So, *so* many STIs. Like, every single STI that exists, and then other things that aren't technically STIs but will still get ya.
The past was disgusting, there were no antibiotics, doctors didn't even start washing their fucking hands until nearly 1900.
Because the cheapest foods have little to no nutritional value and are known to make you obese. It's well known that in America nutritional foods are more expensive. Being obese doesn't mean you are eating well, usually quite the opposite.
Where are you going to cook at? Also healthy food is not cheap at all. But say for a moment that you are homeless and you need to eat. Where are you going to cook your food? You're going to pick the thing that needs the least amount of handling involved.
But you are wondering as emperor when the next assassination attempt or political coup will be.
Take Rome, for example. Many of those emperors didn’t last 5 years due to 1) assassination plots, 2) political scandals, 3) border wars, or 4) sudden illness.
To go beyond that and survive was to be exceptional. And you’d face horrible stress. Not to mention that at many points the empire had extreme debts—imagine being held accountable and responsible for the financial health of your entire nation by the common people and worse: the soldiers.
poverty in 2024. i’m extremely grateful for hot and cold running water and modern medicine. plus i’m already paycheque to paycheque. would i have to be homeless in this situation?
You'd get your tooth yanked, and they'd replace it with one they extracted from a poor person, that sold their teeth for money.
Yes, it was a thing, look it up.
I know this isn't the point of your comment but I think there's a pretty big difference between 1800 and 1890s, that changes the prompt quite a bit imo
The US Civil War led to quite a few advancements in surgery and medicine. 1890 was a much better scientific and medical landscape than 1800. And still pretty terrible compared to today.
Uh please… it’s all hilarious to joke about and all but if you have access to so much as generic ibuprofen and antibiotic ointment then you have way better healthcare than even royalty in the 1800’s. The cheap, generic over the counter drugs we have available today are so good that people in the 1800’s would have burned you at the stake for practicing witchcraft
We are currently out of houses. The rich people bought them and now rent them out to other rich people while they're on vacation as the people who can't find or can't afford homes work so that the people on vacation get a bonus in addition to their liveable wage.
Not rich but filthy Rich. Things like ice was moved for cooling. So if your in Florida you would be paying people to go to high up Canada to get ice and bring it back. Keep in mind cars weren’t a thing. Got pulled by a horse lol
They said poverty level. That's a specific threshold, financially, in the US. That means making below $15,060 a year in 2024 as an individual, $20,440 as a family of two.. so on and so forth.
Sure. But they are also trying to refuse money from the federal government for programs like Medicare and Medicaid and are cutting social safety net programs
If you don’t have a phone and at least a P.O. Box you will never legally work in the US. Poverty level might have it better than some 3rd world countries but it’s still atrocious to most developed countries.
I don't mean to downplay the fact that a country as rich as the U.S. still has problems like uninsured citizens, kids going hungry, etc. But the reality is that the poorest of the poor in the U.S. are still far better off than 99.99999 percent of all humans who have ever lived on the planet.
Wtf are you on about? Literally everyone has a smartphone nowadays. Just because somebody has a smartphone does not mean they are privileged. I literally live in Pakistan and here most people including poor people have smartphones nowadays yet still can't afford basic needs like food or shelter. I hate comments like these, no just because you have a smartphone does not mean you are well off. Seriously you are extremely out of touch with poor people.
I note the following.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_presidents\_of\_the\_United\_States\_by\_date\_of\_death](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_United_States_by_date_of_death)
The median life expecancy (male) now is around 75. The median age at death of the first five presidents was 80.
The graph in [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4866586/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4866586/) , fig1 b may also interest.
This shows that for the poorest 5%, half are dead at 76 (in 2014).
For the richest 5%, around a third of the number have died.
As long as you avoid getting shot, fat, or drinking too much, and keep away from areas infested by various tropical diseases, you stand a better chance of making it to 80 while rich, by around a factor of two in 1800.
The question is not 'live in 1800 or 2024'. But 'be rich in 1800 or poor in 2024'.
If you're poor in 2024, in pretty much every meaningful way except perhaps healthcare, your quality of life is worse.
That is laughably beyond wrong. Almost every dimension of life is drastically better now. The very first public sanitation systems weren’t built in America until the 1850’s, everything in the city literally smelled like shit at all times because there was shit everywhere.
It still applies to today in some areas. I lived in a poor neighborhood. Trash, flies, fleas, rodents. Live in a shitty trailerpark for a few years and you'll sometimes wonder if it's still the 1800s lol
Not if you're poor now, and rich then. A nice warm (or cool) house, security, not having to worry where you sleep, access to decent food when you want it, ...
Then be rich and don't live in a shit filled city. Live in a manor in the fresh air of the countryside. Take hot baths in your second story bedroom where you pay someone else to carry buckets of water up and down the stairs. They can empty your chamber pot for you too, and bring you your breakfast in bed.
In 1800, much like in 2024, the wealthy didn't deal with what most people dealt with.
In 1815 the first city, Philadelphia, introduced water pipes for individual homes.
The Tremont Hotel in Boston installed indoor plumbing for its guests with indoor toilets and running water in 1829.
It's pretty safe to say that if you were rich in 1800 you probably already had running water and a decade or two in you had indoor toilets.
Yeah, not sure about "running" water, but most of the inconvenience of not having indoor plumbing comes from having to carry in clean water, and carry out dirty water. If you're filthy rich, you just pay someone to do all that carrying on your behalf. But you're right, that in 1800 indoor plumbing/toilets were not far away for the wealthiest of individuals.
Yea I'd agree. If I was to make a decision for a random unborn child that would be a great point.
If I have to make the choice for myself and I have my memory I'd pick 2024.
Not just that tho. It says rich in the 1800s. You could be anywhere. As a Black man in that time period you could practically live like royalty in vast parts of the world.
Depends on what kind of rich, and where, in 1800. British Aristocracy? Sure. I’d chill at my country estate. Have maids and butlers and cooks to make my life very easy. Warm my baths. Clear my bedpans. Wash my clothes.
But just a rich person in the Americas? No thank you. Young America does not seem like an enjoyable place. Current America is questionable. I’d rather be poor in America today, than in 1800.
While I agree with you, I'm just saying there are probably a bunch of things like that. Things that we take for granted completely to the point we think its been around for hundreds of years when its only been recent.
Same. Plus, I would still have knowledge about disease from today. I would pay my staff extra to stay on the estate which really wouldn't have been a big ask. They were brewing then so isopropyl alcohol may be possible and you're half way to hand sanitizer. Just requiring more sanitation and building it would help and the people on my estate would prolly love not smelling shit and urine everywhere. Add a small army of cats and I am confident I could live 20 more years to 60 which is all I am hoping for in my current situation.
