No, you don't understand. /r/lewronggeneration makes fun of idiots who reject new things and only like old things.

Was anime better in the 80s and 90s? Animation was, definitely. Like, on a whole. I don't even like HxH and I'm hurt by how painfully generic 2011 looks over 1999. The shitty JoJo OVAs actually look really good once you get past the strange art direction. Despite all it's shortcomings, Evangelion has some fantasticially drawn action sequences. Digital really hurt anime, visually speaking.

BUT

There's been no overall decline in quality for new series. Monogatari is witty and fast-paced, and has well directed action. In fact, that can be said for pretty much all Shaft shows. While not action-heavy, KyoAni shows tend to have fantastic direction and cinematography, and are surprisingly well-animated (although not over-animatedike Shaft shows). Madhouse makes some good movies and used to be good at anime, but that was years ago so bad example.

There is no decline. Anime doesn't need saving. Is it in a lul? Sure, but it's better than it was in the 60s and even 70s. There aren't a ton of anime-original new ideas, but occasionally LNs and manga get picked up by good studios and they turn out pretty awesome.

Anime being dead, killed by Otaku is a myth perpetuated by lazy GARfags who don't want to actually search for good anime. You think anime was better in the past because all the good stuff floated to the surface and you don't have to try hard to find it.

You're the problem, not anime. Not from a quality standpoint at least. There are problems, sure, but nothing that you're complaining about it.

comedy series are notoriously haphazard when it comes to aging

Space Dandy isn't just some comedy series, it's an experiment in direction, animation, and frankly what you would call "artistic expression." It's different, it's new, and while it is funny, Space Dandy is inteteresting because it's so dynamic.