Very interesting report, Ken. Modern people -- even we now living modestly -- forget how good we have it when it comes to shelter/tents/houses and genuine homes. ADDED: I confess we post WWII baby boomers grew up thinking what we had available was normal in the larger picture. We had no concept that 1946-1986 living was an anomality.
This was an excellent historical review. I appreciate growing up in a golden age during the 1960s and 70's time of bounty in resources, education, and general optimism.
In our state you need to make 120 k a year to afford a house. Rent for a one bedroom apartment is 1700 a month, most people I know who build houses can’t afford to buy one. Pretty sad, investment companies are buying what my parents generation called starter homes are renting them out.
Oligarchy = a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution. This is what the US is coming to and the next 4 years it will get worse
Not just starter homes:any homes that they can make big bucks from renting. Here, we have retirees downsizing to apartments or starter homes. The selling prices are dizzying. 🤔🤯 Selling prices overall are just nuts! A week doesn't go by without some investment firm, realtor, or front man for an investment firm wanting to buy my home. No, thank you. It's not for sale. Besides, your offers are ridiculously low!
Your mom must be fairly young, cuz outhouses were still in towns in the fifties, and for decades more in rural areas. In fact, these days many homesteaders often survive without flush toilets.
I’m a millennial, my dad helped run plumbing to my grandparents house when he was a teenager (in the late 70s). All of his older siblings grew up in a house without internal plumbing. Living in a time without flushing toilets isn’t that long ago for a lot of people in the US. And is still a reality for many people worldwide.
Full circle. We started this nation all crammed together in a 200 sqft space getting paid pennies, and now here we are heading toward that way of life again. How beautiful.
Some of my ancestors came across the Oregon trail and pioneered in the Pacific Northwest under very primitive conditions, while others were well-off Europeans, doctors and engineers, who didn't arrive in the Eastern U.S. until the after WW1. So, my forefathers lived at polar opposites of a wide spectrum of conditions. Although our parents were homeowners, my wife & I were only able to afford to buy our first family home in California in our 40s when the bubble burst in 2008. Due to the rebounding housing market fueled by demand exceeding the supply, we were able to sell our property when we retired 15 years later for 3 times what we had invested. It was a modest 1947 ranch style "fixer" in Compton. When it sold, we moved to the Deep South and purchased a single storey 1898 Victorian built by a small town lawyer. It was one of the nicest homes in the area at the time it was built, but an 80 year old local said that it might have been the 1930s before the gas lights were installed and there was a car in the driveway instead of a horse. Electricity probably wasn't available in our town until the 1940s. I guess what I'm saying is that the standard of living has fluctuated all over the place depending on both individual resources and local conditions, despite the trends your video eloquently describes. It's an excellent historical timeline overall, although I think it's also important to note that we currently seem to be entering a 2nd gilded age with an ultra-wealthy oligarchy and a shrinking middle class.
McHenry, something was wrong to your ancestors. Besides that they had Oregon for $50 for 500 hectares, they had no Indian opposition. The difference between you and your ancestors is that you are not “hungry”. No drive to achieve anything and always ready to blame someone else. Your ancestors were “hungry” looking to make a homestead.
I used to feel bad that I didn't have a luxurious career. Then one day I thought about how previous generations didn't care about that. They just survived. Then I was more thankful for what I had.
I wish everyone would be required to watch a video like this! I love historical fiction, and history, and it really brings that “long, boring” car ride into perspective when you can think “hey, at least it’s not a horse-drawn wagon with no AC,” etc. Great video, thank you!
My grandparents always told me we are spoilt today as back in the depression days and earlier life was unbelievably hard for the ordinary person. If you fell you fell hard
Well I'm 45 and been falling my whole life. The people I know born in the 40s to 60s even got left stuff from their parents. Homes, businesses, items, money. Most of them later, they either sold off or used up for themselves. They will also get retirement and social security. The houses were cheaper when they were in their 40s and cars and cost of living was cheaper. Also, college was cheaper too. The only thing that's been good is giving more scholarship opportunities to the kids graduating now and the chance to earn college credits in high school. Us xennials got the shaft since we didn't get offered hardly anything. At least not here. Not only did we pay a huge fortune for college if we went, but we were taught in high school that we won't have social security. Most of my classmates have already passed. Plus, we can't afford a home unless we were left one or we rented. I wish teens in the 60s 70s were taught more about birth control.
