Would you prefer to have been born in a different era?

Roger Mellie Man on the Telly

I often wish I'd lived in the late Georgian period. Obviously as part of the protestant ascendancy, not some native scratching myself in a mud cabin.

Are you generally happy with the timing of your birth?

Miss Demeanour

Roger Mellie Man on the Telly wrote: »

I often wish I'd lived in the late Georgian period. Obviously as part of the protestant ascendancy, not some native scratching myself in a mud cabin.

Are you generally happy with the timing of your birth?

11am was pretty shyte to be honest. The evening sometime would have suited me better.

This is a golden age for humanity, and I'm lucky to be living at this time. Any earlier and my life would be different by virtue of my gender, a previously fatal illness, and without the multitude of things from easy and affordable travel and modern medicine and housing, up to and including the internet that makes life so incredibly easy and interesting in comparison with only a generation or two ago.

Life isn't the struggle it used to be for the majority of people in the first world, we live longer, are better educated, are housed better, and expect to live our lives with a greater degree of contentment and happiness than ever before. Maybe a little too much expectation.

It's still a wonderful time to be alive.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

Late 60s early 70s America looked class...

Dr Martin

I'd like to have been a young man during the age of the discovery. Must have been mind blowing.

stampydmonkey

Wud love to be born in an earlier era but with all the knowledge I have now.

jeff bingham

For me to have been born in a future era where space travel is the norm would have been unbelievable. Fascinated by space and hate thinking what I'll miss out on

Alf Stewart.

stampydmonkey wrote: »

Wud love to be born in an earlier era but with all the knowledge I have now.

Is that you Biff?

Junkyard Tom

Candie wrote: »

This is a golden age for humanity, and I'm lucky to be living at this time.

Okay Candie but if you were to go back for, say, a year to a place and time to experience its zeitgeist when/where would you choose.

Me? I'd like to go back to the latter half of the 1970's to experience the New York disco scene. Must have been amazing.

Dr Martin

jeff bingham wrote: »

For me to have been born in a future era where space travel is the norm would have been unbelievable. Fascinated by space and hate thinking what I'll miss out on

If it makes you feel better mankind will probably have been wiped out long before we get the stage where is space travel is normal.

Laois_Man

I think kids born from maybe the 2030's onwards are going to have a terrible life

We've made absolute ****e of the Earth for them

That's if we don't all get nuked first

uch

No, glad I'm alive, never mind any other time

Junkyard Tom

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

Okay Candie but if you were to go back for, say, a year to a place and time to experience its zeitgeist when/where would you choose.

I guess living through the entire Axial Age would exceed average life expectancy by a little too much, so I'll settle for the twenty years that made up the Age of Invention from 1870 -1890 when human artistry and ingenuity went into overdrive and the telephone, the car, steam and gas turbines, the first vaccinations, the phonograph and a load of other stuff I can't remember was invented, and great writers and artists like Twain, Chekov, Rodin and Doztoevsky were made immortal.

Disco would have been fun too though.

BionicRasher

Would have loved to be born late 40s America. Hitting my twenties in the 60s and experiences in places like LA and New York. Wow that was a great time.

wakka12

Candie wrote: »

This is a golden age for humanity, and I'm lucky to be living at this time. Any earlier and my life would be different by virtue of my gender, a previously fatal illness, and without the multitude of things from easy and affordable travel and modern medicine and housing, up to and including the internet that makes life so incredibly easy and interesting in comparison with only a generation or two ago.

Life isn't the struggle it used to be for the majority of people in the first world, we live longer, are better educated, are housed better, and expect to live our lives with a greater degree of contentment and happiness than ever before. Maybe a little too much expectation.

It's still a wonderful time to be alive.

Internet making life more enjoyable and interesting is a highly debatable one. I wish i hadnt been introduced to technology as a child at a young age for instance

Medicine, travel, housing, etc are for sure improvements that we need to appreciate though.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Would have loved to have been alive in the 1930s and 40s in America.

Men in suits and hats, smoking unfiltered cigs and drinking neat scotch during the day.

