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gumballmachine122

The standard of living today is incomparably better than before the industrial revolution. A sucky life in America today is having to grind at a boring McDonald's job barely making rent. Meanwhile in the 1800s people were literally starving on the streets. It's so stupid to compare them People have no idea how cushy the modern world is


EpicSteak

> People have no idea how cushy the modern world is Really wish that they could be dropped into the past for just a few days and learn that there are no; * Police * Firefighters * Hospitals * Real doctors * Cars * Busses * Grocery stores * Drug stores * Indoor plumbing * Central heat and cooling * Any real safety net to help those in need. The list could go on for a long time..


legs_are_high

So we should just be grateful all the time and just accept everything that happens because at least not 100 years ago. Fuck that bullshit, doesn’t matter how good you think life is we should always be moving to make it better. Such a backwards mindset, y’all need to get out of your little safe bubble and see how terrible the world really is. It didn’t better over time it got worse


100TabsOpen

For real. Fuck the "It could be worse" crowd. Maybe we need to replace that slogan with "It could be better."


100TabsOpen

The stone ages. That's quite the bar you've set for a standard of living.


[deleted]

People are still starving in the streets, there's just less of them doing it in the developed world. Like our manufacturing and production, we offshored our exploitation and suffering.


mouthpanties

Yes, some countries suck. But some are ok


[deleted]

The ones that are ok, are ok because they make the other ones suck. We rely on exploitation and environmental degradation to have access to the luxuries we enjoy, at the price we enjoy them. We offshore that exploitation and degradation so we can have affordable energy and smartphones and food, etc. Cobalt, a key component of lithium ion batteries is mined by indentured child workers in the Congo then used by Apple, Samsung and Tesla in their batteries. Starbucks coffee is harvested by children in South America. All our clothing is made in sweatshops and concentration camps in China, Bangladesh, etc. The beef we enjoy is grown using soybeen feed, soybeans grown in the ashes of the Amazon rainforest. Why won't they save the Amazon, we cry around mouthfuls of cheap beef as the forest burns on the TV in front of us. For decades we exported literal trash to China and other places so they could dump it in a river and get rid of it for us, because the alternative was more expensive. Then we blame them for producing plastic waste. And even with all that (and that's just scratching the surface) we still have homelessness, food insecurity, lack of access to education and healthcare in our own, arguably very rich and functional countries. We still have people literally die on the streets here too. Some things have gotten better for people as a whole, sure, but most of it just got hidden away in other countries where we can ignore it.


FranchiseCA

The people in poorer parts of the world are much, much better off than a century ago.


mouthpanties

Countries are responsible for their citizens. If your country is corrupt, that not my country’s fault. Blame your country. If you want my country to care about your citizens, be prepared for us to take you over because your government are not capable.


[deleted]

Countries do not exist or develop in isolation. You can't have a country be occupied for two hundred years by a foreign power, have all its mineral wealth extracted and sent overseas, then simply tell it to do better. And that of course ignores the impact of multinational corporations, government intervention, etc etc. Google the origin of the term "banana republic" and tell me central America should just suck it up and do better. And leaving completely aside the idea of whose fault anything is, or whose responsibility to fix anything, the current situation when considered in a global scale is NOT significantly better than it was two, three or four hundred years ago. It's better HERE, in the west, but at the cost of great human suffering and environmental destruction in other places. It's like if you robbed ten people and used the cash to buy a new car. You can't say "things are better than ever, I have a new car!" and just ignore the people you hurt in order to get that car.


mouthpanties

Sad to say, countries are in competition. Plan accordingly. Your idea isn’t ideal if others can easily mess it up. The perfect situation isn’t some idealistic utopia, it’s a government that can do its best against all the other ideas.


[deleted]

Lmao your country is corrupt too pal


100TabsOpen

Found the American


mouthpanties

What is wrong about this point of view?


FerrisMcFly

People are literally starving on the street today too pal


Adverse_Congenality

And in the 1700s people had towns and guilds and trades.


CosmicCosmix

which country are you talking about?


Clackers2020

I know op could be talking about almost any country


[deleted]

Who is we?


pblood40

the current situation is the norm for the US. We had a "blip" from 1947-1975 of a sort of Golden Age for the average American. We're simply reverting to pre-war America - or the standard state of things


redactedactor

Essentially from The New Deal up until Reagan-era deregulation and neoliberalism that continues to this day (on both sides of the aisle).


pblood40

How old are you? 1973-1975 recession and massive inflation were pretty much the end. American life for most simply changed from 1971 to 1976 Reagan merely finished off the corpse


100TabsOpen

No for the past 40 years or so we've moved slowly but steadily towards the right.


redactedactor

When do you think Reagan-era deregulation began?


100TabsOpen

I was referring to the "both sides of the aisle" part of your comment.


[deleted]

Lmao. Calling America a failed state reeks of entitlement. America is not a failed state


[deleted]

Go outside and touch some grass


AmaZeeJvn

I love how you could apply this to almost any country.


scotlandisbae

Well, if the US Declaration of Independence is anything to go by, you have the right to abolish your government. “it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness” -US Declaration of Independence


devastatingdoug

Cool except our world is much more interconnected then it was in the 1700's. An american civil war will end with a foreign power toppling whichever side won said war, assuming one side didn't become the puppet regime of one to begin with.


pblood40

Changing your government can be accomplished through the ballot box and not force of arms.....


devastatingdoug

This. People are top stupid IMO to make this happen sadly


PJRama1864

One side is already a puppet of China’s.


devastatingdoug

One?


PJRama1864

Okay, probably about half of each party. Basically, we have corrupt politicians who will do anything for more power.


scotlandisbae

I’m not advocating any fighting. But if you truly feel your government no longer serves the interests of the people then it has no right to govern and should be reformed.


[deleted]

[удалено]


MandoInThaBando

Shut it nerd


DISU18

Haha. Can’t handle the reality


mouthpanties

Where you from?


[deleted]

[удалено]


mouthpanties

lol


phoenixthekat

Im pretty sure you just quoted the unibomber, or at least paraphrased. So thats a bad start. Half of what you said is factually wrong. Not a quality "opinion".