Cracked laid out for us in their article a very simple hypothetical situation: if you were someone who lacked resources but wanted to have one of the newest pieces of technology at that time, the boombox, but also, for some reason, contracted a disease that gave you a dangerously high fever, where will you decide to put your money into? Should you admit yourself to the hospital or go to your nearest electronics store and buy the boombox?
In order to answer the question, we need to know the numbers. Based on Cracked's research, we find that in 1983, the best boombox that money could buy, the JVC RC-M90, cost $550. On the other hand, a one night stay at the hospital, including all the associated doctor's fees and the like, would have cost you $369.
Anyone might have gone for the hospital stay, and that's a reasonable decision, unless you're a big music fan and tech geek, who wants to be the coolest kid in the block. Although questionable, I think no one can blame anyone who would just buy some aspirin from the pharmacy, and then, scurry off to buy the new boombox. Wait a few days for the fever to die down, and all is well.
That was back in 1983. Of course, things are a lot different now. Factoring in inflation, Cracked found that the JVC RC-M90 would have cost about $1,468 in 2021. Meanwhile, the average cost for an overnight hospital stay in the same period was $2,883. If you were to find yourself at a hospital in New York, that would balloon up to $3,609.
So, there you have it folks. In 1983, the boombox cost more than a hospital stay. But that has reversed almost 40 years later. Then again, we can all chock this up to the advancement of medical technology, as well as the obsolescence of the boombox. It might be different if we were to compare, say, the cost of an Apple stock in the 80s, and cancer treatments. But that's a discussion for another day.
(Image credit: krakenimages/Unsplash)