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The 1880's were the best time period to live in America.

German Hops

GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief
Wait? You've got some other guys balls swinging down there now? :messenger_confused:
Nah, they're basically just two Tide pods hangin'.
Name one.
Sundown Kid?
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DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
As an outsider, 1950s to 2000 seems to be the peak of American civilization and standards of living- especially 80s and 90s.

Unparalleled levels of prosperity in general, rapid technological advancements yet social life not completely taken over by them, peace and security, no global power even close to USA, no extreme woke shit, pride in nation but but not too much racial prejudice.

Growing up in USA in 80s and 90s must've been super awesome.

Not too much racial prejudice? 1950s to mid 70s had A LOT of racial prejudice!

1980s things changed to codewords like welfare queens and there were still lynchings and such happening. My cousin was lynched in 1986.

The entire civil rights movement would have been called "woke" as it and Dr. King were not very popular or well liked. The violence associated with segregation (99% against poc) like lynchings and the brutality the protesters were victim to... Which they voluntarily endured... The only way to get the majority population to have any empathy was to let themselves be victimized during the sit-ins and marches and hunger strikes and let the news capture it so there would be legislative change for black and other poc. They didn't just march for marching a sake. Some places were still segregated in the 70s and into the early 80s. That's not to even mention Cointelpro (look it up) or the FBI (under Hoover) waging war on the movement as well as the BPP and KILLING them

Aside from that, 1950s to mid 80s also saw a huge rise and focus on education and excelling in school... with a focus on science.

The 70s also saw the end of minimum wage being tied to inflation ... So new classes of poverty were beginning to coalesce.

Not to mention the crack epidemic and criminalizing addicts... and trickle down economics.

There was A LOT that was really messed up back then!
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
I'll add this about the 80s since I grew up in that decade...

I played outside. I didn't have to worry about pedophiles because our neighbors were a village and looked out for each other... We had gaming consoles but for entertainment, I either watched TV or read a good book as my mom was a librarian at the county library. There was no stress to grow up faster ... No stress to dress sexy (the girls just dressed like normal teen girls)... No stress to be "an alpha male"...

Being a KID in the 80s was super awesome! Not sure about being an adult. Especially in the big cities.
 

nush

Gold Member
I didn't have to worry about pedophiles

In the UK we just has PSA's on TV, you had to look out for men with 70's staches driving ford Cortinas asking if you wanted to see some puppies. Pedo's weren't mentioned but I guess that's how the government thought they operated.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
I didn't have to worry about pedophiles because our neighbors were a village and looked out for each other....
This is the situation that you have to worry about though, it's 'uncle' Jimmy down the road who is more likely to be an issue than some random stranger. Plus in the UK in the 80's we had a whole 'say no to strangers, say no no no no' song we had to learn at school.
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
This is the situation that you have to worry about though, it's 'uncle' Jimmy down the road who is more likely to be an issue than some random stranger. Plus in the UK in the 80's we had a whole 'say no to strangers, say no no no no' song we had to learn at school.

Yeah... Family or "family" members were an unspoken danger and something a lot of families just didn't talk about back then. Hence why we have a lot of adults in my age group with so much unresolved trauma... If they made it this far. And why many are such advocates of mental health and children.
 

Mohonky

Member
  1. -There was no income tax; there were no gun laws.
  2. - The frontier was disappearing, but it was still there.
  3. - If a man had nothing but a horse, saddle, and gun he could build an empire.
  4. -Government in this country was small.
  5. -There was no welfare or mandatory schooling; families decided these things.
  6. -People loved learning and knowledge.
  7. -Except for the most depraved, feminine virtue was praised. A man who outraged a woman more often than not paid a terrible price.
  8. -The Industrial Revolution was in full flower.
  9. -Steam railroads crossed the continent carrying passengers and freight - refrigerator cars carrying ice in the heat and charcoal stoves in the cold brought California oranges to New York bankers and fresh oysters from New York harbor to Colorado miners.
  10. -Prospects for the future had never been brighter; people knew that they were living in a very special time.
  11. -There were only fifty million people in this country in 1880; fewer people to piss you off.

