Wouldn’t it have sucked to live before the 20th century?

[Anonymous]

it was only in the last century that living to an older age was the norm as opposed to dying Young of some terrible disease. it would’ve been very unlucky for us to have been born at virtually any other time in Human history

[888theGreat]

No, I lived 1968 to 1999 . It was better than now. 1980's were great , we didn't have all the problems of today. No school shootings. No gender issues. Best Music. Good Original idea movies and great TV shows. We actually talked in person with others. Races got a long. Women's hair styles were better. Baseball had actually good players. I was in my prime. We had more choices and freedom of speech. Better places to eat. No terrorism.

1970's were not bad either. Baseball was maybe at its best. ABBA and Disco. Good TV shows. Safe Childhood. Not much sexual crimes. Only problems were Hostages in Iran and high gas prices. Not as many freaks running around. Green and Orange were the colors of choice. More privacy. No cell phones or computers.

1990;s good Dance Music. Not as many problems as today. Not as complicated life.

1968-1969 0 -1 Pre School

1970 to 1979 2 - 11 Grade School

1980 - 1989 12 - 21 JR High/High School /Umpire School

1990 - 1999 22 - 31 College /Prime Years/ Started investing for retirement

31 years out of 100 of 20th Century

[Asker]

before the 1990s cheese was disgusting. That’s when they started using vegetarian rennet

[888theGreat]

OH 1800's you mean. No you had total freedom , no taxes. You could fish anywhere or hunt anything at anytime. 1800;s might be closest time period where we had pure capitalism and free markets.

[Asker]

in the US and I guess other places too before the 1990s animal rennet was what was used in cheese. It’s a disgusting ingredient.

[OneViewpoint]

I think that statement is true. I'll go one step further. It was really only after the mid 20th century when life actually got noticeably better with vaccines and x-rays, and drug technology, and food production, and economics, and air travel, and roads and education.

[jazzy34]

*SIGHS* oh yes…. and the first hmmmm.. 60 years of the 20th. 🙄🤦🏾‍♀️

[DryGermanGuy]

That would have largely depended on the social class I would have lived in.

[Asker]

even poor people in western nations today have a higher quality of life than kings in the past

[DryGermanGuy]

No, I doubt that. The historic ruling class always ate the best and freshest food, quite the contrary to the absolute garbage the American lower class have to suffer.

[Asker]

you can be poor and live to 100. You can be king in the past and die of some disease at 40.

[DryGermanGuy]

True. Just as the reverse scenarios can be true. Remember, people in the Middle Ages did not have to worry about microplastics, chrome poisoning, radioactivity or civilization diseases.

[Asker]

at least most people nowadays live to die from other things. I’d rather be full of that than get the plague and die younger.

[Curmudgeon]

@DryGermanGuy Sorry, but I have to call you out here. For all its faults, and I acknowledge the USA has more than a few, relative to you fine people over there, even the poorest Americans can - and do - spend less in relative dollar/euro adjusted terms on higher quality fruits and vegetables than do Europeans, at least in Spain and Holland where I have been. I withhold judgment on Deutschland until I can go there too. :D

It was flattering to see in both countries that the best produce in the markets came from the USA, from packers in little San Joaquin Region or Imperial Region or Central Coast (California) farming towns that I am sure only I knew of among the people there, and no I am not the most educated person, far from it.

Ditto for retail durable consumer goods, from cellular mobile phones to computers to, even IKEA furniture (yes, I know, A Swedish company, but they have many stores here) . Yes, the retail sales tax varies from locality to locality, which makes Europeans a bit annoyed when the stated sticker price turns out to be a bit lower than the register one, but the USA has no "Value Added Tax" (VAT), just a local and/or state level retail sales one, and I have seen what that tax at each level of production does to the price of retail consumer goods over in Europe.

Sadly, the real costs of housing and automobiles have gone up here, and it is harder than it was in two generations past to own a home and/or a car, but Americans are still on average much more likely to own the homes and other spaces they live in, relative to over there, and more likely to own the wheels they drive free and clear, relative to over there. That may be a forced necessity given suburban layouts here, but it is what it is.

[DryGermanGuy]

@Curmudgeon
I have seen a number of American reports where in poor areas fresh fruits and vegetables weren't even available. And some prices were simply insane - a medium tray of fruit pieces cost 21 dollars!
Please check German prices here: https://www.rewe.de/shop/c/obst-gemuese/
Note: REWE is a full-range retailer. Discounters like Aldi and Lidl are cheaper.

[Curmudgeon]

@DryGermanGuy In certain "inner city" areas of the USA, this is sadly true. Rampant crime, including rioting because an alleged injustice in a completely different American state, hyped by a disgusting media, led to looting, vandalism, and even arson of all too many grocery store or discount retail chains. As if an alleged police abuse in Minneapolis justified looting and rioting in Sacramento, 2,000 miles away (about 3,200 km away).

And so the people doing the accounting for said store chains (and I was one), reported that the "spoilage expense" and "breakage expense" were just too high, and the head honchos in charge of said grocery or retail chains closed the stores there.

However, the people of more modest means in rural or suburban areas can still buy lots of cheap yet still high quality produce.

As for Deutschland, I just go visit someday! :)

[Curmudgeon]

I must go visit someday that is

[DryGermanGuy]

@Curmudgeon
Well, if you do visit, please do me the favor and report back to your countrymen, what a barren, backwards, communist wasteland Germany is, so that not more people are emigrating to here.
What's your comment on the grocery prices that I posted?

[Miristheiss]

Yes but since you never would have in the 20th century you wouldn't know any different.

[noohair]

Yes, and that improvement is a direct result of Capitalism...

[beefcakebradybatson]

For us black folk, the first two-thirds of the 20th century sucked major d**k!!!

[exitseven]

Yes, the 19th century was pretty barbaric,

[Anonymous]

Nah, I'm dying young anyways

[Asker]

That’s pretty twisted

[Opinion Owner]

My body failing on multiple levels

[Asker]

how?

[Opinion Owner]

Inverted spinal curvature is one of the biggies and the other is myopericarditis which is swelling of the heart

[zombiewoof]

But who would know the future