Whose America is this?

[radraja]

Originally Posted by Ben Around

Of course unemployed people are bound to be unhappy. But I was responding to radraja's premise that things are "better" today because of more material things.

It's not a matter of the have-some vs. have-none as you suggest. It's about have-some vs. have-more.

To my original question, is the average American happier today because he owns 2.3 cars, or was he happier in 1969 when he owned 1.7 cars? Capiche?

That's not exactly what I meant, anyway. I wasn't referring to quantity, I was referring to quality. Decades ago, people may have been happy with their cars....but does that mean that those cars were safe to drive? Today's cars are significantly safer and more eco-friendly. Decades ago, people may have been happy with the medical care they received....but does that mean the quality of care was actually good? Maybe, but not by today's standards.

I don't think that these things necessarily make people happy, since we're so accustomed to having them, but they do provide a better quality of life. There's no question.

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by radraja

That's not exactly what I meant, anyway. I wasn't referring to quantity, I was referring to quality. Decades ago, people may have been happy with their cars....but does that mean that those cars were safe to drive? Today's cars are significantly safer and more eco-friendly. Decades ago, people may have been happy with the medical care they received....but does that mean the quality of care was actually good? Maybe, but not by today's standards.

I don't think that these things necessarily make people happy, since we're so accustomed to having them, but they do provide a better quality of life. There's no question.

Perception is reality.