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Is this the best time (overall) to be alive in human history?

Is this the best time to be alive in human history?

  • Yes

    Votes: 32 76.2%

  • No

    Votes: 6 14.3%

  • I don't know

    Votes: 4 9.5%
  • Total voters
    42
Canell said:
Today sucks!

The PC is killing my eyes (so as I am seriously considering getting rid of it), food is full of **** (additives, preservatives, E101, GMO, etc), bankers gone wild, crime, people are unhappy... I'd take the 50's any time.
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Ah yes... the 50s... blatant sexism, racism, US expansionism, covert wars and gangsterism. That's the time we want to go back to.
 
Ray410 said:
The best time for anyone to be alive is whenever that particular person thinks is the best time, not when someone tries to convince them is the best time.

It's too bad this obvious rule of thumb has been subordinated to Liberal political demands that all other times in American history were bad because America is a bad, bad country needing many Liberal improvements.
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It's not that America was bad, it was mediocre though and much like the countries we rebelled against. The middle class is what made America unique and a "star" in the world. The middle class did not exist in any quantity before the 1940's. And yes FDR changed things for the better.

This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.

As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.

We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.”[3] People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.

In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed
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Hatuey said:
Ah yes... the 50s... blatant sexism, racism, US expansionism, covert wars and gangsterism. That's the time we want to go back to.
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Are you sure you write about the 50's, not the 30's?




P.S. Just one of the video comments on YouTube:

think for a moment. 2013....400 bank failures in 3 years, the mortgage melt down, America involved in "multiple" wars, a broke government trillions in debt, terrorism, constitutional rights quickly eroding in the name of "security", the federal government shutting down over the "debt Cieling", a crumbling infrastructure, thousands of manufacturing jobs leaving the country, the vanishing middle class, not exactly the best time to live
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think for a moment. 2013....400 bank failures in 3 years,
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25% poverty rate.

the mortgage melt down,
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As opposed to massive poverty.

America involved in "multiple" wars,
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Koreas, First Indochina War, Cold War - and that's just the ones we know about.

a broke government trillions in debt,
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What? We weren't broke in the 50s - oh right. We were less in debt.

terrorism
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That didn't exist in the 50s? Lol.

constitutional rights quickly eroding in the name of "security"
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2 words: McCarthy Hearings.

the federal government shutting down over the "debt Cieling"
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A political crisis? Oh no. That definitely makes the 50s better! There were no political crisis in the 50s.

, a crumbling infrastructure
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f97e3_http1.bp.blogspot.com-Qj6iav12mzsUljytPsdnIAAAAAAAA-vIaWbbyirwTCMs321.jpg


This kind?

, thousands of manufacturing jobs leaving the country, the vanishing middle class,
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I'm glad these two went together. Tell us - if you owned a business: how would you accomplish having a cheap work force and a middle class at the same time?

not exactly the best time to live
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If you look at it through selective nostalgia glasses, it's definitely not. YouTube comments are written by people who know less about the 50s than you seem to. Obviously, I won't convince somebody who thinks terrorism is a problem now and constitutional rights weren't being destroyed by politicians then. It just seems silly to try and argue that an age where people could still be lynched and beating women was hushed is better than today.
 
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Hatuey said:
Ah yes... the 50s... blatant sexism, racism, US expansionism, covert wars and gangsterism. That's the time we want to go back to.
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Certainly no problem with any of that in 2013 Mexico.
 
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Ray410 said:
Certainly no problem with any of that in 2013 Mexico.
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Ah, so we're now comparing ****ty 3rd world countries to ****ty decades from the 1st? Apples to oranges?
 
Hatuey said:
25% poverty rate.
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It depends on what you consider poverty.



