Watch as kids react to the foreign concept of video rental store Blockbuster

[Shawn Knight]

The venerable VCR met its demise last month as the last manufacturer of the legacy media player finally shut down shop. But for video rental stores like Blockbuster, the party ended many moons ago (yes, I know, there are a handful of franchise stores still in operation).

In the latest video from The Fine Brothers, kids react to Blockbuster. For a generation that has grown up knowing only Redbox, Netflix, Hulu and on-demand, the concept of driving to a store to get a movie, having a membership card and dealing with late fees is understandably a bit foreign.

As 11-year-old Kacey puts it, “It’s like the library, except with film.” Yeah, I guess that about sums it up.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/65842-watch-kids-react-foreign-concept-video-rental-store.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I'd like to see those ankle biters faces if they were shown a reel of 8mm film and projector that came WAY before VHS cassettes. I wonder if they've ever heard of drive-in's.

 

[p51d007]

I'd like to see those ankle biters faces if they were shown a reel of 8mm film and projector that came WAY before VHS cassettes. I wonder if they've ever heard of drive-in's.

Or a carousel of 35mm SLIDES

 

[BSim500]

In my experience most kids aren't that thick when it comes to recognizing technology that's barely 10 years older than they are. I knew what what a morse code transmitter or crystal radio was (invented decades before I was born) despite never using either personally. The concept of "I rented a DVD from a store" isn't particular hard for those without learning difficulties. Most "Watch x react to y!" Youtube video's are filled with people who play up to the camera's / act thicker than they are for the sake of attention seeking.

 

[Uncle Al]

OR the old Stereoscope slides ... God we got so excited when they came out with new ones! HAHAHAHA

 

[robb213]

I always hated when I'd go to Blockbuster and there was that 1 game I always wanted to play but they never had it in Stock for months (different games of course over years).

 

[krone6]

In my experience most kids aren't that thick when it comes to recognizing technology that's barely 10 years older than they are. I knew what what a morse code transmitter or crystal radio was (invented decades before I was born) despite never using either personally. The concept of "I rented a DVD from a store" isn't particular hard for those without learning difficulties. Most "Watch x react to y!" Youtube video's are filled with people who play up to the camera's / act thicker than they are for the sake of attention seeking.

Or the videos are for entertainment value. The sample size is incredibly small so there's not much going on for the statistics part of these videos.

 

[TitoBXNY]

Or when the price of the VHS movie was $86 if you lost it.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Or a carousel of 35mm SLIDES

Yeah, even I'd forgotten about those.

 

[gcarter]

Conversely though, I still miss wandering around the local video store on a weekend!

Because everything is so instant nowadays, it takes away the thrill and excitement from physically having to venture out and choosing a movie for the evening.

This is probably nostalgia speaking, but again there was the thrill when someone said "lets get a film tonight"
(thats movie for you yanks) ... the excitement and banter during the drive to the shop of what may be new on the shelves, the argument over genre, the excitement over the groovy box art etc

Then there was the anticipation as to when you'd all sit down infront of the tv and satisfying clunk as the tape slid in.

 

[LiveResistance]

Conversely though, I still miss wandering around the local video store on a weekend!

Because everything is so instant nowadays, it takes away the thrill and excitement from physically having to venture out and choosing a movie for the evening.

This is probably nostalgia speaking, but again there was the thrill when someone said "lets get a film tonight"
(thats movie for you yanks) ... the excitement and banter during the drive to the shop of what may be new on the shelves, the argument over genre, the excitement over the groovy box art etc

Then there was the anticipation as to when you'd all sit down infront of the tv and satisfying clunk as the tape slid in.

This sums up my thoughts exactly. The late fees and other crap aside, when it was Friday night, and my parents said they wanted to go rent a movie, it was just a fun family adventure. (Especially if I was able to pick out a video game to go along with the movie).

 

[psycros]

Conversely though, I still miss wandering around the local video store on a weekend!

Because everything is so instant nowadays, it takes away the thrill and excitement from physically having to venture out and choosing a movie for the evening.

This is probably nostalgia speaking, but again there was the thrill when someone said "lets get a film tonight"
(thats movie for you yanks) ... the excitement and banter during the drive to the shop of what may be new on the shelves, the argument over genre, the excitement over the groovy box art etc

Then there was the anticipation as to when you'd all sit down infront of the tv and satisfying clunk as the tape slid in.

This sums up my thoughts exactly. The late fees and other crap aside, when it was Friday night, and my parents said they wanted to go rent a movie, it was just a fun family adventure. (Especially if I was able to pick out a video game to go along with the movie).

Darn near every experience was more out-and-out "fun" before the Internet ruined nearly everything. Seriously, we were more social, more physically active, more polite and all-around just more content in the 90's..and I was already an adult by then (well, at least physically).

 

[captaincranky]

Obviously, this provoked more than a few questions:

Are these children in any sort of drama program at their "charter schools"?

Where on earth did the black girl with "pigtails", summon the hubris to talk about people with, "old hair styles"?

Does every child's T-shirt these days have a saying or a keyword on the front?

Did anybody else think the, (seemingly oldest), girl with the long black hair's shirt which said, "girls love girls", was lesbian propaganda?

Moving on, why did the makers of this video conveniently forget that Blockbuster survived well into the DVD era?

@Shawn Knight Regrettably, (for them, not for me of course), that simply wasn't quite good enough to force me to hit my first "subscribe" button, let alone the one for that channel....

But then, I'm at an age where I can be written off as a "crazy old coot", and therefore am permitted to fervently dislike children, without receiving too much backlash or censure because of it..(y)

 

[cliffordcooley]

Did anybody else think

I couldn't watch the whole thing so I don't think. I even tried again when you ask, and still couldn't finish.

 

[captaincranky]

I couldn't watch the whole thing so I don't think. I even tried again when you ask, and still couldn't finish.

Cliff, I do apologize for not posting the time codes(s), as most of us aren't as masochistic as myself, having forced myself to suffer though the whole thing. Again, "I'm very sorry", how can I make it up to you?

That video was another example of what the benefits of old age really are, as I've already forgotten much of it. (y)

With that being said, you have to give the producers credit for attacking the, "diversity issue", head on!

They had a white pseudo-intellectual pencil necked geek with glasses, and African American girl, a future lesbian, and a dead ringer for, "Honey Boo Boo", a future 300 pounder with porcine features. If I were her parents, I would take her laptop off her, and make her walk to a Blockbuster 5 miles away if she wanted to watch a movie. But that's just because of the provincial views of gender identity and outmoded standards of feminine beauty, which an old fart such as myself desperately clings to.

Although, I didn't see an Asian of either sex, or a Hispanic.(I may have forgotten)? Thus, I shall haul my SJW indignation over to that YouTube channel and post rude things in the comments section.

Oh well, at least the police didn't come charging in and shoot one of the cast "for no reason".