Yeah, same. Life as any subsistence farmer is fucking hard, and it astounds me that people still think that folks living in houses made of poop (okay, okay, traditional wattle and daub buildings are only partly animal manure) did so because they had plenty of time on their hands and were just partying a third of the year away, with reasonable work hours, unlike us peasants (ha).
People seem to want to think that injustice now means it’s never been worse, or else you can’t complain. We can, and should complain, and do more than that. But it’s okay to admit we’re not living in poop houses anymore, I promise it won’t cause sudden mass contentment with our lives under modern regimes.
People take for granted all sorts of conveniences that are not even new to the industrial age, but new to the pre-industrial modern period. For all the things we suffer now and shouldn’t have to, it still pales in comparison to life as a subsistence farmer in a feudal society.
But it’s okay to admit we’re not living in poop houses anymore, I promise it won’t cause sudden mass contentment with our lives under modern regimes.
In fact, I feel refusal to admit this or similar actually **hurts **the cause. If we can’t admit to basic reality, why should anyone trust us about anything? If someone tells me that trump is bad because he turned them into a newt, well I’m going start to doubt the other cases they’re bringing forward against trump (unless that someone still looks very newt-y.)
Being unable to admit or ignorant of reality doesn’t make our case any more compelling, except to the similarly ignorant or converted.
But I heard life was better as a medieval peasant! /s
(I know kids don’t know a lot but damn that take bothers the hell out of me.
Yeah, same. Life as any subsistence farmer is fucking hard, and it astounds me that people still think that folks living in houses made of poop (okay, okay, traditional wattle and daub buildings are only partly animal manure) did so because they had plenty of time on their hands and were just partying a third of the year away, with reasonable work hours, unlike us peasants (ha).
People seem to want to think that injustice now means it’s never been worse, or else you can’t complain. We can, and should complain, and do more than that. But it’s okay to admit we’re not living in poop houses anymore, I promise it won’t cause sudden mass contentment with our lives under modern regimes.
People take for granted all sorts of conveniences that are not even new to the industrial age, but new to the pre-industrial modern period. For all the things we suffer now and shouldn’t have to, it still pales in comparison to life as a subsistence farmer in a feudal society.
I agree with this so hard.
In fact, I feel refusal to admit this or similar actually **hurts **the cause. If we can’t admit to basic reality, why should anyone trust us about anything? If someone tells me that trump is bad because he turned them into a newt, well I’m going start to doubt the other cases they’re bringing forward against trump (unless that someone still looks very newt-y.)
Being unable to admit or ignorant of reality doesn’t make our case any more compelling, except to the similarly ignorant or converted.