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We are by far less satisfied and we are more spoiled so when we dont have "everything" we feel dissatisfaction. We see The Kardashians walking around with millions and no cares in the world and here we are struggling to pay the electric bill, you didnt see this stuff 100 years ago, you didnt know what other people were doing, no tv or internet or anything, life was simple then.
I am truly impressed with ALL the replies so far, but I think you definitely touched on something here.
People back then didn't "know" to be unhappy because almost all of what they knewpersonally was just what was in their immediate surroundings; people had it pretty much like their immediate neighbors (although, of course, as always, there were definite exceptions). People who were poor just accepted it, and so did their children. Children did not crave the things or the lifestyle they saw on television, and if children whined and/or were disrespectful, the parents "corrected" them in whatever manner they saw fit, and the government stayed out of it (for good and ill).
And, as you and others have stated and implied, most people did not feel "entitled" to anything that they and their families did not provide for themselves. (I am not saying that the government helping those truly in need through misfortune is a bad thing, though -- but I do very much disapprove of the thinking among so many today that they are "entitled" to free food, shelter, etc. if they are too lazy to provide such things themselves. Again, I am not talking about bad luck here, but about those who can, but just don't want to work.)
I am truly impressed with ALL the replies so far, but I think you definitely touched on something here.
People back then didn't "know" to be unhappy because almost all of what they knewpersonally was just what was in their immediate surroundings; people had it pretty much like their immediate neighbors (although, of course, as always, there were definite exceptions).
I am not sure people had to like their immediate neighbors. I think that people back then learned to deal with a lot more that they did not like in a more constructive way than most people today. Today if you do not like your neighbors you can just live without them as if they do not exist. I think that would have been harder when communities were more intertwined and that is where you would get the enjoyment. Because you had to deal with things you did not like. This adds not only a sense of accomplishment but it also grows relationships when you go through hardships with people.
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Originally Posted by whocares811
People who were poor just accepted it, and so did their children. Children did not crave the things or the lifestyle they saw on television, and if children whined and/or were disrespectful, the parents "corrected" them in whatever manner they saw fit, and the government stayed out of it (for good and ill).
I think this is a little simplistic. People still had wants and desires and even if there were not advertisements they all "knew" what rich people had. I would say champagne and caviar and oysters (much less so now) are all from what poor people thought they would want if they were rich around that time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whocares811
And, as you and others have stated and implied, most people did not feel "entitled" to anything that they and their families did not provide for themselves. (I am not saying that the government helping those truly in need through misfortune is a bad thing, though -- but I do very much disapprove of the thinking among so many today that they are "entitled" to free food, shelter, etc. if they are too lazy to provide such things themselves. Again, I am not talking about bad luck here, but about those who can, but just don't want to work.)
I would add that people today have more obligations and can always be doing something at work, photocopying, emailing, faxing, where in the past there were a lot of jobs that would have built in down time because scheduling was not as tight. Same with the personal lives. You have to drive kids here and there and pick up this and that and you have all of this traffic. So there seems to be more stress and less accomplishment.
Sure summer sucked when it would get real hot but it sucked for everyone, when it passed people laughed about it together. There is a lot of camaraderie and respect earned through shared suffering.
Marketers have successfully created demand where previously there was none. Social Marketing has allowed people to see what they are missing and what their friends are showing off. Put the 2 together and you get a bunch of unhappy people looking for material things to feel better about themselves.
Great for marketers and manufacturers but terrible for people's wallets.
Objectively, people in general are way better off. Productivity and sanitation are much better than 100 years ago but there are still people in the world who live the way Americans lived 100 years ago.
The major thing I think is missing now compared to then is community. It seems like the more we advance in technology, the more detached we are from others in general..... people aren't too loyal anymore, humans are seen as disposable now and everything is so easily replaced.. back then, people were TREASURED because everyone knew so well that something could easily take them away.
No one can answer this question. It is easy to imagine that they were happier because they were used to making do with less. However, we will never know. I am glad I live in today's world. Is it perfect? No, but I don't think it has ever been perfect and never will be. The struggles of today may be different than those of 100 years ago, but they are still struggles.
As a woman, the life I live now would not be possible 100 years ago. I'm single and unmarried, self-supporting, own my own home and generally do what I want.
