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Debate Info

103
62
yes no
Debate Score:165
Arguments:100
Total Votes:205
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 yes (59)
 
 no (41)

Debate Creator

Axmeister(4322) pic



is life better today than it was in the early 1900's

for those who were born before 1940...

You were born before television, before penicillin, antibiotics, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox machines, plastic, contact lenses, videos, frisbees and the pill. We were born before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and ball point pens: before dishwashers, tumble driers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip dry clothes and before man walked on the moon.

You got married first and then lived together (how old fashioned can you be?). We thought 'fast food' was what you ate in Lent, a 'big Mac' was an oversized rain coat and a crumpet we had for tea! We existed before 'house husbands', computer dating, dual careers, and when a 'meaningful relationship' meant getting along with cousins, and 'sheltered accommodation' was where you waited for a bus!

You were before day centres, group homes and disposable nappies. We had never heard of FM radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, yoghurt and men wearing earrings. For us, 'time sharing' meant togetherness and a chip was a piece of wood or a fried potato. Hardware meant nuts and bolts, and software was not even a word!

Before 1940, 'made in Japan' meant junk, and the term 'making out' referred to how you did in your exams. A stud was something you fastened a collar to a shirt with, and 'going all the way' meant staying on the bus until it reached the terminus. Pizzas, Mcdonald's and instant coffees were unheard of. In our day cigarette smoking was fashionable and 'grass' was mown, 'coke' kept in the coal house, a 'joint' was a piece of meat you had on Sundays and 'pot' was something you cooked in.

'Rock Music' was a grandmother's lullaby, and a 'gay' person was the life and soul of the party and nothing more. Aids meant a form of beauty treatment or help for someone in trouble.

yes

Side Score: 103
VS.

no

Side Score: 62
3 points

Ugh,

I'm so tired of this rosey view of history.

People live longer, have more stuff and more freedom, and are far healthier than they have ever been in the history of the world, and on a large scale.

If you want to know what it was like to be an average Joe in the early 1900's move to a third world country and you'll get a good idea.

Side: yes

First, we must consider the question of how to 'rate' life. I would consider happiness, health and prosperity to be the primary factors.

Happiness

This is the most difficult issue to deal with. People who lived in the early 1900's would not have known of the possibilities that are granted by modern technology, so it is reasonable to assume that they would not have felt overly unfulfilled due to the relatively primitive level of civilization they inhabited.

An analogy: a Playstation 2 is perfectly acceptable to a child, the superlative form of electronic entertainment, until said child sees the capabilities of the Playstation 3, whereafter the inferiority of the former becomes readily apparent.

So we must assume that our primary advantage in this area is the intrinsic happiness found in pursuing those possibilities; visiting the Caribbean, attending concerts, electronic entertainment, accessible music, etcetera.

Health

When Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered Penicillin's bacteria-fighting capabilities in 1928, humans took the first tentative steps on the road to modern antibiotics. Before said, the options for fighting bacterial infections were limited at best. Naturally, the introduction of antibiotics has lead to a significant decrease in mortalities from said. In addition to this, innumerable advances have been made in surgery practices, understanding of human anatomy, treatment vectors etcetera. Today, humans live to an average age (1) of 76.5, contrasted with 49.2 in 1900.

Prosperity

It is necessary to look beyond the current adverse circumstances in this area. Massive advances in manufacturing techniques and technology have allowed us to bring products to almost the entire developed world. In addition, modern agricultural practices have virtually eliminated hunger from the civilized world. In no other era has the common man had such wealth to his name.

Side: yes

we have made some progress. i admit there are still a lot of problems, but over all we have improved ourselves. Most importantly, at least to me, we have gotten closer to equality for all, with the exception of a few bigots.

Side: yes
2 points

All things considered, being human has never been better.

Side: yes

Yes, it is all due to capitalism. Capitalism creates wealth, which develops progress in technology and knowledge.