Hatuey said:
It just seems silly to try and argue that an age where people could still be lynched and beating women was hushed is better than today
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Yeah, silly me, I just feel like in Orwell's "1984" where the Party wants me to think we are so better off than our ancestors. :roll:
 
Hatuey said:
Ah yes... the 50s... blatant sexism, racism, US expansionism, covert wars and gangsterism. That's the time we want to go back to.
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Racism existed, but was mostly in the South. Sexism? Give me a break. Women could work and attend universities if they wanted to. Feminists like Steinem and Dworkin made 50's housewives out to be chattel, when the reality is they had a great deal of freedom and the highest standard of living compared to women of previous generations.
 
Voltaire X said:
In my opinion, this is the best time to be alive in human history, on an overall level. Obviously if you look at specific people or countries, you can say it's worse now (such as comparing Syria now to Syria 5 years ago), but on a global scale this is the best year ever. This video made by the BBC statistically demonstrates this:

Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC Four - YouTube


Basically, never before have so many people had such a long lifespan and such a high standard of living. The income figures shown are in real terms, meaning they adjust for inflation. The reason I am making this a poll is because there seems to be a fallacy (in my opinion) that a lot of people have today that life was somehow better back in the '50s and '60s. People have this illusion of a golden era. I say it's just nostalgia goggles, and that we humans are much much better off than ever before.
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Yes. Unquestionably. The possibility afforded to us today exceeds that of all other eras. Even if we were talking about relatively short time spans it would be a terrible mistake to yearn for the 1990's or the 1950's. When I think about the incredible bounty we have awaiting us as we move forward in the 21st Century, especially as our scientific and technological achievements continue to accelerate, I can't imagine anything worse than rolling back the clock.
 
Yes. If there is a time period you would like to go back, those options exist. Stone Age? Sell everything you own, buy a one way ticket to Africa, and go. Live with a tribe. Middle Ages? Mad rica again, but pick a country with a lot of civil unrest. Try a diamond producing country. Industrial revolution? Move to India. Post revolution? Try China. Want the 50s? For the US, anyway? Go to Germany.


We have AC, plenty of food, and fast cars. I'm happy.
 
Lord Tammerlain said:
To be honest


The muscle cars of the 60-70s are not all that fast in comparison to todays cars. The Mustang GT of today is fast then all but the most limited edition race prepped mustangs of the 60s. The Honda Accord V6 is faster then all but the highest performance models of the muscle cars. Not to mention it is safer, more comfortable and gets better milage
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I am more interested in how the car feels to drive and to look at. I had the '05 Mustang GT and while it was a nice car I don't see it as a collectible or a car I would want to have for an extended period of time.

I am more of a Cadillac guy than a muscle car guy. There is nothing like driving a '60s Cadillac on the highway blowing everybody off the road.
 
Starbuck said:
The 1980's and 1990's were definitely bad years for automobiles, but starting in the early 200's things definitely started to improve.

I did however enjoy my 1973 Chevy custom pickup. Her name was Gloria.



I agree that government regulations provided us with some sub-par vehicles, but auto makers have definitely come around and even excelled at making super fast/ safe vehicles.

Tesla currently being at the front of this race:

View attachment 67155060
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If you like cars that all look alike and drive alike, then yeah the 2000s are great cars.

There is nothing special about any new car on the market, nor will they be around in 20 years.

I like the 1973 Chevys. That year stands out to me for a few reasons.

The new cars are meant to be disposed of after a certain period of time and that is exactly what will happen.
 
Voltaire X said:
In my opinion, this is the best time to be alive in human history, on an overall level. Obviously if you look at specific people or countries, you can say it's worse now (such as comparing Syria now to Syria 5 years ago), but on a global scale this is the best year ever. This video made by the BBC statistically demonstrates this:

Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC Four - YouTube


Basically, never before have so many people had such a long lifespan and such a high standard of living. The income figures shown are in real terms, meaning they adjust for inflation. The reason I am making this a poll is because there seems to be a fallacy (in my opinion) that a lot of people have today that life was somehow better back in the '50s and '60s. People have this illusion of a golden era. I say it's just nostalgia goggles, and that we humans are much much better off than ever before.
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Probably. I like having access to modern technology from air travel to toilet paper to air-conditioning.
 
