Wish you could live in the 1800's? (1 Viewer)

[Carl Johnson]

I'm a prime example of what Thik says. I couldn't stand living in the 1800's or any other age where I don't have access to my internet, my psychologist, my psychiatrist, my anti depressants, and my anti psychotics

 

[Jeff Pryor]

Well, in this country (with the exception of the Amish), we've been dependent on electricity since birth, and most of us know nothing of the hardships that our ancestors endured in the dark times before it was discovered. We've all been pampered with our air conditioners. But technology isn't always a good thing, either. Look at the time before automobiles: how many sudden deaths were there with horses and buggys? Almost zero. It seems, the more things we invent, the more things we invent that go horribly wrong.

 

[Bill Cowmeadow]

I watched the series a couple of months ago. If you get the chance to watch it, it's a must see. The point of the show was to see if over the course of their first summer in Montanna, could each family amass enough of everything to indeed survive the 6 month long winter of Montanna. I think the Smithsonian was a sponsor of the project, as they had a large write up in the magazine about it.

 

[Ashley Seymour]

I remember in Westerns when a disparaging remark about someone "going Injun" would be made. After watching this series I had a lot of respect for the people who toughed it out on the prarie. I also could see why a lot of people would give up and join the native who must have had better understanding of how to live off the land than the settlers.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

If I'd lived in the 1800s, I'd have died at the age of 45 from appendicitis. It was called "acute indigestion" back then on your death certificate. I've really sorta enjoyed the extra 7 years I've gotten so far.

Folks who romanticize about the simplicity of living a century or more ago don't tend to realize just how common it was to die at an early age from simple diseases related to poor hygiene, bad food or water, etc, and being affluent was no guarantee of not getting typhoid, cholera, etc.

And if you think the unfettered greed that's ruining our economy now is bad, you should read up on the robber barons of the 1880s.

If time travel were available, 1880 might be a fun place to visit for an afternoon, but I certainly wouldn't want to live (or more likely die at a premature age) there.

 

[Henry Carmona]

Wow, im pretty much alone i guess
I would love the opportunity at something like this.
I could be in the outdoors all day if i had the chance. Id gladly give up my PC and HT for a few months of that sort of living.
Yeah yeah, it may not be what i expect, but id love it.

 

[Thik Nongyow]

Even though people in the 1800s die at a young age than people today, they did not have to be concerned over the problem over a large number of old people and Social Security in the next few decades! We of course know that progress brings its own problems and correcting some problems will create new ones.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Just to dispel one or two myths:

(a) the 'no stress' argument - evidence indicates that stress was present in abundance, though from different causes like extreme poverty, etc - it just wasn't labelled in the way it now is; if you think work stress is bad now consider this: working days were often limited by the length of daylight (so that's 18 hours a day in the summer) or were long all year round (18 hours in many 19th century mills), plus no sickness benefit, no works pensions, and no holidays other than Christmas Day (and you thought Scrooge was made up?)

(b) the 'no social care crisis' argument - if you read the historians on this subject, you'll find that there have been crises about how to support the elderly population throughout recorded history. Remember that the idea of a 'retirement' is a modern one - previously, unless you were filthy rich, if you were alive, you were expected to do work commensurate with your physical status

(c) the 'there were no auto accidents' argument - very true, but the idea that horse-powered travel was safe is frankly laughable; incidentally, the streets of big cities were *more* congested in earlier times (not least because people kept animals in the street - a common form of accident was from pigs escaping and knocking things and people over)

 

[Jeff Pryor]

You may think the safety of horse-powered travel is laughable, but my point is that was 100% safer than automobile travel today. If an animal such as a pig ran into the street and knocked you off your horse, big deal. As long as the horse doesn't fall on you, you get a few bruises. Let a pig wander into the street today, there will be a 20 car pile up with several deaths and near-deaths, plus extensive insurance claims and lawsuits that drive everyone's stress-level through the roof.

 

[MickeS]

This show was discussed in the TV section of the forum when it first aired. If you have comments about it after seeing it, check there.

It was a great show, and I recommend anyone who can to catch it. There were some really interesting personalities in the show (the rich guy with the McMansion in Malibu and the feminist bitch were the "love to hate" kind, MAN were they full of themselves...), and it gave you a good insight into what it might have been like living back then.

/Mike