The Lesson of 1975 for Today’s Pessimists

null By Andy KesslerDec. 31, 2023 11:22 am ETJournal Editorial Report: Best guesses of what's to come from Kim Strassel, Bill McGurn and Dan Henninger. Image: Ralph Lauer/ShutterstockOn Dec. 31, 1975, I drove into Manhattan with a few friends to see the New York Rangers play at Madison Square Garden—“The World’s Most Famous Arena.” We sat in the blue nosebleed seats and a cigar smoker a few rows down—yes, this was before they banned smoking indoors—would sometimes block our view with smoke rings. There were more fights in the stands than on the ice. Anyone remember the Atlanta Flames? They won 8-1.Afterward, we walked to Times Square. I remember it well because it was nasty cold and fogged in. We could have used some flames. We went into the Playland arcade with its cling-clang of pinball machines and early blocky video games to try to warm up. We walked some more and visited one of those touristy stores selling cameras, watches and T-shirts until they threw us out for not buying any