Smeagol said:
Probably. I like having access to modern technology from air travel to toilet paper to air-conditioning.
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You may have changed my mind with the mention of TP. :mrgreen:
 
Canell said:
Today sucks!

The PC is killing my eyes (so as I am seriously considering getting rid of it), food is full of **** (additives, preservatives, E101, GMO, etc), bankers gone wild, crime, people are unhappy... I'd take the 50's any time.
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A lot of what you cite can be dealt with by each individual in 2013. Don't use a PC or get some sort of glare filter. Eat organic food. Bank at a credit union. Listen to oldies. ;)
 
Mason66 said:
I am more interested in how the car feels to drive and to look at. I had the '05 Mustang GT and while it was a nice car I don't see it as a collectible or a car I would want to have for an extended period of time.

I am more of a Cadillac guy than a muscle car guy. There is nothing like driving a '60s Cadillac on the highway blowing everybody off the road.
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Except for driving a 600 hp MB AMG S65
 
yes it is the best time to be alive... at least when you are ready to die you do not have to suffer....also I like my electronic toys... cant beat that!!!! now the people that are trying there best to break the American dollar they miss the slavery days when they could do what they want with another human...and I mean anything they want like women and children girls and boys... we know who you are.......
 
Lord Tammerlain said:
Except for driving a 600 hp MB AMG S65
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MY friend just got rid of his E63 not long ago. It was a nice car, but he had to be worried about being killed for it.

Also how many of those fancy systems will be working in 20 years? Who is going to fix them?
 
clownboy said:
You may have changed my mind with the mention of TP. :mrgreen:
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I think the common practice back in the day was wipe with a corn cob or a rag everybody in the family shared. No deodorant. No hot running water. No toothpaste. People probably wore dirty clothes a lot because laundry was REALLY a chore. Feminine hygiene products are relatively new. The zoo probably smelled great compared to people.
 
Mason66 said:
If you like cars that all look alike and drive alike, then yeah the 2000s are great cars.
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I drive a Mercury Grand Marquis, my wife drives a Toyota Corolla. Both are relatively new and completely different. Aside from the fact that they both have four tires and use 87 octane, they have just as much in common as my 73' chevy and my friends Torino.

Honestly, I'd say that there is a greater diversity in vehicles today than there was forty years ago.


Mason66 said:
There is nothing special about any new car on the market, nor will they be around in 20 years.
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Tesla-Model-S-Sunset-Beach.jpg​

The above care is the very definition of special. . . hell, it's even called a model S.

Mason66 said:
I like the 1973 Chevys. That year stands out to me for a few reasons.
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1973 was a good year, I definitely liked my '73 Chevy.


Mason66 said:
The new cars are meant to be disposed of after a certain period of time and that is exactly what will happen.
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I don't honestly think that is any more true than it was in the past, especially judging by the quantity of 10 - 15 year old cars I see still running around looking new. My last car, a 2000 Crown Victoria was still running great when I traded it in for the Mercury. Honestly, I would've kept it for another ten years if I hadn't found out they were stopping production of the panther platform.
 
Starbuck said:
I drive a Mercury Grand Marquis, my wife drives a Toyota Corolla. Both are relatively new and completely different. Aside from the fact that they both have four tires and use 87 octane, they have just as much in common as my 73' chevy and my friends Torino.

Honestly, I'd say that there is a greater diversity in vehicles today than there was forty years ago.





The above care is the very definition of special. . . hell, it's even called a model S.



1973 was a good year, I definitely liked my '73 Chevy.




I don't honestly think that is any more true than it was in the past, especially judging by the quantity of 10 - 15 year old cars I see still running around looking new. My last car, a 2000 Crown Victoria was still running great when I traded it in for the Mercury. Honestly, I would've kept it for another ten years if I hadn't found out they were stopping production of the panther platform.
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I have a 2000 Durango that I have babied. It has around 60,000 miles on it and it is falling apart piece by piece. The sensor problems have started which is like a cáncer, it never stops.

