tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3759869925907998476.post7281795169067182063..comments2022-03-26T05:24:23.613-07:00Comments on Period Inappropriate: The "Quaint" 1800sMrs. Flatteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03461192491117842075noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3759869925907998476.post-79328163973403776162011-05-18T17:08:43.376-07:002011-05-18T17:08:43.376-07:00I don't think people realize that people were ...I don't think people realize that people were not 100% self sufficient back then. You could decide to be self sufficient today but it wouldn't replicate their way of life. Many people bought their butter and ground meal from a seller. I always point out that after months of doing these things it feel like the equivalent of taking out the trash or cleaning dishes. <br /><br />I personally wish we would be more community oriented as they had to be. Today we just check up on everyone on facebook. Sometimes I wish I could visit friends down the street to borrow a book or just to catch up on the news.Stephanie Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13324411278252488163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3759869925907998476.post-16345986704393200282011-02-05T06:15:05.590-08:002011-02-05T06:15:05.590-08:00Excellent response, and I do feel the same.
I gues...Excellent response, and I do feel the same.<br />I guess that I hear from many others who do not participate in living history, and who listen too much to the mainstream media's version of history. I should have realized you were only presenting the other side for the many of us who present the 'nostalgic' side.Historical Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04979801752112100293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3759869925907998476.post-38331151279209435672011-02-02T16:30:46.090-08:002011-02-02T16:30:46.090-08:00I apologize for the delayed response. For some re...I apologize for the delayed response. For some reason the blog was automatically logging me out every time I attempted to reply. <br /><br />Anyway, thank you for the comment and the info. Perhaps I should have clarified my thoughts more in the original post. I didn't mean to imply that the 1800s were devoid of merit or that the century was something akin to living the Middle Ages. There were plenty of positives to living in the 1800s, even by today's standard of living. As an aside, supposedly TB is growing more and more resistant to treatments. Yikes.<br /><br />What I was trying to stress in my original post was that we should be content (and in some cases, thrilled) with how far we've come since the 1800s. I worry that some people look back nostalgically on the 1800s as a time that was somehow markedly better than the times we live in now, all because they didn't have to wait in lines at the post office or do as much paperwork for taxes, etc. While that may be true, there were plenty of very serious negatives that would make some of our annoyances today seem trivial. For instance, what we've talked about with the average life span. I understand it's an average, and I don't want people thinking they would be dead one day after their 39th birthday if this were the 1800s. However, what they should be thinking of (and what I would never actually say to a visitor) are facets of life such as, on average, how many of their children/siblings/friends would be alive at this point in their lives if it was the 19th century.<br /><br />Again, I can see the other side of things: in regards to some aspects, it does seem like life was less hectic and simpler back then. And I'm not trying to argue that our times are way better than any time in the past. But I try to impress on people that we shouldn't gloss over the time period and ignore the downsides; that in at least some circumstances, simpler isn't necessarily better.Mr. Flatteryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10801010059411890122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3759869925907998476.post-4051293274035224342011-01-25T12:06:19.103-08:002011-01-25T12:06:19.103-08:00An interesting post. I do agree on what you wrote....An interesting post. I do agree on what you wrote. However, there is/was a good side to 19th century living as well. <br />We must remember that we cannot compare our time here in the 21st century to the time of 150 years ago. There was a different mindset, I'm sure you'll agree, and it can be difficult to realize and accept that sometimes.<br />As for the "average lifespan. The following is what I wrote in a blog a while back:<br />"OK, let's get rid of this misnomer that 'the average lifespan of humans in 1863 was 39 years old,' or '...in 1900 was 43 years old,' or whatever other fallacy the emails or statisticians say. I mean, it sounds like if you were 39 in the 1860's you had one foot in the grave, for Pete's sake!<br />Well, let's clear this mess up once and for all:<br />In general, folks in the 18th and 19th centuries lived nearly as long as we do today. Yes, it's true. If one would take the time to read journals of the period, or census records of long ago they would find a good majority of adults living to a ripe old age.<br />So why is this false information being passed around as fact? Because, technically, it is true - the average life span in 1862 may have been 39 years of age. The AVERAGE lifespan. Now, take into account that, up until the mid 20th century, the infant mortality rate was pretty high. Er...I mean, very high. In some areas nearly one out of every two infants died before their first birthday. And then, from one year old to five years that percentage dropped. From five to 10 it dropped again. And so on and so forth. In other words, the older you got, the chances are you would probably see life into your 60's or 70's or even your 80's, just like today. Of course, death for women during childbirth was quite high, but we, in our modern day U.S., have been able to prevent that situation from happening almost completely.<br />Yes, people did die of heart attacks, consumption (TB), cancer, influenza, pneumonia, and measles. People today die of cancer, heart attacks, and pneumonia as well. But, where 100 years ago they had consumption, we have aids. We also have a higher murder rate per capita here in the 21st century in comparison."<br />I hope this helps.<br />I enjoy your blogs, by the way!Historical Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04979801752112100293noreply@blogger.com