@@amanda1099 Way to compare your life situation to the one generation who had the best circumstances in all of human history, and not to the whole rest of human history.
my grandmother was born in the 30s and talks fondly of the 40s-70s, I noticed she started becoming disgusted at the world with each passing year since I was born (the 80s)..she's still alive and not impressed with anything, she ignored pretty much all technological advances. I'm quite certain she would go back to the 40s if given the chance
wose becuase atleast the elite could be X_Xed, they will now have high high technology far beyodn waht they have shown us, possibly even EMP all the old tech so only their tech works.
@@slazeblaze319 Honestly the late 2000s wasn’t that bad except for 2009 and some parts of 2007 (at least to my experience). But yes like 80% of the 2000s was pretty great and to me was the last decade of when everything made sense. But I understand what you all meant by the mid and late 2000s becoming a bullshit time starting especially at 2008 when we experienced the worse home price and mortgage situations. I guess what you all meant that after the early - mid 2000s. Everything became a shit show since then.
Nicely presented. Now, if we can rid the government of corruption, we can all have nicer things again instead of being one paycheck away from homelessness.
Deregulation by our elected officials, of big business. They are forming monopolies and even buying the favor of some Supreme Court justices. Agreed. There is ridiculous overt corruption at the federal level and its done by so called fiscal conservatives.
@@jeffreyrichard2575 I couldn't vote in the 70s… I wasn't born until 1973… But you are right we all create our own reality. Not sure how that fits in here for society… It's a lot harder for society to create our reality… We could start with maybe being a little bit more positive.
Yeah, this is mostly correct. Although from around the mid 1800's and after, most american's were able to purchase parcel's of land, and build their own houses on this land. Many did, which is why/how we have the roads we have today. But the problem that exists in this video is that everyone had this same treatment. One large misconception is how people treated immigrants, foreigners, and former slaves/darker skinned individuals. Post civil war, it was possible still to "own a house" being any of these, but it was exponentially harder. It was harder to get a job, harder to get money to survive, and harder to learn a trade. And people did, my ancestors infamously did in my city, they built their house in the late 1800's, then all of their family built houses around their houses after. But they were darker skinned, in new york, married to an irish immigrant. Living in an italian neighborhood, where this racial divide was even greater than it was in the 1960s. That being said, it truly depends on the socioeconomic class. The poor were poor. The working class were working class. The 'middle' class didn't actually get created until post wwi, but a lot of this came from the backs of socialist ideals and socialist concepts added into the US in order to stop industrialization from destroying it's people.
@@jeffreyrichard2575Well, we're about to find out how things go without a functioning government. Given how quickly things fell apart 5 years ago, last time we had anti-government clowns in place when there was a crisis, I'm not holding my breath, especially with far bigger crises looming. The drop in life expectancy, the rioting, the collapse in employment opportunity, being the only G7 country that actually went into recession, before the adults were voted back into the room… I'm bracing for tough times, and some of the best educated people I know are already in the process of GTFO. And what do you expect will happen when 'THE GOVERNMENT' starts slapping crazy tariffs onto our biggest trading partners? Say bye bye to all the cheap imported goods and gadgets you've been enjoying since the turn of the century, and the year-round seasonal fruit mentioned in this video!
It’s sad we have regressed…..in most cities, a single person can not afford their own apartment, a 6 figure plus income is required to think of buying a single family home. Prices have risen more than wages resulting in increased homelessness, people living in their vehicles , and “Pad-share” style shared housing with communal kitchens and living areas
The video detailed centuries of large multi-generational families living together in tiny apartments/homes. Often times there were strangers living with the family as well But you are lamenting that a single person can't afford to live in an apartment alone? Are conditions worse now? Or are expectations just too high now?
@ in case you missed it, there was a time where a couple could afford a single family home on one income (the average income) Now the average income might not afford a studio apartment depending on the city I don’t think it is expecting too much to be able to afford a studio if one is gainfully employed full time or retired
@@nicolaxoxo1 - There was also a time when the government would just give you 160 acres if you rode your horse out on the prairie and staked a claim on the land. Times change. The value of property goes up as the population increases. People need to adjust with the times.