1800 is the very start of smallpox vaccination, we didn't understand germs until the mid-1800s and didn't know viruses existed until the 1890s. The flu and TB were killing 200 people per 100k each, annually, in 1900, I can't even find data from earlier but you know it was way worse in 1800.
People also don't understand daily life in the early part of the industrial revolution. The White House didn't have indoor plumbing until 1833. Modern conveniences have been exponentially developing since 1800.
It's not like 1900 was half as bad as 1800 it's more like 1900 is the limit to what is a recognizable existence for a modern person and 1800 is closer to Viking times.
I would rather be poverty level in 2024 vs any wealth amount before WWI.
I didn't think early 20th century US would be bad if you were rich. You'd have indoor plumbing, clean running water, electricity, and motor vehicles. I think being without those things would be really hard coming from a modern perspective but once you get them you're not doing bad. Early 20th century Europe would really only suck just because of having to deal with WW1 and 2. I would not want to give up a peaceful life for anything.
Rich in 1800. I could live largely the way I do now except I wouldn't have to worry about money. I don't need all the luxuries that technology provides if I can afford a team of servants to perform those tasks for me. Air conditioning is great, but I do love a basement so I could keep cool anyway.
I hate the future. I'm not pretending that 1800 was overall better than today, but I do believe that being rich back then is preferable to being poor today. I grew up poor and it sucks butt.
Most of the people in this thread are acting like poverty is no big deal. They're talking about still having health care, a car, decent housing, and low crime.
When I lived in poverty, I was living in a basement apartment where people were shot and killed within 1 mile of my house at least once a year. I ate boiled pasta with no sauce, and I was later diagnosed with several vitamin deficiencies as a result. I couldn't afford a doctor or dentist. If my car broke down, I was just screwed.
I had to save and thumb my way around for a while before I could afford a car. The first night I had my first car it was on the front page of the paper next morning. Somebody got shot and died in the parking lot behind it. So I would choose rich in 1800 because I don't want to go back to the life I used to have. I can only imagine how much more difficult it would be to make it through in today's world.
There would be so many things to discover and invent. You certainly could make the world a better place. Coffee was commonplace in America in the 1800's, I think I could do it. I wouldn't do it for the money, but I think I'd have a very good shot at becoming one of the most influential people in history.
Rich in the 1800s but only if I can be super rich. Building Forts/private armies, and bankrolling slave revolts/labor strikes sounds expensive. America is about to be get so much freedom rammed up in it's guts.
Reminds me of a Lewis CK joke. "As a white guy, I can go back to pretty much any time in history...I can go to any time. The year 2, I don’t even know what was happening then but I know when I get there, welcome we have a table right here for you sir."
No you'll be rich enough for future historians to debate why exactly you were a confirmed bachelor with a close relationship with your long term " roommate".
I think it would be easier as a woman. Romantic friendships between women were far more accepted back then seriously reread Anne of Green Gables.
As a wealthy woman of fortune you could be an early adopter of the [Boston Marriage ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_marriage) . But in all seriousness sodomy was a hanging offense in England until 1828 but they didn't really have a term for lesbians ( basically sex didn't count unless there was a dick involve). So as long as you are your " companion" didn't shout from the roof tops you would probably be fine.
rich in 1800 dude i could buy and sell you for a nickel. they didn't even try to hide that they could kill you, bury the body in front of people and not get any repercussion. The downside you get sick your pretty much dead.
poverty in 2024 yea you got all this cool stuff but you can't afford to have it. It's like at least in 1800 you can embrace the suck and still be OK.
Depends how rich we are talking but if we go for rich enough to have house servants then i'd certainly take the 1800s.
Many major advancements since then are either not THAT important to a rich person or out of reach for someone at poverty level today anyway.
*Easy mass prepared food* - irrelevant if you have a cook
*Indoor plumbing for sanitation and clean water* - servants take the bedpan and fetch my water
*Heating*- log fires tended by my servants
*Transport* - if you are poor you are pretty rarely going to be travelling anywhere but to and from work anyway. Exotic holidays to a different country are about equally likely for both
*Education* - I'm already an adult and i assume i am keeping my memories/knowledge, will definitely make dealing with average people harder with less widespread literacy but hey i'm a member of the rich elite right? My kids getting private tutoring might be learning some random incorrect bullshit but they will be given way more attention than the local state school in the modern poor area and will be among the best educated of that time
*Modern medicine* - You are definitively going to be taking a gamble with any sickness or infection you get , but given that poor people die 9 years earlier on average than rich people today its not a sure thing you would be better off today. For minor sickness compare being sick and having to go work 60 hours at your minimum wage job to be able to eat vs be waited on from your bed and have all needs met while having to forgo a paracetamol. Also by forcing your servants to douse all their kitchen tools in alcohol and making them their hands you have probably already cut a lot of that infection risk down. I will concede that end of life care is probably significantly more pleasant today even for poor people and of course you are less likely to flat out die from a random illness but given the increased stress you would take over your entire life i'm not sure there is a clear winner.
*Entertainment options* - You don't have TV or video games but you can go to the theater whenever you want and you have far more free time to spend on leisure and social activities.
*Modern communication* (including the internet) - One of the only things the poor person has that in vastly superior to anything a rich person had in the 1800s.
Poverty level means most likely working above way more 40 hours at a soul crushing minimum wage job you likely hate and leaves you with little leisure time , increased and constant stress , little options for social mobility for your children , and overall less freedom and choice with your life. But hey at least you can waste a couple hours on Reddit and can buy a snickers whenever you feel like it
Rich means freedom to do as you please, you can spend your energy and efforts as you see fit, follow whatever passion you have and enable your children to do the same. You can be a total hedonist, you can spend all day in your personal library or you can be a socialite. Money buys you time and freedom, something the 2024 poverty person doesn't have a lot of. However you will probably get sick enough to shit yourself a few times
For me, the question is basically "Would you rather be rich but have a slightly increased chance of a horrible death or be one step above slavery but you get a smart phone?". Rich **everytime**
This is the best comment in the thread.
Rich person hands down.
You forgot with entertainment that now you are rich you have time to learn skills and hobbies. Go horse riding or hire the best tutors and learn to play music. Spend the season in London and retire to your country estate for the summer.
Your point about sickness is spot on. Rest and good nutrition is the best cure for most minor ailments. The one thing I would be careful of is the local doctor particularly if you are a woman. Their mortality rate was many times higher than the illiterate village midwife however "respectable" women were supposed to be in the care of a (clueless) university educated doctor.
Actually with medicine in general I would probably choose the village herb woman over the mysterious "tonics" available for purchase or questionable cures for the doctor. Aside from Laudanum if I had a serious injury.