Women acting feminine and dressing beautifully, they looked liked broads, not guys. The family unit being held up as the master key to the success of a society.

The height of our Western Empire.

It fell into decline later than that in fairness, the 50s and 60s were also pretty stable in general.

Arcade_Tryer

Candie wrote: »

I guess living through the entire Axial Age would exceed average life expectancy by a little too much

Life expectancy is a bit of a meaningless statement. Standard of living is so much more important. Obviously a blend of both is preferable, but if I had to select one, it would always be standard of living over life expectancy. Though I guess it's probably a causal relationship in most cases.

Arcade_Tryer

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Would have loved to have been alive in the 1930s and 40s in America.

Men in suits and hats, smoking unfiltered cigs and drinking neat scotch during the day.

Women acting feminine and dressing beautifully, they looked liked broads, not guys. The family unit being held up as the master key to the success of a society.

The height of our Western Empire.

It fell into decline later than that in fairness, the 50s and 60s were also pretty stable in general.

Don't worry, you're living there.

Arcade_Tryer

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

Life expectancy is a bit of a meaningless statement. Standard of living is so much more important. Obviously a blend of both is preferable, but if I had to select one, it would always be standard of living over life expectancy. Though I guess it's probably a causal relationship in most cases.

The Axial Age spanned around 800 years, that's what I meant when I said it was a little too much to wish for to have lived through it entirely.

Lorelli!

The 70s. I'd have been a glam rocker

I'd love to have my own version of Seán Ó Ríordáin's Fill Arís, except this time go back to Kinsale armed with 21st-century weapons to sort the Sasanaigh out once and for all.

Then I'd like to drop into the poets of 18th-century Munster - particularly into the tavern of Seán Ó Tuama an Ghrinn on Mungret Street in Limerick - and meet Seán Clarach Mac Donaill, Eoghan Rua Ó Suilleabhain, Brian Merriman and all the rest. What a world to have lived in!

Arcade_Tryer

Candie wrote: »

The Axial Age spanned around 800 years, that's what I meant when I said it was a little too much to wish for to have lived through it entirely.

Ah yeah, I just meant life expectancy in general. People bang on about it a lot, but I can't imagine how quite elderly people with low amount of savings and paltry pensions can be enjoying their magical life expectancy.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

Don't worry, you're living there.

I wish I was, a time when nature and facts ruled over emotion.

There's a saying in the legal profession.

"Hard cases make bad law."

I feel we in the west have being dictating policy on emotion instead of reason and logic for far too long.

We've grown weak, and like every empire in the history of mankind we are heading towards our downfall.

Arcade_Tryer

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

Ah yeah, I just meant life expectancy in general. People bang on about it a lot, but I can't imagine how quite elderly people with low amount of savings and paltry pensions can be enjoying their magical life expectancy.

I'd like to think that there are more elderly people who are like my grandparents, able to not be too concerned about money and with good pensions, than there are people struggling with affording everyday life.

I think loneliness is likely to be an even greater scourge in future generations of older people than poverty, so many people are remaining single.

Sorry for the OT post!

For some reason the georgian era always makes me think of the smell of vomit, milk, old brass metal, sweat, manure. I imagine having gout and having severe headaches from dehydration due to drinking wine and brandy and not drinking enough clean water. And I think of surgery being performed without anesthetic by some fat red-faced man wearing the kind of wig only judges wear now. Disease all around, people going around with pockmarks or smallpox itself. Probably a bit too far back in time for my liking!

One era that appeals to me is circa 1890s to 1914. I know the reality must have been different but I imagine it to have been an optimistic time, the people living through the times having never known anything better. No major war in Europe since 1870, lots of inventions since then, actual starvation had stopped being a serious threat since food could be transported via trains and steamship and could be better preserved. The old Mitchell and Kenyon films on youtube are great - everyone seems really happy in them, despite living in considerable poverty by modern standards. They go to watch football matches, kids enjoy playing in the streets, motor cars are a rarity, agicultural shows, cricket matches played in a relaxed atmosphere ...

