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And because we're facing several potential species-ending threats which hasn't happened before 1945, and is worse now than it was then.
No because we feel like we are on a downward trajectory...
That's the trouble. We feel like we are, but in fact, we are not. Hunger has decreased incredibly over the last decades. Infectious diseases are way down. The standard of living is way up over the last three decades. The tools and technologies available to us are far beyond what former generations even dreamed of. Global conflict deaths are down. The average lifespan has double since 1900.
The average lifespan has double since 1900.
Which is another way of saying child mortality is down, but wait! Look what direction that is trending!
Hunger has decreased incredibly over the last decades.
Food insecurity is currently a big problem for American children and families.
Infectious diseases are way down.
We just ended vaccine mandates, ended funding for RNA vaccines, and infectious diseases are on the rise.
The tools and technologies available to us are far beyond what former generations even dreamed of.
And largely are subscription services designed to prey on us rather than make life easier. I have a robot vacuum that takes more effort and maintenance than my grandparents' Electrolux ever did.
Starting in the year 1900 and going back 300 000 years, would you trade places with the average human on Earth?
Who cares? I can’t time travel.
Food is available but becoming unaffordable. Ownership is being taken away. Simply existing is taking all our wages and then some.
There’s no point in technological progression if it is only being used to extract my life for someone else’s gain.
The point is, you wouldn't because any time before that, the average human worked 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week, lived to about 50, had no doctors, no indoor toilet, no indoor water. Water was likely a long distance away and had to be carried by hand to your hovel. You were a serf or serf-like or a slave. Worker's rights were virtually non-existant. You had intestinal parasites with no health care to relieve you. You were at the whim of the wealthy. Up to half of children didn't make it to the age of 5. 4 % of women died in childbirth. There were no cars, no planes, no electricity, virtually no leisure time. There was minimal heat in winter, no cooling in summer. We are indeed fortunate to be living now.
Frankly, I think my dad's generation had it better. And I think I have it better than my millennial kids. And it looks like they will have it better than my teens.
I wouldn't probably say I'd trade places with the average person because there are a lot of poor folks who have things worse than me. But quality is life in America is getting worse.
Everything you've mentioned is going back up again.
Fun fact: when research showed that vaccination against Covid results in way fewer hospital admissions, Trump blocked the publication.
yep. Rand calls it neomedievalism, where we're going back to the peasant/noble tiers
It will not get better until we free people from the 40+ hour work week bullshit that's been ingrained in everyone's heads. Not everyone needs to work, there is not enough (productive) stuff to do. You are not your job, work does not equal progress, we need artists and poets and vagabonds and tramps, art made for art's sake not made for money (quite rare now if you think about it, because they made making art in your free time seem like a frivolity). We need a massive turn around, I don't see how anyone can possibly think we're in a good place. We're less violent to each other on a personal level I suppose, and disease is down for now, but... we still have so many OLD problems that should have been fixed by now, but the people with the power don't want them fixed so they can go fuck themselves.
this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2026
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:
- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
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- A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
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If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.
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