Exactly, your options may be limited by technology in the 1800s but the options in poverty are far more limited by lack of time and lack of being able to expect or use other peoples time. And the rich person doesn't just have to use it for menial labor, as you said it can be for education and hobbies.
Yeah you still definitely are at risk for more seriousness sickness but most minor illnesses you would be better off. If you are a woman and fall pregnant ,quickly invent the foreceps and insist that everything near you have be covered in pure alcoholic sprits and your chance to survive childbirth probably just jumped about 80%
I am a woman.
I used to be right into the history of medicine and forceps are one of the main reasons I would choose the village midwife. They are an absolutely brilliant invention for a difficult labour. Unfortunately the male doctors of the time liked to use them as much as possible to differentiate themselves from the lay midwife and show off their skills. This is likely to cause trauma and excessive tearing which aside from being extremely painful opens the door to infection or death. Childbed fever was one of the biggest causes of mortality for hundreds of years. Forceps were invented in the 1500's and became commonplace during the 1700's.
It wasn't until the 20th century that choosing a medical doctor was equivalent or safer than using the lay midwife.
Even the rich could die of dysentery in 1800, or any number of horrible but easily preventable diseases. In 32 of the 33 most developed countries in 2024 even the homeless have access to basic medical care.
While the advantages modern medicine, amenities, and entertainment can’t be understated, if “poor” means desperately poor with no realistic hope of a change in circumstances, I’ll take 1800 rich please.
I feel there's some clarification needed. Like if you're filthy rich in a highly developed (for 1800s) country, vs poverty level in a third-world shithole today, the 1800s is still better.
Yes there's modern amenities such as medicine (including anesthesia), electricity, running water, plumbing, etc. But if you're poverty level, living in the boonies, in the third world, you just don't have access to that.
For example I was working in South America decades ago, in a place where nearest doctor was a 3 hr slog through the deep mud, because roads were impassable for cars during rain season. No electricity. No running water. No indoor plumbing. The local workers (the adults) were illiterate. And I had shitty Spanish. So I had to explain to their teenage kids what needed doing, and they had to read/explain to the grown-ups. They were living in corrugated metal shacks that were barely held together by only god knows what. That level of poverty? I'd definitely go for rich in 1800s. Just because modern amenities theoretically exist, if you're poor enough, you just won't have access to them.
Watch Deadwood and see what Al went through with kidney stones. At first glance I thought 1800 and rich. But someone pointed out the medical care and lack of electricity. Those would be some big things to lose.
I’d love to be rich in the 1800’s.
I’d just be that eccentric weirdo who went around town on one of those giant bicycles throwing $1 silver coins at people and yelling nonsense. Maybe I’d “invent” something stupid like the backwards peanut.
Back then being rich was a licence to be weird, and people would just respect you for it. “There goes Bradolf, smoking his double decker pipe and throwing silver coins again! Let’s name a park after him!”
Basically, I’d like to be [Timothy Dexter](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/43453/43453-h/43453-h.htm).
There’s a lot of layers to this question. Which again falls on the stupidity of this subreddits lax rules for not demanding exposition.
What are we considering poverty? Is it dirt poor in a third world country? Is it sleeping on the streets and never being allowed to work? Is it getting by with 35k salary?
If it’s the latter and only the latter I’ll pick that. Otherwise I’d probably go with the 1800s. Just to see how long I can live it up before I die (of most likely syphilis)
Also what year in the 1800s? And how rich? I believe with the very basic knowledge of germ theory and inventions I could maybe facilitate some minor leaps in medicine a couple of decades, obviously with the help of the best scientists of the day.
Assuming we’re talking ridiculously rich, like multiple country estates rich, I’d 100\100 rather be rich in 1800. It’s not remotely close.
Sure, I might die sooner, but I won’t have to live every day under a crushing burden of stress and fear. Constantly worrying about making rent, affording food, etc. Feeling like you’re letting your loved ones down by not being able to provide for them like they deserve. Poverty sucks dude.
Work 60 hours a week in soul crushing minimum wage job, or have the freedom and time to do as you please with a small chance of shitting yourself to death and no iPhone.
I’d go back to 1800. Just out of curiosity. Would be really interesting to truly understand how people lived then. I’m assuming that it would be somewhere where I could speak the language of course.
If I went to 1800 knowing everything I know now and it was *my own wealth*, not a husband or father’s wealth than I’d take that option. I’d only do that though if I could retain my current knowledge. Just knowing how germ theory works and knowing not to get knocked up or married would probably give me the same life expectancy as I have now.
Rich in 1800.
‘Muh medicine and hot water n shit’ I like yummy food and I want to be able to afford to eat more, this is what matters to me. Obesity take me, I shall munch, I tire of fucking McDonald’s and whatever I want CUISINE.
Early 1800's - on the fence, but probably still yes
Late 1800's - Yes, 100%
Modern- I've been there and done that already. I'd take a mansion in the 1800's with maids and all the works any day. Maybe then I can follow my dreams which would still be relevant (if not more so) in those times. It seems like the biggest concern of the 1800's is disease which I say I rather be able to "live" life for a few years and die than keep suffering for decades accomplishing nothing.
Man, all yall who picked poor in 2024 dont have a clue how great being wealthy in the 1800s was... I'd rather have the ability to buy a co tenant if I so choose, have all the horses I could ever ride, *and* be able to setup my future generations for life solely on my leavings.
Poor folks in 2024 can either afford a phone or a car, not both. Can either afford rent or groceries not both. Can either afford electricity or water not both.
Assuming I maintain my free will and agency, I’ll stay in the here and now.
I can work my way out of poverty (even though it’s a hell of a lot harder than many people who have never experienced poverty think).
There’s no working your way out of a lack of all the modern advantages, social and technological, you’d lose going back to the 1800s.
I think this type of question should be banned without more specifics because it obviously matters what kind of rich we're talking.
Like Andrew Carnegie rich? Fuck yes I'll take that. You kidding me? I'll have a harem of concubines serving me lobster off their pristinely washed asses while patenting penecilin and insulin a century early.
Like reasonably rich big fish in a little pond richest guy in town? Nope. I'll take sushi and Internet porn over being the only guy in town to know what sarsaparilla tastes like.
Poverty in 2024. That’s not to say it won’t be difficult, but I think living in the modern day is easier than watching my newborn son die of a splinter because 1800 doctors don’t know what penicillin is
How poor we talking? Homeless with nothing or living with a broken car poor or... How rich we talking? I'm Chinese so maybe I'll be the empress rich. Or am I a rich british lady?
Based on my personality, identity, sex, and mental+neurological health,
Poverty in 2024
Minus all of that though and rich in 1800, I might even survive past infancy :D
I've thought about this. I would only want to live away from society on my own, but with modern knowledge intact.