I look just at how my mother grew up and marvel at the change - she was terribly stunted by the not-so-terrible restrictions on women in the 50s-70s and really never grew into herself, in my opinion. She wasn't looking to marry, but did it because it was expected, especially if she was to have a child. She had two career choices - teacher or nurse. She was not raised with the idea of supporting herself, establishing a strong career, etc. Now, pushing 70, she's not very intellectually developed and fairly childlike in her outlook, not to mention very materialistic. And of course, most of the men of her generation think it's adorable.
I look at my father's mother, who was born in 1906. She grew up worrying. Raised 8 younger brothers and sisters from the time she was 13, one of whom died at 12 by being hit by a car. She witnessed two world wars, the Great Depression, the Vietnam war, the Cold War etc. She was constantly convinced disaster was around the corner.
Yeah, I think I get a lot more satisfaction out of my life, even though those are only two examples out of many that I could provide. The only thing that limits me today is finances, not geography, gender, marital status or social class.
There have been other good points regarding how spoiled we are today and how we are focused on stupid things like materialism and celebrity culture. But look at it from a broader view: isn't it better to not have to worry about disease, war, famine, lynchings, etc, and to be able to pursue more or less any goal you want in life no matter your race or gender?
This is not to say that disease, war, etc are no longer possible, but at least they aren't happening in widespread fashion like they were 100 years ago.
And, as you and others have stated and implied, most people did not feel "entitled" to anything that they and their families did not provide for themselves. (I am not saying that the government helping those truly in need through misfortune is a bad thing, though -- but I do very much disapprove of the thinking among so many today that they are "entitled" to free food, shelter, etc. if they are too lazy to provide such things themselves. Again, I am not talking about bad luck here, but about those who can, but just don't want to work.)
But 100 years ago land was cheap and people were being encouraged to buy it. That makes all the difference in the world when it comes to how self-sufficient and independent people can be. This was still occurring in Alaska as late as 1986, but it's not like that anymore. When there is no more space, depending on the system is pretty much a given.
I'm not sure that wealth inequality was ever that easy to accept, or that people simply accepted that they were poor. It's probably more a case of people not having as many rights, longer work days and higher degrees of illiteracy. The poor wouldn't have had as much of a voice as they have today. They were also less educated and probably less able to express themselves, think critically, or recognize potential solutions even when they did have a chance to speak. People outside of cities didn't have electricity, flush toilets, or telephones, and were probably happy to receive a piece of fruit for Christmas. Poverty rates were much much higher before FDR, and long before the depression as well.
I do think that once you've achieved a certain living standard you start to take certain things for granted, but there were things that the people in the past probably took for granted as well.
It's virtually impossible to answer since the world of today was radically different than it was 100 years ago.
In general, maybe they were more happy in the past, but honestly, exactly 100 years ago is when things started getting really bad. World War 1 started in 1914, then there was the great depression, then world war 2, then the cold war... So, while you're asking in the abstract and not a literal 100 year step backward, those are things to consider. the 20th and 21st century are probably comparable in terms of happiness. Certain parts are happier than others of course. If you were white, the 1950s weren't too bad. War was over and the suburbs were starting (to get away from the black folk). Of course, there was the impending fear of nuclear annihilation. But we sort of have that now. How many people are afraid of dying in a terrorist attack, despite how unlikely the truly is? Same with the nukes.
But let's go back 120 years. They very well may have been happier. The Victorian Age was probably the most prosperous time in Western Civilization. After several hundred years of political unrest, there was stability. Slavery was on it's way out or already abolished, industrialization was moving the economy forward (though there was a lot of problems with this), and science and technology was thriving. It was a cultural wonderland, the best thing since the Renaissance.
So really, we have the Victorian Era which was pretty happy, then the first half of the 20th century which consisted of mass genocide, industrial warfare, and the two bloodier wars in history happening within 30 years of each other. The next half of the 20th century, while a golden age relative to what had just happened, was defined by tensions and mass political dishonesty.
Frankly, I think we're still in the Cold War, we're just fighting a different ghost.
Were you alive during the Cold War? Dismissing the USSR as a "ghost" suggests to me that you were not.
There have been other good points regarding how spoiled we are today and how we are focused on stupid things like materialism and celebrity culture. But look at it from a broader view: isn't it better to not have to worry about disease, war, famine, lynchings, etc, and to be able to pursue more or less any goal you want in life no matter your race or gender?
This is not to say that disease, war, etc are no longer possible, but at least they aren't happening in widespread fashion like they were 100 years ago.
But we still have disease, war, natural disasters and police shootings. But all of this is irrelevant, living healthier and having more freedom may not necessarily make you happier.
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