Side: yes
aveskde(1935) Disputed
2 points

Yes, it is all due to capitalism. Capitalism creates wealth, which develops progress in technology and knowledge.

You're joking, right?

The 1900s were nearing the end of the Industrial Revolution nightmare, where there were no social programs to help those who were literally starving due to poverty. The stock market crash in the coming decades only made things harder for many people, and it occurred with a lack of regulation and law.

I'd say that we juggled with knives the better part of the last century and got where we are in spite of capitalism.

Side: yes
4 points

You're joking, right?

Seriously, when is the Industrial Revolution rhetoric going to end?

Is this really your only argument? We been over this multiple times.

Industrial Revolution was the stepping stone to America's success, and if it wasn't for the Industrial Revolution, America would have been stagnate for years of technological and scientific advancement.

Government is simply to slow to adopt to market changes.

The stock market was not the cause of the Great depression nor was capitalism was the cause of the Great Recession.

The cause was of government interference in the market, it was not because of the lack of regulation or law, it was the act of failed government polices.

Capitalism is simply unable to fail because there is no central planning.

I'd say that we juggled with knives the better part of the last century and got where we are in spite of capitalism.

So, you are going to tribute America's success to government?

Give me a break!

Capitalism is the sole reason for the technological and scientific advancement in America.

Side: No

I can now call someone across the world in seconds, we have several machines and people constantly going to and from outer space, there are computers, smart phones, robots that assist cripples, etc.

Don't try to tell me life was better back then because you're feeling nostalgic. Move or be moved.

Side: yes
2 points

We was almost in another great depression, but we have life much easier now a days

Side: yes
2 points

And like of both of these depressions, government created both of them.

Side: No
aveskde(1935) Disputed
2 points

And like of both of these depressions, government created both of them.

Just like how our own government made 9/11 happen.

Seriously.

Side: yes
2 points

We still have problems today, but life considerably better. We have higher living standards, better food, advanced technology, higher life expectancies, better medicine, better transportation, better communications, more scientific answers and discoveries, etc.

Side: yes
2 points

a recession then meant you might have to go without food for a few days, a recession now means you might only get one holiday this year.

Side: yes
2 points

Life is better somewhere yet not Myanamar. The country is still blocked and do not receive any support from other except Chinese.

------------

http://www.myanmartravel.com

Supporting Evidence: myanmar travel (www.myanmartravel.com)
Side: yes
2 points

It takes a change of culture, of the mode of reactions to circumstances, to effect a change of habit. Genetics is the progeny of culture, not vice versa. This applies in ALL fields of human activities, including economy, to ALL personal and social behavioral aspects.

Since the early 1900’s ALL “science” has been taken over by the Technology Culture of the religious Americans, represented by the trade-union-church AAAS. Plain and simple. There has not been any science in the world since then except “religious-American-science”.

On the blissful religious science ignorance…:

USA-World Science Hegemony Is Science Blind

Since the early 2000s I have been posting many articles on science items surveyed and analyzed by me, without religious background-concepts. I have been doing this because I was deeply disturbed by the religiosity of the 1848-founded AAAS trade-union and by the consequent religious background-tint of its extensive “scientific” publications and activities.

On my next birthday I’ll be 88-yrs old. I know that I’m deeply engaged in a Don Quixotic mission-war to extricate-free the USA and world Science from the clutches and consequences of the religious-trade-union-church AAAS, adopted strangely by the majority of scientifically ignorant religious god-trusting Americans and by their most other humanity following flocks…

But I am sincerely confident that only thus it is feasible and possible to embark on a new, rational, Human culture (Scientism) and on new more beneficial and effective technology courses for humanity…