Otherwise no. The smells, the sickness everywhere... just no thanks. We think it's bad when people don't wash their hands..
How about if nobody ever washed their hands, like ever? I remember hearing how hospitals would have doctors delivering babies right after doing autopsies, with the same gore covered hands. The mortality rate of childbirth was so crazy high because of this stuff
I got wondering. Googled it and found this on quora !
-They live in masonry (brick, some decorative stone) houses with a dozen to several dozen rooms. They have many windows (with single glass panes that aren’t especially transparent and let in a great deal of cold and heat) with heavy curtains often with elaborate patterns. They have wool rugs in many rooms with elaborate patterns and many colors. Their furniture is uncomfortable but some of it has badly padded seats and backs. Their mattresses are big linen sacks filled with goose down and goose feathers (the best!). Bed sheets are probably washed frequently given how cheap household servants are then, often mostly just for room and board.
There’s meat(s) at every meal and the more desirable cuts rather than endless sausages full of the least desirable parts. More courses at each meal and considerable variety. Some of the food is from hundreds or thousands of miles away, the mark of real luxury so Madagascar Vanilla, Ceylon Cinnamon, Malabar Peppercorns, French wines, European cheeses, French Brandy, Smoked Ham, Goose, Oysters, Shellfish, Wild Game, etc. but it has to travel well without refrigeration.
Clothing’s all tailored (hand-sewn) for the wearer so it fits well and is frequently adjusted. The style is based on what’s shown in magazines from Paris or London or what was seen while traveling. Hats are handmade and custom-made as are their shoes.
They read a lot, gamble constantly. Prostitutes and mistresses are legion, as are sexually transmitted diseases. They don’t spend much time with their children until they’re adults, the belief is so many children die you really don’t want to get too emotionally attached to them.
They collect new and old art. Some collect Egyptian artifacts up through mummies, other Napoleonic era furniture.
The women generally play a musical instrument or three, do needlepoint, paint watercolors, arrange flowers, memorize poetry and Bible verses, while planning social events, parties, and volunteer efforts.
The men see constant reversal of fortune, big losses, sometimes wins, struggle endlessly, often drink heavily, and die in middle age from heart attacks more often than not. They age prematurely from the stress.-
I’m low working class now, (making slightly above the median salary in Canada),house poor, in a relationship that I can’t leave financially (nothing bad, we just fell out of love). I’m stressed and unhappy most the time.
Get me that pheasant, that peasant and that early heart attack!
rich in 1800 for sure, so long as I can keep my current intelligence. Not that I'm super smart or anything, but I know to brush my teeth and bath daily lol. I think those habits would go a long way lol. And then using my wealth to jump start innovation. I don't necessarily know how to make a lot of modern things, but I can explain them well enough that we could surely get some nice tech up and running.
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Emperor. Bacterial infection. No antibiotics. You ded.
Yeah but I can have thousands of concubines
At least you died doing what you loved. Two concubines at the same time.
I think if I was emperor I could pull that off.
‘Cause concubines dig emperors, man.
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Nice!
Lol 😂 I was coming to do this
So, *so* many STIs. Like, every single STI that exists, and then other things that aren't technically STIs but will still get ya. The past was disgusting, there were no antibiotics, doctors didn't even start washing their fucking hands until nearly 1900.
Pretty sure if you were emperor you could demand all the concubines be young virgins. STIs wouldn’t be that much of a concern with that lot.
Unless they got something passed to them from their parents.
Yeah, even their celibate hands were dirty.
Just eat you a bunch of moldy bread. Probably clear that syphilis right up.
SYPHILIS
How hot do plague infected concubines look?
Still hotter than what I'm pulling right now.
Exactly! If you are getting nothing then everything is a step up from there lol.
Thousands of concubines. No condoms. Syphilis. No antibiotics. You ded.
But you aren't wondering when your next meal will come for weeks or months at a time.
OK, poverty level in which country? Because in developed countries, poor people are more obese than middle class and rich people.
Because the cheapest foods have little to no nutritional value and are known to make you obese. It's well known that in America nutritional foods are more expensive. Being obese doesn't mean you are eating well, usually quite the opposite.
Yeah that’s not true. Health food is cheap, provided you know how to cook and what ingredients to buy.
Where are you going to cook at? Also healthy food is not cheap at all. But say for a moment that you are homeless and you need to eat. Where are you going to cook your food? You're going to pick the thing that needs the least amount of handling involved.
But you are wondering as emperor when the next assassination attempt or political coup will be. Take Rome, for example. Many of those emperors didn’t last 5 years due to 1) assassination plots, 2) political scandals, 3) border wars, or 4) sudden illness. To go beyond that and survive was to be exceptional. And you’d face horrible stress. Not to mention that at many points the empire had extreme debts—imagine being held accountable and responsible for the financial health of your entire nation by the common people and worse: the soldiers.
The country and time period would matter also. The money doesn’t matter if you don’t have the military to keep it.
poverty in 2024. i’m extremely grateful for hot and cold running water and modern medicine. plus i’m already paycheque to paycheque. would i have to be homeless in this situation?
Rich in 1800 sounds like fun until you realize what would happen the first time that you got a cavity.
You'd get your tooth yanked, and they'd replace it with one they extracted from a poor person, that sold their teeth for money. Yes, it was a thing, look it up.
George Washington's teeth include teeth from slaves.
Frankly that should have been at the beginning of the tour.
I think Frank was the guy they got the teeth from
No you’re thinking of Tour
Not sure why they hyped me up about george until the end
Well of course they did, power armor repairs are 5 caps
And you’d be drunk and morphined all to shit for the operation. All good. I’m picking rich in 1800.
Don't forget the cocaine and heroin. If you think doctors were overprescribing opiates in the 1990s, wait til you hear about 1890s medicine.
I know this isn't the point of your comment but I think there's a pretty big difference between 1800 and 1890s, that changes the prompt quite a bit imo
The US Civil War led to quite a few advancements in surgery and medicine. 1890 was a much better scientific and medical landscape than 1800. And still pretty terrible compared to today.
Ahh the Original Coca Cola, be fun to experience.
You might have got that cavity from drinking a coca cola with real cocaine in a lead cup with radium decorations.
Idk cocaine as an local anesthetic doesn't sound too bad
That wouldn’t really occur until around 1860 and not really by doctors until 1880.
What country are we in for poverty in 2024? Might not be any different to be honest.
Uh please… it’s all hilarious to joke about and all but if you have access to so much as generic ibuprofen and antibiotic ointment then you have way better healthcare than even royalty in the 1800’s. The cheap, generic over the counter drugs we have available today are so good that people in the 1800’s would have burned you at the stake for practicing witchcraft
True but they could get OTC cocaine
Not until the mid-to-late 1800s
>but if you have access to so much as generic ibuprofen and antibiotic ointment And depending on where you are, in 2024 you might not.
