>>40684406 (OP)I don't think your question is retarded at all and I've thought a bit about this.
These used to be vibrant community centers, where people would spend large amounts of time, money, and energy. Weekends. Holidays. After work and school.
Now they're ruins. Obsolete ruins in most cases; the malls failed because there wasn't enough economic activity to sustain them.
I still enjoy malls but I miss the days when they were important.