1.There was also no infrastructure. Not sure why the gun thing is such a pro, but ok.
2. Cool I guess.
3. Well yes you wouldn't own much else.
4. Not necessarily a pro or a con.
5. You worked, every day. It was called surviving. If you think it was a holiday every day, I think you're mistaken. Kids didn't attend school because there were too much too many tasks that needed to be done or were already working.
6. No they didn't. They learn't how to survive, if they were academically educated it was because they had servants to help out back home. And that was definitely not the norm for most.
7. What? Women had no rights.
8. I dunno what you know about the industrial revolution; but working conditions were horrendous.
9. You think this is better than current distribution how?
10. Huh?
11. See above.
 
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Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
The Caveman era was truly the best.

  1. -There were no laws.
  2. - You could technically go anywhere.
  3. - If a man had nothing but a rock and a pointy stick, he could be set for life.
  4. - No Governments.
  5. -There was no schooling.
  6. -People loved surviving.
  7. - Virtues didn't exist.
  8. - Flowers were in full flower.
  9. - No railroads. No transport. Just your own two legs.
  10. -Prospects for the future had never been brighter; people knew that they were living in a very special time.
  11. -There were only a few hundred thousand people in the world.


The only thing I think is better today is modern medicine or anything else that can preserve life, e.g., modern fire extinguishers and band aids. Oh and cars. Laws. philosophy. Science. technology in general. Refridgerated food is a must of course. Did I mention not dying within 15-30 years of being born? That is clearly a must.
But other than that, the 15,000 BCs were undoubtedly the best time to live in human history.
 

RJMacready73

Simps for Amouranth
I like guns and want to protect my family without the government breathing down my dick.
What's so hard to understand?
If shit is that bad where you live and the government so evil you need a gun to protect yourself... Er... Move maybe?

Also in response to the Ops post, I reccommend he read Empire of the Summer Moon about the rise and fall of the commanches, utterly amazing read although I think it's set a bit before the ops perfect time period anyways, shit was tough out on the frontier and by tough I mean absolutely brutal horror, those Indian tribes who preyed on settlers really went to town on them and life was hard, real hard

 
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Buggy Loop

Member
Shaven pussies, porn, video games, best period of music experimentation, movies, medicine..

No fucking way. This is probably the most cozy period in human history and probably the last as things go downwards from this peak of western ways of living.
 

Winter John

Member
Op if you want to live in the 1880s West Virginia ain't hard to get to. Good luck finding anyone who loves learning and knowledge, or praises feminine virtue down there
 

Tschumi

Member
This is fucking stupid. I am beyond contemptible of this stupid idea. The amount of death in childbirth, the amount of disfigurement for the few people who survived disease, the amount of malnutrition, the fucking civil war, institutionalised racism, sexism, the toxicity of daily foods and abodes, the lack of understanding, the difficulty of mobility, the shit education, etc etc etc etc etc...

You have drunk some idealised kool aide [sic] and i can't believe you've lived to an age where you post on GAF without learning the difference between reality and tv.

Sergio Leone wasn't a fucking historian. Neither is Yellowstone or whatever conservative shitshow you're watching to get these daft ideas.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Don't forget that back then toilets, toilet paper and plumbing werent common yet as TP was invented in 1857.

Googling it, people were wiping their ass with dried corn on the cobs, leaves, straw and "sponge on a stick".

Enjoy.
 

German Hops

GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief
OP, there’s plenty of area in Appalachia and Alaska that no one lives in. Feel free to take your tough guy act there.
I was actually looking into homesteading in Alaska. I might do it one day.

Appalachia can piss off, though, unless you're telling me the moonshine would be worth it.
 

Solarstrike

Member
The latest Far Cry should have taken place during that era. Idk, or something set during the medieval era . Refresh the IP a bit.
 
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I bet people in the 1800s, if they visited our time for a week and got guided through 2022, they'd want to live here.

Superior medical care, showers, toilets, good food, the internet, entertainment, etc.

Imagine 50 years or even 100 years from now if society hasn't collapsed, how good it will be. Especially medical advancements which would be my number one reason to want to live in 2070.

As long as I can have access to DRM free games and access to "old games" (DRM free) I'd probably bail asap.

Shit will probably be ultra-woke and mainstream but besides that one awful aspect, everything else will be so much better. People in 2070 will probably comment how barbaric 2022 was. It's like that episode of Voyager where the guy in the Time Ship was mortified of 1990s Earth.

I love the Victorian era for its clothes and advancements in science and science fiction but fuck that, I wouldn't want to live there.

Oh yeah I'm also a Jew so you know, we weren't exactly popular in the past.
 