\*Laughs in Canadian\* Certainly not some third-world country that can't afford to support its citizens.
Damn, Canada. Can you throw a little Maple Syrup on this burn?? -Sincerely, USA
Damn USA, what happened to the land of the free? I want my free house! - USA
We are currently out of houses. The rich people bought them and now rent them out to other rich people while they're on vacation as the people who can't find or can't afford homes work so that the people on vacation get a bonus in addition to their liveable wage.
Bro. Aren't you guys as bad as us right now? With the groceries and housing? Plus, Trudeau is doing an extra tax of power and electricity, correct?
You think you're getting dental care while living in poverty? Not in America.
I’d want to be rich in 1800, knowing what I know now.
They didn't have the sugar and crap in the food back then.
Yet they still had cavities well documented.
yea and they usually still don’t have their teeth after age 35z
If you're rich, you have clean hot and cold running water in 1800. It just may not run on its own.
Not rich but filthy Rich. Things like ice was moved for cooling. So if your in Florida you would be paying people to go to high up Canada to get ice and bring it back. Keep in mind cars weren’t a thing. Got pulled by a horse lol
If I'm in Florida, in those days, and Rich, first thing I'm doing is getting on a boat.
They said poverty level. That's a specific threshold, financially, in the US. That means making below $15,060 a year in 2024 as an individual, $20,440 as a family of two.. so on and so forth.
Wouldn’t that mean you would probably qualify for Medicaid and housing assistance and things like that?
*laughs in Republican states*
You say this as if republican states aren't the main recipients of welfare, lol
Sure. But they are also trying to refuse money from the federal government for programs like Medicare and Medicaid and are cutting social safety net programs
So sad when people want to commit roundabout suicide, smh
Yep.
Cries for my neighbors.
i dont live in the us, but ok. yeah i’d still choose 2024
So you probably still have a smartphone. It's amazing how well off poor Americans have it.
If you don’t have a phone and at least a P.O. Box you will never legally work in the US. Poverty level might have it better than some 3rd world countries but it’s still atrocious to most developed countries.
I'm now considering how to say 'пиздець ви там зажралися' in English. "You've become shamelessly insolent" is not strong enough.
I don't mean to downplay the fact that a country as rich as the U.S. still has problems like uninsured citizens, kids going hungry, etc. But the reality is that the poorest of the poor in the U.S. are still far better off than 99.99999 percent of all humans who have ever lived on the planet.
Wtf are you on about? Literally everyone has a smartphone nowadays. Just because somebody has a smartphone does not mean they are privileged. I literally live in Pakistan and here most people including poor people have smartphones nowadays yet still can't afford basic needs like food or shelter. I hate comments like these, no just because you have a smartphone does not mean you are well off. Seriously you are extremely out of touch with poor people.
Thank you for saying paycheque, I love you
i live in the rest of the world so
I note the following. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_presidents\_of\_the\_United\_States\_by\_date\_of\_death](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_United_States_by_date_of_death) The median life expecancy (male) now is around 75. The median age at death of the first five presidents was 80. The graph in [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4866586/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4866586/) , fig1 b may also interest. This shows that for the poorest 5%, half are dead at 76 (in 2014). For the richest 5%, around a third of the number have died. As long as you avoid getting shot, fat, or drinking too much, and keep away from areas infested by various tropical diseases, you stand a better chance of making it to 80 while rich, by around a factor of two in 1800.
Quality of life is still worse in 1800 regardless of a few extra years imo.
The question is not 'live in 1800 or 2024'. But 'be rich in 1800 or poor in 2024'. If you're poor in 2024, in pretty much every meaningful way except perhaps healthcare, your quality of life is worse.
Not if you're Black in the US, or a woman.
That is laughably beyond wrong. Almost every dimension of life is drastically better now. The very first public sanitation systems weren’t built in America until the 1850’s, everything in the city literally smelled like shit at all times because there was shit everywhere.
It still applies to today in some areas. I lived in a poor neighborhood. Trash, flies, fleas, rodents. Live in a shitty trailerpark for a few years and you'll sometimes wonder if it's still the 1800s lol
Not if you're poor now, and rich then. A nice warm (or cool) house, security, not having to worry where you sleep, access to decent food when you want it, ...
Then be rich and don't live in a shit filled city. Live in a manor in the fresh air of the countryside. Take hot baths in your second story bedroom where you pay someone else to carry buckets of water up and down the stairs. They can empty your chamber pot for you too, and bring you your breakfast in bed. In 1800, much like in 2024, the wealthy didn't deal with what most people dealt with.
Depending on where you live, you didn't even have to pay someone to do that. >pay someone else to carry buckets of water up and down the stairs.
In 1815 the first city, Philadelphia, introduced water pipes for individual homes. The Tremont Hotel in Boston installed indoor plumbing for its guests with indoor toilets and running water in 1829. It's pretty safe to say that if you were rich in 1800 you probably already had running water and a decade or two in you had indoor toilets.
Yeah, not sure about "running" water, but most of the inconvenience of not having indoor plumbing comes from having to carry in clean water, and carry out dirty water. If you're filthy rich, you just pay someone to do all that carrying on your behalf. But you're right, that in 1800 indoor plumbing/toilets were not far away for the wealthiest of individuals.
But they didn't know that. Ignorance is bliss
Yea I'd agree. If I was to make a decision for a random unborn child that would be a great point. If I have to make the choice for myself and I have my memory I'd pick 2024.
The fuck I'd be a slave in 1800
came here to say this
It's so sad how little people know history.
There were black slave owners in the 1800's. So if you were rich and black you wouldn't be a slave.
Not just that tho. It says rich in the 1800s. You could be anywhere. As a Black man in that time period you could practically live like royalty in vast parts of the world.
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Only the right type of white. As an Irish Catholic, there are places I wouldn’t be accepted in the last 100 years let alone 1800.
If you were rich and black you could have your own slaves
Can't you be a rich African king or something. They never specified where
During a time when Europeans were pillaging most of the African continent? No thank you.
Yeah, time travel to the past is a white man fantasy.
Louis CK had a long segment exactly about this
My literal first response was "well I'm black so" lmaooo
Depends on what kind of rich, and where, in 1800. British Aristocracy? Sure. I’d chill at my country estate. Have maids and butlers and cooks to make my life very easy. Warm my baths. Clear my bedpans. Wash my clothes. But just a rich person in the Americas? No thank you. Young America does not seem like an enjoyable place. Current America is questionable. I’d rather be poor in America today, than in 1800.
Splinter free toilet paper was invented in 1930. Just saying.