When I think of the 1890s I think of the colour lavender, oscar wilde, music halls, women with those dresses that come out at the back and with narrow waists, that eerie feeling of it being a world now forgotten even though it's not actually ancient yet, with popular sportsmen, entertainers and important politicians of the time now forgotten by most. I imagine that old turn of the century font, as seen on Mr Burns' "Brain and Nerve Tonic" in the Simpsons. I imagine straw-boat hats. I imagine a sort of languid but content feeling on a Sunday afternoon after the dinner, sitting in a clustered living room where the colour brown predominates, and a dank smell of tobacco and tea fills the warm, stuffy room, with the sun shining through windows and a beam of dust is seen, the father wearing a waistcoat sitting reading the newspaper with hair parted in the middle and a moustache.

In Ireland I imagine dusty country roads in the summer time with sweet-smelling yellow gorse on the sides, people on old-fashioned bicycles, people eating stuff like kidneys and tongue, middle-class people are quaintly interested in irish revival stuff, people actually live in houses quite comfortable in comparison to the cabins many lived in a few decades before. And old lad in a waist coat with a beard everywhere except his moustache rides on a donkey-cart full of turf. Sugar, tea, bread and tobacco are available in small amounts in the local shop. Men in chequered trousers and farming hats and smoking a pipe walk with fishing rods to the river and nod their hat to you. Newspapers and books are easily available and evenings are whiled away reading them smokng a bit of tobacco. Gaslight and trams in Dublin city centre. Going to the seaside is a hugely fun day out, and they have those boxes in the water where you can get changed into a bathing suit. Punch and judy shows and carnival games, good times!

Idealistic waffle obviously but the mental image is comforting!

Dr Martin

Being a gentleman in the Victorian era. Devoting your time to whatever interest takes your fancy. Just seems so cosy.

Junkyard Tom

Dr Martin wrote: »

Being a gentleman in the Victorian era. Devoting your time to whatever interest takes your fancy. Just seems so cosy.

The average gentleman in the Victorian era lived in comparative squalor. If you got your arm ripped off in an industrial accident? Tough shit - become a beggar. Happy days.

Dr Martin

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

The average gentleman in the Victorian era lived in comparative squalor. If you got your arm ripped off in an industrial accident? Tough shit - become a beggar. Happy days.

A Victorian gentleman would not be working in a factory.

snowflaker

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

Okay Candie but if you were to go back for, say, a year to a place and time to experience its zeitgeist when/where would you choose.

Me? I'd like to go back to the latter half of the 1970's to experience the New York disco scene. Must have been amazing.

This would be cool, the only downside being the very high likelihood of contracting GRID

Dr Martin

snowflaker wrote: »

This would be cool, the only downside being the very high likelihood of contracting GRID

You end up working as a Canadian flight attendant.

Junkyard Tom

snowflaker wrote: »

This would be cool, the only downside being the very high likelihood of contracting GRID

I had to google GIRD to see what it meant - you knew about it. Fair play to you for being knowledgeable about gay sex.

snowflaker

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

I had to google GIRD to see what it meant - you knew about it. Fair play to you for being knowledgeable about gay sex.

And the band played on, Angels in America, An Early Frost

3 excellent movies dealing with the early days of GRID/HIV/AIDS

The Canadian Flight Attendant was Patient O, not 0, and incorrectly labelled as such, and did not bring HIV/GRID to America. Thats a disproven myth

Junkyard Tom

snowflaker wrote: »

And the band played on, Angels in America, An Early Frost

3 excellent movies dealing with the early days of GRID/HIV/AIDS

The Canadian Flight Attendant was Patient O, not 0, and incorrectly labelled as such, and did not bring HIV/GRID to America. Thats a disproven myth

I have no idea what you're on about and couldn't be bothered trying to work it out. I just like a lot of the music from the era and remember experiencing good times from the 90's rave/house scene which could be considered a revival of the disco scene from back in the day.

snowflaker

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

I have no idea what you're on about and couldn't be bothered trying to work it out. I just like a lot of the music from the era and remember experiencing good times from the 90's rave/house scene which could be considered a revival of the disco scene from back in the day.