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Tg89

Member
I feel like the type of person who would romanticize this would also be one of the first ones to fucking die a horrible death or kill themselves out of regret if they were sent back to that era.

Given the choice of being born at any time in the past I wouldn’t choose anything prior to 1970, 1980 would probably be the sweet spot.
 

Bragr

Banned
People lived in the dirt man, everyone was poor as fuck, eating the same meal every day. One day in 1880 and people would sell their arms and legs to get back to 2022.
 

RJMacready73

Simps for Amouranth
I bet people in the 1800s, if they visited our time for a week and got guided through 2022, they'd want to live here.

Superior medical care, showers, toilets, good food, the internet, entertainment, etc.

Imagine 50 years or even 100 years from now if society hasn't collapsed, how good it will be. Especially medical advancements which would be my number one reason to want to live in 2070.

As long as I can have access to DRM free games and access to "old games" (DRM free) I'd probably bail asap.

Shit will probably be ultra-woke and mainstream but besides that one awful aspect, everything else will be so much better. People in 2070 will probably comment how barbaric 2022 was. It's like that episode of Voyager where the guy in the Time Ship was mortified of 1990s Earth.

I love the Victorian era for its clothes and advancements in science and science fiction but fuck that, I wouldn't want to live there.

Oh yeah I'm also a Jew so you know, we weren't exactly popular in the past.
winner of massive understatement of the year award goes to... lol yeah man the hate the Jews got in the past is just fucking insane, hell even nowadays ffs, was there any point in history you guys got it easy from your fellow homo sapiens
 

Nobody_Important

“Aww, it’s so...average,” she said to him in a cold brick of passion
All this thread has taught me is that a lot of people on gaf never paid attention in history class lol
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
winner of massive understatement of the year award goes to... lol yeah man the hate the Jews got in the past is just fucking insane, hell even nowadays ffs, was there any point in history you guys got it easy from your fellow homo sapiens
One thing that has worked against Jews in modern day is lack of numbers. Most are in Israel and the rest are spread out. Everyone takes a crack them because Jewish people dont seem to have enough interest to fight back (like other groups who fee oppressed storm back hard in social media etc..) and also as I said lack of numbers.

A shame too. I dont know tons of Jewish people, but each person I know are super good people with good family structure and jobs. Yet, people seem to have a bullseye on them eternally.
 
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You can really tell who wasn't taught North American history in school, holy hell. 1800s...1950s...lol I mean come on!
Its fascinating to me. I mean the dude that shared the youtube video of an interview of someone who lived through the 1800's was really good. I enjoyed that immensely.

From what I googled the 1700s sounds way worse lol. Lice, fleas and vermin was a problem in a normal household. Some people taking their cattle indoors at night to keep them safe. Fuck that. Imagine the smells.
Also people dying from toothache or other infections. Scabies, syphilis and other shit was a problem. Did women even shave? lol
Sounds terrible.
 

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
Barring the internet, gaming, life saving medical advances, life expectancy, electricity, fast and reliable transportation, easy access to food, uniform educational facilities and standards, laws protecting people and property, working plumbing, fire response that's quicker and more efficient than horses carrying wagons of buckets filled with water, sturdy buildings, home heating that didn't involve scooping coal and cutting down trees all day, and laws banning pedophilia, bestialiaty and tar and feather lynchings, sure. Much better.

At least you could get into six shooter tumbleweed duels and go mining for gold after you proved that this town was, indeed, not big enough for the both of us.
 

RJMacready73

Simps for Amouranth
As horrible as every other aspect would've been, it would've been incredible to see the great plains and the millions of buffalo grazing, it would've been a sight straight out of a Africa, not to mention the sheer diversity & abundance of other wildlife that was hunted into near extinction but for me its the ever present threat of running into Indians and whether or not it was the peaceful trading kind or the were gonna skin you alive whilst you watch us rape your women kind... then there's the Mexicans coming up and raiding, other criminals taking advantage of the lawlessness.. it was sheer madness yet somehow crazy ass fuckers kept taking their families and heading out into the wild to claim a part of it , some survived and established communities and eventually towns others met horrific ends, hell even simple accidents could lead to death as you where so far from medical help, remember these dudes had to build everything.. oh and i forgot about the weather.... lol yeah i'll stick to my time period & little part of Europe thankyou very much
 
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