What would be the most surprising thing you could tell someone who lived one hundred years ago about the world today?

Question

BCRanger10 · Accepted Answer

The phone in the attached image looks  REALLY  surprised. At any rate, I'd tell them that technologically, we've made tremendous advancements. Morally though, we'd become a society of degenerates. We're practically at a point where cultural forces and politicians are trying desperately to find new ways to dig us deeper and deeper into cultural rot. Between widespread abortion, transgender ideology being inflicted on children, pornography, socialism, a decayed reverence for sex and marriage, and a host of others, I'd have to wonder if they'd think they're still on the planet Earth. I'd also tell them that the Catholic Church will be borderline unrecognizable over the course of the next 100 years. In fact, the current pope is actively gaslighting, abusing, and persecuting those Catholics who are fighting to restore the Church to her former dignity and influence in society. I'd also have to explain what gaslighting is, as the film from which that term takes its name will not have been released for some twenty more years yet.

SnowedIn · Accepted Answer

That their optimism was/is misplaced. Although in some areas we may have made progress, it's been a crappy 100 years since 1922 (as an aside, my kids will tell you I've been alive since then). We had World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Ukraine. Racism, sexism, etc. The Great Depression, the Great Recession. The EEC/EU then Brexit. Whaling. Famine. Water crisis. Climate Change. So, yeah, I think all the crap that we have gone through and are going through would shock them way more than the equally legit stuff like smart phones, the internet, jet planes, and anti-lock brakes.

OlderAndWiser · Answer

Many people in 2021 think a man can change into a woman.

WindAtMyBack · Answer

A man walked on the moon, and I watched a moving image of it while it happened, and heard the man speak when he first stepped on the moon.

A hundred years ago my father would have been two years old. He was a techie from a young age. He watched the moon landing with me. It was a huge thing for me, but it was nothing but science fiction for much of his life. He was the type who would not be surprised by anything futuristic. Part of his life he even did it for a living. He evaluated potential distant future technologies feasibility.

He died a month and a half before YouTube started. He would not be surprised about it, but YouTube is the thing that I've most wished he could have lived to see. There has been lots of cool techs in that time, but I think he would have loved YouTube. He was into music and would have loved clicking around listening to the old big band, jazz and blues that he liked. I have no doubt he would have bought a good sound card and some good speakers for his computer to listen to it. That might seem trivial compared to a lot of other things, but I can't count the number of times I wished I could show it to him.

Astarlessnightsky · Answer

Most people got a device in their pockets which can get free access to the entire knowledge of mankind, and most people use it to look at photos of cats and try to convince others to eat (not to eat) tide pods and argue wether the earth is flat or not.

NathanDavis · Answer

not sure if they would be surprised or not... the 20's was the era of "the masses" and most of the economy relied on big numbers back then (world's population was 2 billion only)

so, not sure if they would be surprised how so stupidly we have grown, not only stupidly quick and densely populated (we just hit 8 billion mark hours ago) but also grown to be the be most stupid of all times (willfully that is)

not really sure if they would be genuinely surprised or, if that is exactly what they had planned... a future consumed by consumerism

NamerOfStars · Answer

Well, the telephone wouldn't really surprise them; that was invented in 1876 and was pretty common in much of the world by 1922. Cell phones would. Computers even more so.

Depending on who you talked to and where they lived, I think social things would probably be more surprising than technological ones, though. A lot of what we think they'd've found unimaginable back then had solid theories behind it; if someone from 2122 came back and told you they'd worked out cold fusion, you'd likely be less surprised than if they told you that, say, people were kept as pets by dinosaurs.

Brokenheartedx · Answer

Don't bother going to war, world's gone tits up, your wasting your time, we have illegal immagrants (dinghy people) getting put up in 4 star hotel and given pocket money from the taxpayers, brought abs encouraged by the white flags waving frogs. we have men in frocks telling us women don't exist and men can have babies too. The criminals run the streets and idiots want to defund the police because 3rd world politics are best for them. And her kids have all turned limp wristed and brainwashed
That's what I'd tell the people from 100 years ago.

abc3643 · Answer

"Grandma, today, I am now a few months older than you were on the day I was born. Happy 119th birthday!"
(Yes, my grandmother would have turned 119 years old today.)