Dov Henis (comments from 22nd century)

http://universe-life.com/

Energy-Mass Poles Of The Universe

http://universe-life.com/2012/11/14/701/

Side: yes
2 points

I am a young adult, currently writing a paper on this very topic. America would be better if we went " back to mayberry" and I would have to say that children respected and listened to parents better, most people worked for what they had, and thus appreciated it a lot more. also, most people had some level of connection with one another, you said hi to your neighbors and you helped a person in need if you could. people today don't care, unless it serves them. I'd say people "back in the day" were a lot better off, yes there were troubles. BUT people banded together and took care of the problems. yes things like health were not as good, BUT people made more out of the years they had. yes there was war, BUT there always will be. Yes there was more health issues, BUT again people could afford to have the dr come to your house and at least try! most people today cant afford a dr. And as far as food and such, it was better for you, because storage or not. food was grown and it was either eaten or traded for something a family needed. People respected their elders and took care of them, NOT like today where the send the "to the homes". personally I think it would be much better. and that's my take, and a part of my paper :)

Side: yes
2 points

Well in the early 1900's women and men were very Committed to one another which made marriages last a very long time, and both men and women had to struggle to make ends meat. Many women today make a very good income and are very independent as well since they don't need a man to survive. But that turned out to be very difficult for many of us good innocent men out there looking to meet a good woman to settle down with since many women now are looking for men with money, and can't accept us men for who we are. These are very good reasons why many of us men are still single today since we really can't blame ourselves either. My aunt and uncle just celebrated their 65th year together, and they are still together today. There are many of us men that that would have certainly wanted to be married and have a family too, and if we could only meet a good woman to make us happy rather than being Alone which would had been Great.

Side: yes

I base my opinion on that people live much longer today than what they did back during the early 1900's.

Side: yes
1 point

Disadvantages:

You would probably experience war, have to fight is it or even lose family members because of it. Also there and bigger jobs, longer life expectancies and better jobs now than in the 1900’s. Of those kids who managed to get a job many were treated harshly and wouldn’t get paid fairly. Now kids don’t have to work and are very lucky. They usually get about the same amount of money as the kids did back then from their family as presents.

Side: yes
1 point

couldn't fit this into description.

nowadays...

We have taller buildings but shorter tempers.

Wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less.

We buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families.

More conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees but less sense.

More knowledge, but less judgment.

More experts, yet more problems.

More medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and enjoy life too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life.

We've added years to life not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.

We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less.

We plan more, but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships.

These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.

A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Side: don't care
zombee(1026) Disputed
2 points

This is schmaltz. I understand your frustration with certain aspect of the modern world, but don't be taken in by sappy mass-forwarded chain emails. This sort of selective nostalgia is useless; indeed, things are not perfect today, but it is better to focus on the actions we can take to improve things, rather than inaccurately reminiscing about the past.

In the 1900s, some cities claimed a 30% infant mortality rate before the first year. Penicillin had not even been invented, and something as minor as pneumonia could very well be fatal. The average life expectancy was not even fifty years; today, we can expect to live more than a quarter century longer than that.

1 in 10 people were completely illiterate. It is guessed that anywhere from 30-50% of families lived below the poverty level, and that might have meant literally only being able to afford enough bread and water not to die of starvation. Women were not allowed to vote, and interracial marriages were illegal in most states.

People in the 1900s were probably just as likely (or more likely, in some respects) to be hateful, unhealthy, stupid, closed-minded, uneducated, judgmental, unfriendly, or whatever negative qualities the author cared to attribute largely to the modern world.

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/720632.html

http://www.efmoody.com/estate/lifeexpectancy.html

http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/education/p23-08.pdf

http://www.helium.com/items/813783-an-overview-of-the-jim-crow-laws

Side: yes
2 points

People are a lot less healthy today than they were 100 years ago. Obesity is at an all-time high. People are not as physically active as they were then. People then did not sit in cubicles all day in front of a computer. They were outside in the fresh air and sunshine tending their gardens (which, by the way, were grown in quality soil with little or no pesticides) or working on their farms. There is no data on poverty rates in the 1900's, but even if it was high, it wouldn't mean much because most people lived off the land, not the dollar. A self-sufficient farmer had little need of grocery money. I suspect that many farmers living under the poverty line actually lived better lives than many wage-earners at the time who were above it.