I also have a 1963 Plymouth Fury that sat in the same spot for 20 years, give or take a year or two, and with a battery and clean gas, it started and runs well. No leaks in the radiator and the fuel pump Works great.

I also have a 1983 Mercury Capri witha 6 cylinder engine that I have had to rebuild twice because the car sits more tan it is run. The car never runs right if it sits for a couple of weeks and the plastic parts are falling apart.

When the new fangled systems on these new cars start to fail, which they are designed to do, the car will be worthless.

The Tesla is a nice car but I don't think it will ever be a car that the normal person can buy or will use.

In 30 years nobody will say they wish they had a 2014 Corolla again.

Good call on the Grand Marquis. I wish I had bought one of the last ones.

Do you really trust your vehicle to stop by itself if it senses an obstacle in front of it? What happens if a car is following closely behind when your truck decides to brake by itself? What happens when the computers go crazy and do things they shouldn't do, like on the Toyotas?
 
Mason66 said:
I have a 2000 Durango that I have babied. It has around 60,000 miles on it and it is falling apart piece by piece. The sensor problems have started which is like a cáncer, it never stops.
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Either you've got a lemon Durango, or it's just a poorly constructed model. I've heard a lot of bad news about the Durango, but you need to remember that you are dealing with just one model. My 2000 Crown Vic had well over 100K miles before trade-in and was never babied a day in its life. Sure the oil was changed and tires rotated, but I bought that car to drive. Same thing with my 1989 Oldsmobile 89, great car with 189K before it was wrecked when I got rear ended by a guy in a tow truck (how convenient).

Sure a Corolla isn't going to be having people clamoring after any single model year, especially a decade from now, but that's not what those cars were designed for. How many people are out there actively looking for a '70 Mercury Monterey? Aside from avid collectors.

I'd argue that Corollas aside, millions of people run back each year to find specific Honda Civic models (Same with Golfs, 300s and Altima's)

Mason66 said:
Do you really trust your vehicle to stop by itself if it senses an obstacle in front of it? What happens if a car is following closely behind when your truck decides to brake by itself? What happens when the computers go crazy and do things they shouldn't do, like on the Toyotas?
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Personally, I don't like the idea of having a computer do my driving. I'm all about road trips and getting behind the wheel on a dusty desert road, lots of great highway in the southwest. I'm sure at some point in the future I'll have to surrender some of my control and likely will get much more done on the way to work.

For now though, I'm pretty happy with the quality/ type of cars being produced today.

Not saying that cars in the 60's/ 70's were bad, hell I loved my chevy, but all the same.
 
Starbuck said:
Either you've got a lemon Durango, or it's just a poorly constructed model. I've heard a lot of bad news about the Durango, but you need to remember that you are dealing with just one model. My 2000 Crown Vic had well over 100K miles before trade-in and was never babied a day in its life. Sure the oil was changed and tires rotated, but I bought that car to drive. Same thing with my 1989 Oldsmobile 89, great car with 189K before it was wrecked when I got rear ended by a guy in a tow truck (how convenient).

Sure a Corolla isn't going to be having people clamoring after any single model year, especially a decade from now, but that's not what those cars were designed for. How many people are out there actively looking for a '70 Mercury Monterey? Aside from avid collectors.

I'd argue that Corollas aside, millions of people run back each year to find specific Honda Civic models (Same with Golfs, 300s and Altima's)



Personally, I don't like the idea of having a computer do my driving. I'm all about road trips and getting behind the wheel on a dusty desert road, lots of great highway in the southwest. I'm sure at some point in the future I'll have to surrender some of my control and likely will get much more done on the way to work.

For now though, I'm pretty happy with the quality/ type of cars being produced today.

Not saying that cars in the 60's/ 70's were bad, hell I loved my chevy, but all the same.
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My Durango is not a lemon. It performed fine for many years but once a newer car starts to have problema it is like a snowball rolling downhill.

The older cars were not like that, well most of them.
 
Except for Vietnam and Jimmy Carter, my Dad has enjoyed a much more secure life span than I will see.
 
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