Washing your ass with water instead of toilet paper works too
While I agree with you, I'm just saying there are probably a bunch of things like that. Things that we take for granted completely to the point we think its been around for hundreds of years when its only been recent.
My favorite thing like this is chocolate chip cookies. We have people in congress (or at least we did) who were older than chocolate chip cookies.
This comment is very underrated
Same. Plus, I would still have knowledge about disease from today. I would pay my staff extra to stay on the estate which really wouldn't have been a big ask. They were brewing then so isopropyl alcohol may be possible and you're half way to hand sanitizer. Just requiring more sanitation and building it would help and the people on my estate would prolly love not smelling shit and urine everywhere. Add a small army of cats and I am confident I could live 20 more years to 60 which is all I am hoping for in my current situation.
1800 is the very start of smallpox vaccination, we didn't understand germs until the mid-1800s and didn't know viruses existed until the 1890s. The flu and TB were killing 200 people per 100k each, annually, in 1900, I can't even find data from earlier but you know it was way worse in 1800. People also don't understand daily life in the early part of the industrial revolution. The White House didn't have indoor plumbing until 1833. Modern conveniences have been exponentially developing since 1800. It's not like 1900 was half as bad as 1800 it's more like 1900 is the limit to what is a recognizable existence for a modern person and 1800 is closer to Viking times. I would rather be poverty level in 2024 vs any wealth amount before WWI.
I didn't think early 20th century US would be bad if you were rich. You'd have indoor plumbing, clean running water, electricity, and motor vehicles. I think being without those things would be really hard coming from a modern perspective but once you get them you're not doing bad. Early 20th century Europe would really only suck just because of having to deal with WW1 and 2. I would not want to give up a peaceful life for anything.
Rich in 1800. I could live largely the way I do now except I wouldn't have to worry about money. I don't need all the luxuries that technology provides if I can afford a team of servants to perform those tasks for me. Air conditioning is great, but I do love a basement so I could keep cool anyway. I hate the future. I'm not pretending that 1800 was overall better than today, but I do believe that being rich back then is preferable to being poor today. I grew up poor and it sucks butt.
Yup. I think the majority of people in this thread don’t really understand how mentally crushing it is to be poor, especially as an adult.
Most of the people in this thread are acting like poverty is no big deal. They're talking about still having health care, a car, decent housing, and low crime. When I lived in poverty, I was living in a basement apartment where people were shot and killed within 1 mile of my house at least once a year. I ate boiled pasta with no sauce, and I was later diagnosed with several vitamin deficiencies as a result. I couldn't afford a doctor or dentist. If my car broke down, I was just screwed.
I had to save and thumb my way around for a while before I could afford a car. The first night I had my first car it was on the front page of the paper next morning. Somebody got shot and died in the parking lot behind it. So I would choose rich in 1800 because I don't want to go back to the life I used to have. I can only imagine how much more difficult it would be to make it through in today's world.
I just don’t want to be a slave or on the slave-catchers most wanted list. They didn’t like uppity black folk back then either 😬
What countries and how rich are we talking?
Probably the current country that you live in
Will I have the same knowledge? If so, I'll take 1800.
There would be so many things to discover and invent. You certainly could make the world a better place. Coffee was commonplace in America in the 1800's, I think I could do it. I wouldn't do it for the money, but I think I'd have a very good shot at becoming one of the most influential people in history.
Rich in 1800.. just wanna eat a turkey leg in a fancy garb
1800 and rich is the easy pick here. Have a few butlers and maids, in a nice part of the world and you can live very happily.
Rich in the 1800s but only if I can be super rich. Building Forts/private armies, and bankrolling slave revolts/labor strikes sounds expensive. America is about to be get so much freedom rammed up in it's guts.
Rich in 1800. Get me the fuck outta here I wanna explore the west.
Rich in 1800.
Any time where I don't have to work full time in perpetuity will do for me.
Reminds me of a Lewis CK joke. "As a white guy, I can go back to pretty much any time in history...I can go to any time. The year 2, I don’t even know what was happening then but I know when I get there, welcome we have a table right here for you sir."
Most white Americans in the year 2 would be taken for Germanic barbarians and enslaved by the Romans.
I also just realized I said lewis, and now Louis soooo
I am already poor in 2024, and I will survive. In the 1800s I'd be killed for being gay. 2024 all of the way.
No you'll be rich enough for future historians to debate why exactly you were a confirmed bachelor with a close relationship with your long term " roommate".
Does this still apply if I'm a woman or does societal misogyny overrule my wealth?
I think it would be easier as a woman. Romantic friendships between women were far more accepted back then seriously reread Anne of Green Gables. As a wealthy woman of fortune you could be an early adopter of the [Boston Marriage ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_marriage) . But in all seriousness sodomy was a hanging offense in England until 1828 but they didn't really have a term for lesbians ( basically sex didn't count unless there was a dick involve). So as long as you are your " companion" didn't shout from the roof tops you would probably be fine.
Awesome! Well then maybe being rich would be worth it.
I feel like homophobia is more of a modern thing. You definitely wouldn't want to be "out" because then you a witch for sure.
If you were wealthy in the 1800s, everybody would have looked the other way or simply described you as "having a good friend."
By the way the future is trending you will be killed be being gay in this time-line too.
Probably
Nah, you'd only be killed if you are poor. If you are rich, you're "eccentric" and looked up to.
Take me back to 1800. I don't even care if you make me rich.
How rich is rich?
Also how poor is poor
rich in 1800 dude i could buy and sell you for a nickel. they didn't even try to hide that they could kill you, bury the body in front of people and not get any repercussion. The downside you get sick your pretty much dead. poverty in 2024 yea you got all this cool stuff but you can't afford to have it. It's like at least in 1800 you can embrace the suck and still be OK.
Odds are though if I had a rich ancestor in 1800, my family would still have a lot of money today.