I laugh at your question a bit because I knew many people who were alive 100 years ago and they died not that long ago, so the world really isn't that much different than when they left.

However, since most of those people that I knew were native New Yorkers like I am, I might say:
"Can you believe it? They actually elected that asshole, Donald Trump, to be President!"
They wouldn't believe that because anyone from New York pretty much knows he's an obnoxious, immature, lying, untrustworthy, selfish blowhard - in other words, someone that, to civilized persons, it would be inconceivable that he would be electable to the Presidency.

AviatorTom · Answer

I'd mention how a person can communicate with anyone on the planet instantaneously, using a cellphone that they carry in their pocket. I'd also explain that you don't go to the library to research things, you simple ask a device called a computer, and it immediately gives you the answer.

Anonymous · Answer

For some odd reason, 100 years later we'll have no fucking clue what differentiates a man and a woman. Oh, we'll have figured out how to shoot a man to the moon and bring him back alive, we'll have figured out how to bring create explosive power similar to the sun and we'll have eradicated many horrific diseases of your time like polio, but for whatever reason, we'll have lost track of the fact that people with dicks and balls are ALL men and people with vaginas are ALL women.

So yeah--smarter but also, much, MUCH dumber!

Emiliamazing · Answer

We are incredibly technologically advanced, but unfortunately much of that technology has been used to bring our fellow humans and earth "down".
War is more prevalent, cruelty towards each other and our planet is more prevalent, our defining characteristics as humans have become gray/blurred.

DubiousIntentions · Answer

That these days guys are always talking about their dicks and girls are always getting pictures of them. I'm sure the people 100 years ago would think that instead of going forward in time that we are going back instead.

lightbulb27 · Answer

"Hey people of Machu pichu... you don't have to make a call through the rocks, you just pick up this "phone" thing and can talk to anyone.

Chazmatazz269 · Answer

We could tell them that their booming economy is about to tank, and even though we’ve had a century to prevent it, it’s happening to us too. Ell oh ell!

nolabels · Answer

Hopefully it will be surprising to them to hear that the world is today so politically polarized. Hope and a couple of bucks will probably still just get me a cup of coffee, though.

Nikki1989 · Answer

The internet would be a hard one to explain.

tfan1 · Answer

People who have a penis identify themselves as female.

Drumlin2001 · Answer

How little we've learned. 100 years ago people would be recovering from WW1, I'm sure they would be dismayed that 100 years on and war still rages all around the world constantly.

Phoenix98 · Answer

That technologically we’ve made immense progress and accomplished great things.  But that as a society we’ve regressed greatly and that we’re basically a society of degenerates.

menina · Answer

The most surprising thing that I can think of now is the internet. I guess it would shock anyone who lived one hundred years ago.

SaoirseS · Answer

Almost everyone carries a camera you can also use to talk and send messages.

YourFavoriteFriend · Answer

It sucks. But there are still some good people...

Mangospacho · Answer

That we can communicate with nearly anyone anywhere in the world at anytime.  And also TikTok.

Anonymous · Answer

You can carry your phone with you Laura Ingalls.

Andres77 · Answer

the war to end all wars... wasn't. the moon isn't made of cheese. we know what it looks like past pluto. technology is not witchcraft.

sirderpsalot123 · Answer

Was just about to type something but the thought is gone now...

Charliefretz329 · Answer

Ladies walk around in public in their underwear and consider it rude if you gawk

TrueConfection · Answer

We don't have flying cars.

CubaPirate · Answer

That we've got an Asian Prime Minister for starter 🤣🤣🤣

humanearth · Answer

Television, cars

Msputiton · Answer

Probably anything technology related

Ms_Facesitter · Answer

The internet's influence, possibilities

darkoflights · Answer

you know what? people hate each other in our time

18Uma21 · Answer

I'd tell them about clothing and fashion

Fuentes · Answer

People are now confused about their gender.

bigpauly · Answer

The TikTok challenges

Blueeyes81 · Answer

Jersey Shore

red_knight · Answer

Tinder

nawtee_me · Answer

bitcoins

What would be the most surprising thing you could tell someone who lived one hundred years ago about the world today?

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