The literacy rates today are nothing to brag about. Quality of education is pretty much at an all-time low. See Charlotte Iserbyt's book The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America. http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/

People who had money had real value in the form of gold and silver coin, not paper money and blips on a computer screen. America is now the number one debtor nation. People today are insane, they call debt wealth .

Side: No
Axmeister(4322) Disputed
0 points

"In the 1900s, some cities claimed a 30% infant mortality rate before the first year. Penicillin had not even been invented, and something as minor as pneumonia could very well be fatal. The average life expectancy was not even fifty years; today, we can expect to live more than a quarter century longer than that. "

and thus have to spend those extra 25 years living in small cramped houses due to over population

"1 in 10 people were completely illiterate."

who cares it's not like people spend any time reading anymore

"It is guessed that anywhere from 30-50% of families lived below the poverty level, and that might have meant literally only being able to afford enough bread and water not to die of starvation."

nowadays people just live off benefits paid by the taxes of others and causeing countries to fall into debt.

"Women were not allowed to vote, and interracial marriages were illegal in most states."

in those times when a husband and wife got marrried they used to decide together, so therefore a husbands vote also included that of the wife. In the modern day if a married couple don't agree they just get divorced.

Side: No
1 point

i really liked that you took the time to post this. i agree fully. everything is made out to be bigger and better but really if you stand back and compare these advancements bring out a new way to be mean. there is more anger and hate and now there is a way to be mean to someone without saying it to thereface. cyberbullying is an increasing problem and there is no way to stop it.

Side: no
Pantagruel(984) Disputed
1 point

We have taller buildings but shorter tempers.

Give me one study that indicates that people lose their temper more now than during fin-de-siécle.

Wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

NARROWER VIEWPOINTS???

Now that homosexuality is not just decriminalized but legally supported, and blacks can go to the same schools as whites, and women can run for office - narrower viewpoints?!??!?!?!

We spend more, but have less.

I dunno. We sure seem to have a lot of useless junk. I for one am proud to say that my money goes only to useful items: books. Surely most people waste a lot of money buying things they don't need, but isn't that was (I think it was) Max Weber complain, as well as Marx, about capitalism? Makes lots of stuff you don't need.

We have bigger houses and smaller families.

Well, we've gotta have somewhere to put all our useless junk!

We have more degrees but less sense.

Less sense than the people who believed in blooding for fever, astrology was still believed, that masturbation was evidence of mental illness!

Come now...

Everything you say is the result of watching too much Waltons and Little House on the Prairie. Stop watching TV and pick up a non-fiction book on the period, you'll probably change your opinion.

Side: yes

I would gladly forgo all modern convenience if I could be transported back through time a hundred years. People enjoyed freedom back then and were a lot less neurotic. People had more common sense and less indoctrination. The dollar was actually worth something and you got to keep what you earned. The government was small and not an Orwellian nightmare. The food was real and not genetically-modified and sprayed with toxins. You could smoke a joint or take a little cocaine without a swat team kicking in your door and screaming at you with guns to your head. Modern times suck. Nowadays, it's just a bunch of brain-dead gimps with no morals and no guts, just spending their lives chirping away on their cellphones.

Side: No
aveskde(1935) Disputed
2 points

People enjoyed freedom back then and were a lot less neurotic.

Only if you were a white, wealthy male. If you were anything else, you were second class.

The government was small and not an Orwellian nightmare.

Lynch mobs and conspiring zealots too the place of big government in making everyone miserable.

The food was real and not genetically-modified and sprayed with toxins.

Only sometimes it would itself be toxic, as in radioactive or full of lead and arsenic.

You could smoke a joint or take a little cocaine without a swat team kicking in your door and screaming at you with guns to your head.

