You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
alternatehistory.com
For All Time basically went out of its way to make a history that was as dystopian as possible in many details. What if OTL is similarly a darker version of a less bad time?
Consider:
* Thomas Midgley not being responsible for the things that he is. Unfortunately, that nullifies the POD occurring during WWII, as in FaT.
* The '40s not being a perfect storm of ideologue dictators taking over the world. Actually, this seems to be something beyond the scope of the kind of changes that FaT have. However, the '80s not being a perfect storm of neoliberal conservatives taking power in the Anglo-American democracies might be akin to how in FaT the politics America gets hijacked by loonies by the '80s. Far less crazy, of course. It's just in the same way, both scenarios involve people who are similarly ideological (though with different ideologies) getting into power at the same time.
And not just that, remember that FaT had a lot of changes for dramatic irony's sake, like Johnny Cash becoming their timeline's equivalent to Mick Jagger. So perhaps our history's Katy Perry becoming the pop idol she is now is one of those details. In the "baseline" timeline she remained a gospel singer.