What you're feeling my be more simple than at first glance. I did live in the 80's and 90's and I can tell you the world has changed a lot, and much of it not for the better. You may recognize that somehow and that might be where at least some of it comes from.
Do you know what it was like to go to the airport just minutes before your flight took off and not be gropped by the TSA? I do and it was a better time. That's just one example off the top of my head.
I'm not trying to say what you said is not what's going on, but thought I'd add this thought to it to legitimize your feelings.
I was going to say the same thing. The censorship and generally acceptable repression (for example, the financial repression of below-inflation interest rates for savers) simply did not exist. The TSA is an amazing example.
Things have been getting worse, but the tide may be turning. I think the internet might have turned the tide for now. It's an ebb and flow.