Mostly because we had no idea what these drugs did, and wondered why people had heart attacks at a young age.

Modern times suck. Nowadays, it's just a bunch of brain-dead gimps with no morals and no guts, just spending their lives chirping away on their cellphones.

Modern times suck. You cannot die from polio, tetanus, smallpox, etc. any longer.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Child_with_Smallpox_Bangladesh.jpg

Side: yes
1 point

Only if you were a white, wealthy male. If you were anything else, you were second class.

Well, according to your previous posts, nothing has changed and blacks are still second class, that's why they are excused for making racist remarks while whites are ostracized for the same, remember? Please stop contradicting yourself.

Anyways, I contend that blacks were better off 100 years ago, despite not having every single right that whites possessed. Blacks are now the victims of liberal programs which have them warehoused in inner-city projects that resemble Third World countries. Blacks are more angry than ever at whites thanks to liberal propaganda which has instilled in them a "victim consciousness" far more effectively than having separate toilets ever did.

Lynch mobs and conspiring zealots too the place of big government in making everyone miserable.

Where do you get this shit? There was the occasional lynch mob, sure, but you are totally blowing things out of proportion by stating that it took the place of big government and made everyone miserable. You have an idiotic, warped view of history. That kind of delusional thinking reminds me of the idiotic conservatives who are afraid to go to the mall because they think a terrorist lurks around every corner. It's just plain stupid. Anyways, there are now FAR more blacks in prison per capita than any time in history. Get an education.

Mostly because we had no idea what these drugs did, and wondered why people had heart attacks at a young age

We had an idea of what those drugs did because they were commonly used in medicine. They were not illegal because it would have been thought a strange idea to violate the Constitution by making a plant illegal. The notion of making Nature against the law would have been a foreign idea because people did not think like a bunch of totalitarian assholes back then.

Modern times suck. You cannot die from polio, tetanus, smallpox, etc. any longer .

But you can die from cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and a host of other diseases which have absolutely SKYROCKETED in the last 100 years...SKYROCKETED.

Side: No
Thewayitis(4071) Disputed
0 points

Like the middle class is anything but second class citizens. I suggest you leave your bubble and actually see the world.

Cancer, aids, kill you instead of polo, tetnus, etc. Big improvement.

Side: No

I wrote this a couple of years ago and I think it states my opinion on this.

Broken Don’t Fix It

Is everything the way it should be in the world? I don't think so. Broken, don't fix it seems to be the universal policy of this country anyway. This policy is used again and again in everything around us. We used to fix things things when they quit, now we just buy a new one when it quits. Televisions, clothes washers, dryers, dishwashers, clocks, radios, lamps, lawn mowers, chairs and the list of disposable items is endless. I can remember having all of these things fixed, now the landfills and scrap yards are the undertakers of our belongings. When I was growing up, it was a big deal to buy an appliance. We packed into the car and drove 30 miles to purchase the latest addition to the family. Now the convenience of picking one up just around the corner and at a lot cheaper price, has made it an item of little or no importance to us as a family. It is no longer a member of the family and is no longer valued.

This broken, don't fix it attitude is everywhere, from the White House to the work place and even in the school yards. President Bush's, "ah duh stay the course" is no answer to anything and that seems to be the only answer for everything in Washington and everywhere else. I believe, the biggest enemy we have is ourselves. Winston Churchill once said, " The best argument against democracy is a five minute chat with the average voter." So far we seem to be doing a pretty good job of proving him right. Suggest a change to your boss or coworker and see with what openness they receive your suggestion to a problem or way to improve things. I dare you to verify this broken, don't fix it philosophy that is in place and prove me wrong. Be assertive, even a little aggressive and don't worry about losing your job, make your boss worry about losing his.