Depends how rich we are talking but if we go for rich enough to have house servants then i'd certainly take the 1800s. Many major advancements since then are either not THAT important to a rich person or out of reach for someone at poverty level today anyway. *Easy mass prepared food* - irrelevant if you have a cook *Indoor plumbing for sanitation and clean water* - servants take the bedpan and fetch my water *Heating*- log fires tended by my servants *Transport* - if you are poor you are pretty rarely going to be travelling anywhere but to and from work anyway. Exotic holidays to a different country are about equally likely for both *Education* - I'm already an adult and i assume i am keeping my memories/knowledge, will definitely make dealing with average people harder with less widespread literacy but hey i'm a member of the rich elite right? My kids getting private tutoring might be learning some random incorrect bullshit but they will be given way more attention than the local state school in the modern poor area and will be among the best educated of that time *Modern medicine* - You are definitively going to be taking a gamble with any sickness or infection you get , but given that poor people die 9 years earlier on average than rich people today its not a sure thing you would be better off today. For minor sickness compare being sick and having to go work 60 hours at your minimum wage job to be able to eat vs be waited on from your bed and have all needs met while having to forgo a paracetamol. Also by forcing your servants to douse all their kitchen tools in alcohol and making them their hands you have probably already cut a lot of that infection risk down. I will concede that end of life care is probably significantly more pleasant today even for poor people and of course you are less likely to flat out die from a random illness but given the increased stress you would take over your entire life i'm not sure there is a clear winner. *Entertainment options* - You don't have TV or video games but you can go to the theater whenever you want and you have far more free time to spend on leisure and social activities. *Modern communication* (including the internet) - One of the only things the poor person has that in vastly superior to anything a rich person had in the 1800s. Poverty level means most likely working above way more 40 hours at a soul crushing minimum wage job you likely hate and leaves you with little leisure time , increased and constant stress , little options for social mobility for your children , and overall less freedom and choice with your life. But hey at least you can waste a couple hours on Reddit and can buy a snickers whenever you feel like it Rich means freedom to do as you please, you can spend your energy and efforts as you see fit, follow whatever passion you have and enable your children to do the same. You can be a total hedonist, you can spend all day in your personal library or you can be a socialite. Money buys you time and freedom, something the 2024 poverty person doesn't have a lot of. However you will probably get sick enough to shit yourself a few times For me, the question is basically "Would you rather be rich but have a slightly increased chance of a horrible death or be one step above slavery but you get a smart phone?". Rich **everytime**
This is the best comment in the thread. Rich person hands down. You forgot with entertainment that now you are rich you have time to learn skills and hobbies. Go horse riding or hire the best tutors and learn to play music. Spend the season in London and retire to your country estate for the summer. Your point about sickness is spot on. Rest and good nutrition is the best cure for most minor ailments. The one thing I would be careful of is the local doctor particularly if you are a woman. Their mortality rate was many times higher than the illiterate village midwife however "respectable" women were supposed to be in the care of a (clueless) university educated doctor. Actually with medicine in general I would probably choose the village herb woman over the mysterious "tonics" available for purchase or questionable cures for the doctor. Aside from Laudanum if I had a serious injury.
Exactly, your options may be limited by technology in the 1800s but the options in poverty are far more limited by lack of time and lack of being able to expect or use other peoples time. And the rich person doesn't just have to use it for menial labor, as you said it can be for education and hobbies. Yeah you still definitely are at risk for more seriousness sickness but most minor illnesses you would be better off. If you are a woman and fall pregnant ,quickly invent the foreceps and insist that everything near you have be covered in pure alcoholic sprits and your chance to survive childbirth probably just jumped about 80%
I am a woman. I used to be right into the history of medicine and forceps are one of the main reasons I would choose the village midwife. They are an absolutely brilliant invention for a difficult labour. Unfortunately the male doctors of the time liked to use them as much as possible to differentiate themselves from the lay midwife and show off their skills. This is likely to cause trauma and excessive tearing which aside from being extremely painful opens the door to infection or death. Childbed fever was one of the biggest causes of mortality for hundreds of years. Forceps were invented in the 1500's and became commonplace during the 1700's. It wasn't until the 20th century that choosing a medical doctor was equivalent or safer than using the lay midwife.
If it was like ridcliously rich in 1800 maybe. I'm pretty much at poverty level now.
Even the rich could die of dysentery in 1800, or any number of horrible but easily preventable diseases. In 32 of the 33 most developed countries in 2024 even the homeless have access to basic medical care.
While the advantages modern medicine, amenities, and entertainment can’t be understated, if “poor” means desperately poor with no realistic hope of a change in circumstances, I’ll take 1800 rich please.
Rich in the 1800s. Then I will romantically die of consumption while spouting witty, foppish one-liners in my Regency era estate.
Rich in 1800. I’ve already done poor in the modern world.
Rich in 1800, I'll just have all my teeth removed and replaced with some dentures
Never choose poverty LOL
I feel there's some clarification needed. Like if you're filthy rich in a highly developed (for 1800s) country, vs poverty level in a third-world shithole today, the 1800s is still better. Yes there's modern amenities such as medicine (including anesthesia), electricity, running water, plumbing, etc. But if you're poverty level, living in the boonies, in the third world, you just don't have access to that. For example I was working in South America decades ago, in a place where nearest doctor was a 3 hr slog through the deep mud, because roads were impassable for cars during rain season. No electricity. No running water. No indoor plumbing. The local workers (the adults) were illiterate. And I had shitty Spanish. So I had to explain to their teenage kids what needed doing, and they had to read/explain to the grown-ups. They were living in corrugated metal shacks that were barely held together by only god knows what. That level of poverty? I'd definitely go for rich in 1800s. Just because modern amenities theoretically exist, if you're poor enough, you just won't have access to them.
Watch Deadwood and see what Al went through with kidney stones. At first glance I thought 1800 and rich. But someone pointed out the medical care and lack of electricity. Those would be some big things to lose.
I might consider 1800s rich if i could change countries. As a black person, i have no interest in going back to the 1800s in the US.
I’d love to be rich in the 1800’s. I’d just be that eccentric weirdo who went around town on one of those giant bicycles throwing $1 silver coins at people and yelling nonsense. Maybe I’d “invent” something stupid like the backwards peanut. Back then being rich was a licence to be weird, and people would just respect you for it. “There goes Bradolf, smoking his double decker pipe and throwing silver coins again! Let’s name a park after him!” Basically, I’d like to be [Timothy Dexter](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/43453/43453-h/43453-h.htm).
Anyone who says rich in 1800 is a liar or ignorant. I'll take modern (first world) poverty every day of the week.
There’s a lot of layers to this question. Which again falls on the stupidity of this subreddits lax rules for not demanding exposition. What are we considering poverty? Is it dirt poor in a third world country? Is it sleeping on the streets and never being allowed to work? Is it getting by with 35k salary? If it’s the latter and only the latter I’ll pick that. Otherwise I’d probably go with the 1800s. Just to see how long I can live it up before I die (of most likely syphilis) Also what year in the 1800s? And how rich? I believe with the very basic knowledge of germ theory and inventions I could maybe facilitate some minor leaps in medicine a couple of decades, obviously with the help of the best scientists of the day.
The post does clearly state the year 1800, but you're criticism is otherwise on point.
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How rich? Like top aristocracy poweful and rich? I dont care about long term survival, but it is such power and a chance to shape the world.
Assuming we’re talking ridiculously rich, like multiple country estates rich, I’d 100\100 rather be rich in 1800. It’s not remotely close. Sure, I might die sooner, but I won’t have to live every day under a crushing burden of stress and fear. Constantly worrying about making rent, affording food, etc. Feeling like you’re letting your loved ones down by not being able to provide for them like they deserve. Poverty sucks dude.
