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Old 05-13-2015, 01:32 PM
 
4,721 posts, read 5,291,500 times
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I didn't think of what one of the above posters mentioned, but she is right. I live alone, have a great job, own my own home, and no one tells me what to do. It probably wouldn't have been easy for me to do this 100 years ago. The field I am in was male dominated back then, and today I am in a managerial position. Life is much better for women.
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Old 05-13-2015, 02:40 PM
 
Location: Centennial, CO
2,247 posts, read 3,028,279 times
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This would be an easier question to answer if there was anyone alive who could coherently remember what things were genuinely like 100 years ago. Almost anyone alive now who was alive then would have been a child and would likely have a skewed perception. Without a sufficient pool of people who could answer honestly and without bias it's all conjecture that will be tainted by our current biases and perceptions of reality.
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Old 05-13-2015, 02:45 PM
 
Location: Sinking in the Great Salt Lake
13,139 posts, read 22,710,554 times
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Default Do you think people in the U.S. are more satisfied with their lives now then people who lived 100 years ago?

I think not.

People 100 years ago people weren't bombarded from birth with advertising and marketing specifically designed to make them unhappy with their current setup and constantly wanting to buy shinier swag of all varieties.

They also weren't subconsciously competing with the "lifestyles of the rich and famous" thanks to mass media either.

Yay consumer culture!
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Old 05-13-2015, 02:56 PM
 
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No, they were more satisfied 100 years ago, and even 30 years ago
for that matter.
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Old 05-13-2015, 03:01 PM
 
Location: Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA
7,936 posts, read 7,282,889 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whocares811 View Post
And what are the reasons for your opinion?
We are generally less happy because we are impatiently waiting to be entertained rather than living our lives with a purpose. Because all of our needs are met, all we can focus on is our wants.

100 years ago people were thankful to live another day because in many cases death was at the doorstep or at your neighbor's doorstep. Now we just whine and complain about the most trivial nonsense rather than working toward a goal.
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Old 05-13-2015, 04:01 PM
 
14,376 posts, read 18,267,001 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chango View Post
I think not.

People 100 years ago people weren't bombarded from birth with advertising and marketing specifically designed to make them unhappy with their current setup and constantly wanting to buy shinier swag of all varieties.

They also weren't subconsciously competing with the "lifestyles of the rich and famous" thanks to mass media either.

Yay consumer culture!
I think you underestimate the aspirational nature of the "Manifest Destiny" ethos - Americans have always been materialistic and obsessed with upward mobility and "stuff." I mean, think about the California Gold Rush. And if we're really talking about 100 years ago, consider that we're talking about 1915 - when WW1 ended, it ushered in an era of hedonism and materialism.
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Old 05-13-2015, 04:19 PM
 
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Default Less satisfied today

I think being satisfied is relative to value.The value of things 100 years ago was much greater than today,therefore so was being satisfied.When the value of gold or friendship goes up so does my being satisfied.
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Old 05-13-2015, 05:46 PM
 
Location: LA, CA/ In This Time and Place
5,443 posts, read 4,648,317 times
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No way to answer it because there are no studies and opinion research done of Americans living in the early 20th Century.

I would think it may vary, sure life was harder back then. But people then did not know better, just like we can't compare our lives to those living in the year 2115.
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Old 05-13-2015, 07:21 PM
 
4,701 posts, read 4,040,951 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whocares811 View Post
One hundred years ago, a lot of people lived in poverty, there were many deaths to sickness and diseases that are now easily curable, there were generally poor working conditions and a lack of free time, rampant racism and discrimination, etc., etc. And today, we have the threat of nuclear war, a decline in "traditional" families, sky-high national debt, etc., etc.

But as far as just feeling generally content and satisfied with themselves and their lives, what do you think? Are people happier now or do you think they were happier 100 years ago?

And what are the reasons for your opinion?
No, I don't think people were happier 100-120 years ago.

Who you married was often decided by the family, or necessity. This lead to a lot of broken families where they couldn't stand each other. Secondly, many women were too dependent on their husband, and if they lost him to war or disease it could lead to devestation for the family and children.

They also had a lot of problems back then. First off, income was often way too low to support a family, but the biggest issue was urban unemployment. Good jobs was hard to come by, recessions was common, and the effects was often devestating. For instance US had a recession in 1893, which lead to an unemployment rate of 35% in New York and 43% in Michigan. People had to go to desperate measures to prevent their families from starving.

And in the past, you could never feel very secure. Not only could your family get hit by the economy, and diseases. But the worst was probably war and crime. Suddenly your life could get turned upside down because your country go to war, or a criminal decide to target your family. If you had an acceptable standard of living, you always would worry about losing what you got.

Life got better after the second world war, but before that life was tough.

Last edited by Camlon; 05-13-2015 at 07:30 PM..
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Old 05-13-2015, 08:46 PM
 
Location: I'm around here someplace :)
3,633 posts, read 5,330,765 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by whocares811 View Post
One hundred years ago, a lot of people lived in poverty, there were many deaths to sickness and diseases that are now easily curable, there were generally poor working conditions and a lack of free time, rampant racism and discrimination, etc., etc. And today, we have the threat of nuclear war, a decline in "traditional" families, sky-high national debt, etc., etc.

But as far as just feeling generally content and satisfied with themselves and their lives, what do you think? Are people happier now or do you think they were happier 100 years ago?

And what are the reasons for your opinion?
Well, I had aunts and uncles and of course grandparents who were alive 100 years ago, and my parents were born not long after, so I can compare what they said vs. what I see these days.
I think much of the "not happier these days" has a lot to do with people during the last few decades being pushed, told, taught, etc., to never be satisfied, never be content, with anything.

Not only has "consumerism" (if that's a word!) gone nuts, it spills over into everything else, too. From "personal growth" to analyzing relationships, people are led to believe nothing is ever good enough- including themselves.

In contrast, from those I knew personally, couples and families loved each other, people appreciated what they had, and those factors seemed to make people in the past happier and more contented with their lives than many people are today.
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