed.

— That if you try to fail and succeed that you actually succeeded.

— That mirrors don’t break, they simply multiply.

— That you have never been in an empty room — because you are in it.

3. Think the world hasn’t changed much? Consider the following:

— Roughly 11 percent of U.S. adults now smoke. Back in the 1950s that figure was 47 percent.

— The average cost of a haircut these days is about $28. In the mid-1960s it was $2.05.

— Sixty years ago, 72 percent of Americans were married. That figure is now 53 percent.

— Remember going to get gas and an attendant would pump it for you, and even wash your window? Today, only in New Jersey is there such service. That state mandates full-service be provided at all of its gas stations.

Steve Thought O’ The Day

I actually went to a disco once. I’ll just leave that right there. Let your imagination soar.