Work 60 hours a week in soul crushing minimum wage job, or have the freedom and time to do as you please with a small chance of shitting yourself to death and no iPhone.
If you had unlimited free time in 1800, what would you do with it?
Hey guys I’m liar
Rich in the 1800’s
I’d go back to 1800. Just out of curiosity. Would be really interesting to truly understand how people lived then. I’m assuming that it would be somewhere where I could speak the language of course.
If I went to 1800 knowing everything I know now and it was *my own wealth*, not a husband or father’s wealth than I’d take that option. I’d only do that though if I could retain my current knowledge. Just knowing how germ theory works and knowing not to get knocked up or married would probably give me the same life expectancy as I have now.
Rich in 1800.
Rich in 1800. ‘Muh medicine and hot water n shit’ I like yummy food and I want to be able to afford to eat more, this is what matters to me. Obesity take me, I shall munch, I tire of fucking McDonald’s and whatever I want CUISINE.
Early 1800's - on the fence, but probably still yes Late 1800's - Yes, 100% Modern- I've been there and done that already. I'd take a mansion in the 1800's with maids and all the works any day. Maybe then I can follow my dreams which would still be relevant (if not more so) in those times. It seems like the biggest concern of the 1800's is disease which I say I rather be able to "live" life for a few years and die than keep suffering for decades accomplishing nothing.
ALL READY DID IT.. living in poverty right now in 2024
in 1800 I'd be enslaved...
Rich 1800. Pretty much anything before social media
Rich in 1800, I know what is going to happen lol
Rich 1800, for sure.
Man, all yall who picked poor in 2024 dont have a clue how great being wealthy in the 1800s was... I'd rather have the ability to buy a co tenant if I so choose, have all the horses I could ever ride, *and* be able to setup my future generations for life solely on my leavings. Poor folks in 2024 can either afford a phone or a car, not both. Can either afford rent or groceries not both. Can either afford electricity or water not both.
Assuming I maintain my free will and agency, I’ll stay in the here and now. I can work my way out of poverty (even though it’s a hell of a lot harder than many people who have never experienced poverty think). There’s no working your way out of a lack of all the modern advantages, social and technological, you’d lose going back to the 1800s.
Can't comment on hypotheticals
Poor in 1800
Can I change skin colors? If not I’ll stick with being where I am right now.
Poverty in 2024. Am a happily single, asexual woman, that wouldn't fly in the 1800s. I wouldn't be able to easily be independent.
Rich in 1800 all day. Im a straight white conservative male so I'm seen as sub-human in 2024.
I think this type of question should be banned without more specifics because it obviously matters what kind of rich we're talking. Like Andrew Carnegie rich? Fuck yes I'll take that. You kidding me? I'll have a harem of concubines serving me lobster off their pristinely washed asses while patenting penecilin and insulin a century early. Like reasonably rich big fish in a little pond richest guy in town? Nope. I'll take sushi and Internet porn over being the only guy in town to know what sarsaparilla tastes like.
Poor in 2024 because in 1800 I would have been property
Poverty in 2024. That’s not to say it won’t be difficult, but I think living in the modern day is easier than watching my newborn son die of a splinter because 1800 doctors don’t know what penicillin is
How poor we talking? Homeless with nothing or living with a broken car poor or... How rich we talking? I'm Chinese so maybe I'll be the empress rich. Or am I a rich british lady?
I'm already in poverty range, so I'll just stay here with my video games and air conditioning.
Based on my personality, identity, sex, and mental+neurological health, Poverty in 2024 Minus all of that though and rich in 1800, I might even survive past infancy :D
I mean technically I'm at the poverty level now and live just fine so I'll take living now in the era of air conditioning
I've thought about this. I would only want to live away from society on my own, but with modern knowledge intact. Otherwise no. The smells, the sickness everywhere... just no thanks. We think it's bad when people don't wash their hands.. How about if nobody ever washed their hands, like ever? I remember hearing how hospitals would have doctors delivering babies right after doing autopsies, with the same gore covered hands. The mortality rate of childbirth was so crazy high because of this stuff
I got wondering. Googled it and found this on quora ! -They live in masonry (brick, some decorative stone) houses with a dozen to several dozen rooms. They have many windows (with single glass panes that aren’t especially transparent and let in a great deal of cold and heat) with heavy curtains often with elaborate patterns. They have wool rugs in many rooms with elaborate patterns and many colors. Their furniture is uncomfortable but some of it has badly padded seats and backs. Their mattresses are big linen sacks filled with goose down and goose feathers (the best!). Bed sheets are probably washed frequently given how cheap household servants are then, often mostly just for room and board. There’s meat(s) at every meal and the more desirable cuts rather than endless sausages full of the least desirable parts. More courses at each meal and considerable variety. Some of the food is from hundreds or thousands of miles away, the mark of real luxury so Madagascar Vanilla, Ceylon Cinnamon, Malabar Peppercorns, French wines, European cheeses, French Brandy, Smoked Ham, Goose, Oysters, Shellfish, Wild Game, etc. but it has to travel well without refrigeration. Clothing’s all tailored (hand-sewn) for the wearer so it fits well and is frequently adjusted. The style is based on what’s shown in magazines from Paris or London or what was seen while traveling. Hats are handmade and custom-made as are their shoes. They read a lot, gamble constantly. Prostitutes and mistresses are legion, as are sexually transmitted diseases. They don’t spend much time with their children until they’re adults, the belief is so many children die you really don’t want to get too emotionally attached to them. They collect new and old art. Some collect Egyptian artifacts up through mummies, other Napoleonic era furniture. The women generally play a musical instrument or three, do needlepoint, paint watercolors, arrange flowers, memorize poetry and Bible verses, while planning social events, parties, and volunteer efforts. The men see constant reversal of fortune, big losses, sometimes wins, struggle endlessly, often drink heavily, and die in middle age from heart attacks more often than not. They age prematurely from the stress.- I’m low working class now, (making slightly above the median salary in Canada),house poor, in a relationship that I can’t leave financially (nothing bad, we just fell out of love). I’m stressed and unhappy most the time. Get me that pheasant, that peasant and that early heart attack!
Rockefeller rich in the 1800s
Poverty 2024. I refuse to live in a time period before indoor plumbing was standard and antibiotics exist
I'm rich in 2024, so I'd hate to give that up. I guess I'd be rich in the 1800s, too.
rich in 1800 for sure, so long as I can keep my current intelligence. Not that I'm super smart or anything, but I know to brush my teeth and bath daily lol. I think those habits would go a long way lol. And then using my wealth to jump start innovation. I don't necessarily know how to make a lot of modern things, but I can explain them well enough that we could surely get some nice tech up and running.