Yes totally, the whole counter culture element adds to the zeitgeist imho.

Canis Lupus

Who wants some polio?

Electric Sheep

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Would have loved to have been alive in the 1930s and 40s in America.

Men in suits and hats, smoking unfiltered cigs and drinking neat scotch during the day.

Women acting feminine and dressing beautifully, they looked liked broads, not guys. The family unit being held up as the master key to the success of a society.

The height of our Western Empire.

It fell into decline later than that in fairness, the 50s and 60s were also pretty stable in general.

I guess you never heard of the Great Depression.

One eyed Jack

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

I'd much prefer to have been born more recently. Young people in Ireland today seem so much more in touch with the world, and the idea of Ireland as simply a small stone in a vast quarry, largely thanks to social media and also better, more inclusive secular education. Obviously there are downsides to this as well, but overall I think the benefits outweigh the gains.

I'd have thought the exact opposite tbh, that young people have become far more egocentric, largely due to social media, which gives them the impression they are the centre of their own universe.

It's just a pity many of the older middle class generation in Ireland is currently on a path towards nationalism and Irish language revival, rather than embracing new cultures and establishing a new, modern Ireland. An unfortunate backwards step.

Where are you getting this from?


I'd like to have experienced what it was like to live in Europe during the Middle Ages on the cusp of the Age of Enlightenment.

Graces7

At nearly 80, I was indeed born in a very different age..

Happier in the old ways frankly..

DEFTLEFTHAND

Electric Sheep wrote: »

I guess you never heard of the Great Depression.

Yeah it actually was an eg of a revert to nature, albeit in a very bad fashion.

Two bit guinea and mick thugs rose during the Great Depression. The collapse of the economy coupled with Prohibition led to a generation of men living a dark version of the American Dream.

Some very important alphas rose during this time. One would be Joseph P Kennedy.

An evil man to the core.

He got it all back in karma in the end.

Joe Jnr, John, Robert.

metaoblivia

I wouldn't want to be born in a different era because I like technology, modern medicine, and human rights, but I wouldn't mind going back and visiting Belle Epoque Paris - specifically during the art nouveau period - and live like a fancy rich lady for a few weeks.
A little time in San Francisco during the late 50s/1960s wouldn't be too bad either.

tomwaterford

Why would someone want to live before the internet was around?



The world is what you make of it,chances are if your miserable unhappy person now....you'll still be a miserable unhappy person if a time machine landed you back to the times you want to

Turtyturd

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Would have loved to have been alive in the 1930s and 40s in America.

Men in suits and hats, smoking unfiltered cigs and drinking neat scotch during the day.

Women acting feminine and dressing beautifully, they looked liked broads, not guys. The family unit being held up as the master key to the success of a society.

The height of our Western Empire.

It fell into decline later than that in fairness, the 50s and 60s were also pretty stable in general.

Would have been difficult to show how manly you were on the Internet back then though.

Noddyholder

I would have loved to live in the 60,s/70,s hippie scene in the US, All that peace n loving, groovy man with the smell of benjy of ya.

Arcade_Tryer

One eyed Jack wrote: »

I'd have thought the exact opposite tbh, that young people have become far more egocentric, largely due to social media, which gives them the impression they are the centre of their own universe.

People were egocentric long before facebook arrived. Some still are. Some still are not.

Where are you getting this from?

The huge resurgence in Gaelscoils, combined with the recent year long commemorations of 1916 and general nationalist sentiment creeping through the country. Can't read a comments section or most newspapers nowadays without claims such as, "It's part of our heritage" and "It's what makes you Irish". While Ireland is not on the same scale as the US or Britain in terms of political shocks, it is still going through its own national identity crisis, just in a more subtle manner.

Yourself isit

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

People were egocentric long before facebook arrived. Some still are. Some still are not.


