Thanks, I have relatives who’ve experienced some of these things and it’s something I really think a lot of people just don’t think about.
Idealistic myths of history are just that, myths. I get that modern work sucks, I don’t like having to work 40 hrs a week for wages that aren’t enough to get by for uneducated labor, and aren’t nearly what they once were for educated labor. But a hundred years ago my foremothers weren’t spending all day relaxing, and one I know specifically was supporting her family for very little pay without the ability to open a bank account.
Also we can just apply the sniff test to this myth. Is it really realistic that people who were so poor they had to make their 10 year old get a job are going to leave a full grown adult at home if they can possibly help it? Those are the masses. People lack an understanding of labor history and tend to think that times are the way the well to do experienced them. And by that measure the 30s in the US were a time of cheap movies, new foods, the transatlantic accent, and daring people pushing the limits of aviation, all you have to do is ignore the hungry people traveling far and wide looking for any work they can possibly get.
Love your comment
Thanks, I have relatives who’ve experienced some of these things and it’s something I really think a lot of people just don’t think about.
Idealistic myths of history are just that, myths. I get that modern work sucks, I don’t like having to work 40 hrs a week for wages that aren’t enough to get by for uneducated labor, and aren’t nearly what they once were for educated labor. But a hundred years ago my foremothers weren’t spending all day relaxing, and one I know specifically was supporting her family for very little pay without the ability to open a bank account.
Also we can just apply the sniff test to this myth. Is it really realistic that people who were so poor they had to make their 10 year old get a job are going to leave a full grown adult at home if they can possibly help it? Those are the masses. People lack an understanding of labor history and tend to think that times are the way the well to do experienced them. And by that measure the 30s in the US were a time of cheap movies, new foods, the transatlantic accent, and daring people pushing the limits of aviation, all you have to do is ignore the hungry people traveling far and wide looking for any work they can possibly get.