" Question every premise, challenge conventional wisdom, and never accept the truth of something merely because everyone else views it as obvious. Resist being credulous." These are words of wisdom given to Albert Einstein by his first employer Fredrich Haller. Einstein years later was still working off Haller's advise when quoted as saying," Blind respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." I tell you this, I have never had a job that is more important than doing the right thing or speaking my mind about how I think things should be done to improve things. If somebody's ego gets stepped on so be it. Nothing great has ever been done by playing it safe.

In the early nineteen hundreds great things were accomplished during the industrial revolution. The people of this era poured all that they had into changing the course of history. Most of them put body and soul into advancing their ideas and creating their inventions. Several of them lost their lives or were seriously injured doing what they loved. If it wasn't for this deep rooted passion, we would have no luxuries or conveniences. One of these courageous souls was R.G. Letourneau, poor fellow growing up, mechanically inclined, lived through a broken neck, started a business, brought revolutionary changes to the construction industry and ended up selling his company for 31 million dollars in 1951. This is just one of the many great men that transformed not only this country but the world forever. Since those days, we have done very little to change the world forever.

We have put limits on our imagination and discouraged the passionate from pursuing their dreams by demanding safety for all individuals. Setting up rules and regulations to protect those to stupid to protect themselves. OSHA is one of these, that have killed more than saved. Killed the desire to achieve greatness, stomped out passion, eliminated enthusiasm and saved a finger. Broken, don't fix it, won't cut it here. I'm afraid that we have taken out any excitement that could have been obtained from working and become mindless drones.

I speak of this, from someone that has tasted the thrill of being 100 feet up, blowing around in the wind like a chime ( no safety equipment ) and working in an open trench 20 feet down in the ground ( no safety equipment ) Don't pass judgment on me; motorcycle operator, skydiver, bungee jumper, smoker, drinker, pot head, drug user, amusement park junkie, and everybody else that likes the thrill of what they do. I have a right to complain my thrill is working, not an entertainment.

If I followed all of OSHA's rules I would be working in a padded room with a straight jacket on. The only thing wrong here, is that I take less risk then the majority of the population and have to abide by rules designed for morons. One thing that I know is that I won't offend anybody by writing this. For this simple reason if you are too stupid to keep your hand out of a machine, then I know you can't read this. As for me, I am broken beyond repair and would like to thank those that made this possible.

Side: No
aveskde(1935) Disputed
1 point

If I followed all of OSHA's rules I would be working in a padded room with a straight jacket on. The only thing wrong here, is that I take less risk then the majority of the population and have to abide by rules designed for morons. One thing that I know is that I won't offend anybody by writing this. For this simple reason if you are too stupid to keep your hand out of a machine, then I know you can't read this. As for me, I am broken beyond repair and would like to thank those that made this possible.

Institutions like OSHA were created because factories might explode suddenly, buildings might burst into flame, and machines were often completely without safeguards. It seems retarded now, but back at the turn of the last century people seemed unable to regulate themselves safely.

In the early nineteen hundreds great things were accomplished during the industrial revolution. The people of this era poured all that they had into changing the course of history. Most of them put body and soul into advancing their ideas and creating their inventions. Several of them lost their lives or were seriously injured doing what they loved. If it wasn't for this deep rooted passion, we would have no luxuries or conveniences. One of these courageous souls was R.G. Letourneau, poor fellow growing up, mechanically inclined, lived through a broken neck, started a business, brought revolutionary changes to the construction industry and ended up selling his company for 31 million dollars in 1951. This is just one of the many great men that transformed not only this country but the world forever. Since those days, we have done very little to change the world forever.

It's easy to champion a few great people who were innovators or persistent to the end, but recall that the vast majority worked in drudgery, or died.

Side: yes
Thewayitis(4071) Disputed
1 point

So you believe that if OSHA didn't exist neither would you?

Side: No
1 point

People worked hard, today they hardly work.

Food was more wholesome; today is full of chemicals.

Our population has exploded unchecked.

Medicine is not fufilling it's potentials the way it could.

Big business and greed rules politics.