The huge resurgence in Gaelscoils, combined with the recent year long commemorations of 1916 and general nationalist sentiment creeping through the country. Can't read a comments section or most newspapers nowadays without claims such as, "It's part of our heritage" and "It's what makes you Irish". While Ireland is not on the same scale as the US or Britain in terms of political shocks, it is still going through its own national identity crisis, just in a more subtle manner.

Ireland is probably the least nationalist country in the world - to an alarming degree. The 1916 celebrations were a damp squid.

The age of discovery, born into a elite naval family. Or to put it another way I doubt if someone born in that class in that era would sacrifice their life for my office job. Internet or not.

wakka12

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Would have loved to have been alive in the 1930s and 40s in America.

Men in suits and hats, smoking unfiltered cigs and drinking neat scotch during the day.

Women acting feminine and dressing beautifully, they looked liked broads, not guys. The family unit being held up as the master key to the success of a society.

The height of our Western Empire.

It fell into decline later than that in fairness, the 50s and 60s were also pretty stable in general.

Depends who you were, I doubt westerners of african descent, gay westerners or women thought the 40's was the height of the empire

it was certainly a more aesthetically minded time though

Capt'n Midnight

Dr Martin wrote: »

Being a gentleman in the Victorian era. Devoting your time to whatever interest takes your fancy. Just seems so cosy.

Same today.

If you were a gentleman of leisure back then you presumably had a large enough income to support your self and your servants.

Think of the stuff you could do today with that sort of income.

ChikiChiki

My own opinion is that the 90s was the peak decade on earth. Things seem so be going to ****e since the millennium.

micar

Hunky Monster wrote: »

Late 60s early 70s America looked class...

Being around and appreciating the music released in the mid/late 60's early 70's

1967 was an amazing year for new releases.

If only I were late teens early twenties then

PopePalpatine

Turtyturd wrote: »

Would have been difficult to show how manly you were on the Internet back then though.

On the plus side, trilbies and fedoras didn't have any stigma yet. :rolleyes:

As for a petrolhead like myself, I'd go for the 80s. I get a little giddy thinking about F1 cars which could produce over 1000hp from an engine barely bigger than what powers the average hatchback.

Lt Dan

No. Very happy to have been born in the mid 1980's

Why?

I can vaguely remember some tough times in the 1980's eg watching my dad sobbing that he would soon loose his job, through no fault of his own (Building work ended on that project and it was questionable that there would be much going on for a while - lucky to get the work) I remember it well because I remember being on his shoulders when Galway hurlers brought Liam McCarthy Cup across the Shannon into the home town 1988- First memory of a big crowd and colours- I missed the really bad days or was too young to worry about them - you know, with building blocks and train set being way more important

But growing up in the 1990 to early 2000's was the best time for young people. Easily. More money in the house,more opportunities, and going to Third Level Education was possible and expected since people could get financial assistance such as Grants,which, if properly managed (on top of part time jobs) easily cover your living expenses handily. By 2008 (2 years after leaving College) I saw people starting College with concerns about their grants being approved and paid. There was a story on the news about this and how some were seriously threatened to have to drop out. When I was in school , going abroad for the summer was a luxury, you did not really have to go. Post 2006 and during the 1980's, it was almost essential and not just for the summer.

1990-2000's was also a good time for Ireland in sports and culture. We started to get more confidence on the world stage and accepted that we belong there. Also, the North finally got sorted out. Music was great as well.

In the 1990-early 2000's the internet was only getting big in the sense that not everyone had it yet . Now, we even have it on our mobiles. Remember WAP and the old dial up internet , windows 1995? It is undisputed that it has become a huge asset, but it can also be a hindrance, even in the simple things in life like a pub table quiz being ruined by tools who cheat. A good spirited debate and row over some silly facts are ended within 2 minutes of a dispute by just logging onto google to get the answer. Where is the fun in that?

As great as the US might have been in the 1960's , has anyone considered that at 20 , you might have been drafted into the Vietnam War and come home like Tom Cruise in Born on 4th July rather than Forrest Gump, or even worse, in a body bag?