Humanity and humanitarianism is fading.

Materialism is more important than human life.

We are destroying our environment.

We still have war.

Abortion is legal, and prevention is ignored. ("OK to kill" attitude)

Technology = humans losing contact with humanity.

The economy is a machine and keeps breaking down.

We aren't realizing the potential we should be.

Life would be better than the 1900's if we learned how to take care of what we have (the environment), and use science for postive reasons.

We're spending millions for space exploration--where we will never go--while people on Earth suffer.

Reality doesn't make sense anymore.

Side: No
aveskde(1935) Disputed
3 points

Food was more wholesome; today is full of chemicals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_medicines

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radithor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioactive_quackery

Also remember that refrigerators weren't available in those days, which meant that you ate food that was more prone to spoilage, unless you had an ice box, dried or canned your food.

Medicine is not fufilling it's potentials the way it could.

In the 1900s children frequently died before maturity thanks to common diseases with no cures. Polio, smallpox, scarlet fever, amongst others frequently led to death. Today medicine has greatly increased our lifespans, and reduced the dangers of disease.

Big business and greed rules politics.

What makes you think 1900 was any different?

Humanity and humanitarianism is fading.

Back in those days, there was a prevailing attitude amongst the British that the poor deserved their poverty. Today we need only look at the victims in Haiti, to see an example of how the western world contributed towards helping those people. Modern technology made that possible.

Materialism is more important than human life.

What do you think the Industrial Revolution was?

We are destroying our environment.

In 1900 we were destroying our environment but nobody cared or knew it.

We still have war.

As long as humanity exists, war will.

Abortion is legal, and prevention is ignored. ("OK to kill" attitude)

As opposed to having dead babies and miscarriages, and half of your children buried in your backyard because of smallpox, or some other illness.

Technology = humans losing contact with humanity.

A person from the other side of the United States is contacting you within less than a day. In 1900 this would have been a miracle for working class people.

The economy is a machine and keeps breaking down.

Welcome to capitalism.

Life would be better than the 1900's if we learned how to take care of what we have (the environment), and use science for postive reasons.

Life already is better than the 1900s.

We're spending millions for space exploration--where we will never go--while people on Earth suffer.

Your children and children's children will go out there. In 1900 such an idea would be a fantastic dream, nothing more. Today it is a reality.

Side: yes
Axmeister(4322) Disputed
1 point

"Also remember that refrigerators weren't available in those days, which meant that you ate food that was more prone to spoilage, unless you had an ice box, dried or canned your food."

most of your food was grown at the local farm anyway or grown by yourself in your GARDEN (which those who live in cities no longer have due to lack of space caused by over population)

and if you ran out of food it was just a simple trip to your local butcher or grocer to get some more where you could socialise with the people at the shop.

"As long as humanity exists, war will."

In the past, war meant something:adventure, conquest and it was good for the country. It was also fought with more strategy and diplomacy and leaders in the army were brave and respected. It was also more felt at home when you learned that a member of your family had been killed fighting for his country.

And in todays world: someone pushes a button that sets of a nuclear missile which kills billions of people.

"Your children and children's children will go out there. In 1900 such an idea would be a fantastic dream, nothing more. Today it is a reality."

YOU WISH xD

the world would have been ended by that time by global warming (or some other disaster )which we could have prevented with the money we spent on space exploration

Side: No
1 point

Although America was once upon a time a rich or wealthy country, we are now broke and in grave danger of a financial collapse!! The good ole days are over for America due to our $14 trillion dollar debt! We will continue to see more trouble in our near future! Civil unrest, homelessness, and unemployment has made itself at home here in America! Wake up America! watch or follow the news and open your eyes an watch whats happening all around you! Stop believing and falling for the deceptive picture of lies that the government paints for you! use your brain that the Lord gave you and do some heavy online research concerning your human rights,read the U.S. constitution,write your representatives and congress members!

Side: No