Reading the comments here it’s clear some people are not listening to your message. We live in a country where most people’s lives are so much easier. Thank you for showing that so clearly. I appreciate your channel so much. You always seem to bring an appreciative view of life, thank you.
i met and talked to a Nigerian guy who lived lower middle class in Lagos until he was 16 before migrating, his stories gave me a good appreciation for how good we have it.
will be worse becase they got way higher tech than they show us and they probbaly can become an (evil) iron man, altho becuase they are evil they will inevitably fight eachother once they exterminated all of us.
This is an excellent video. I have often cautioned people about viewing the past through rose colored glasses. When I look at the magnificent homes that are routinely shown on this channel, I have to remind myself that the only way my ancestors would have gotten into one of them would have been as servants. One of my forbearers died in the 1870s from tuberculosis (then called consumption) at the age of 36. He left a widow and five children without any means of support. No welfare, social security, food stamps, unemployment insurance etc. The three youngest children had to be given up for adoption. The older two were old enough to work. This was in an age when society only became concerned about child labor if there was s shortage. Thomas Hobbes once famously described life for the vast majority of people as "nasty, brutish and short."
Just a reminder that when the life expectancy was 30s or 40s, there were plenty of people living into their 70s, and even some in the 80s and 90s. Child life expectancy skew the results. It's not that everyone was dropping dead at 45, but that the death rate for babies was high, and even up to age 5, still quite precarious. After that things even out more.
While I agree that the standard of living has fundamentally improved on a global scale, unfortunately this video feels overly reductionist. It is true that the labor protections and progressive policies of the early 20th century helped to grow a robust middle class and gave us a _small_ taste of the unimaginable wealth that was ultimately created by us in the first place. However, do realize that _none_ of this is guaranteed... in fact, those who vie for power have been chipping away at these mechanisms for the better part of the last century! Sadly, the middle class is quickly evaporating and we are quite literally a stones throw away from a tragically dark future. And for what!? So that some rich pr!ck reach a new highscore in his bank account at the expense of everyone else? It's concerning to say the least.
Yep, I think videos like these should be shown to everyone, to show that without government regulations, the "free market" would lead to the majority of people living in abject poverty and that the vast majority of people would never escape it. Historical living standards need to be taught at all levels of education, and people need to be routinely reminded that all that really stands between our Post-1940s standard of living and that of the 18th and 19th centuries is simply legislation. The US unfortunately is now under a Government who seeks to bring back the economy and standard of living of the late 19th century back alongside the big business dominated Government. It's my hope actually that the Trump Administration goes too far, too quickly with their intent to destroy the Middle Class so that the US can vote him out and dismantle his Republican Party in 2028 before its too late. I feel if the MAGA Republican Party is elected again in 2028, there won't be free elections in 2032. Luckily, I'm European so what's happening in the US won't happen here. All of our major political parties would be considered Centre-Left to Far Left in the US, what is happening in the US would be unthinkable here. However, I do believe that Leftist Parties across the Western World need to put the social justice, identity politics, gender politics back to a secondary position and begin campaigning again on class politics and aiming to strengthen regulations, legislation and improve the lot of the majority I feel one of the main reasons Trump did so well is because the Democratic Party is too focused on identity politics that quite frankly don't affect the majority of people while inflation was sky high, people's purchasing power evaporated, the economy was in a mess which did happen under Biden's Presidency even if the causes are mostly due to the COVID Bill and Ukraine War. The Republicans atleast spoke about the Working Middle Class even if they ultimately aim to destroy them, Kamala Harris's whole campaign effectively never even addressed the socioeconomic issues of the US and focused on identity politics. .
@@Samwell_2024 Great minds think alike... Once I saw what an abject failure the Democratic campaign turned out to be, I quickly began to realize that this was _inevitable._ To be frank, the only choice given to us was between extreme-right with their "Ur Fascism" playbook, and the right-lite who fight to maintain the status quo. Doing nothing isn't viable option for most Americans anymore... but we are going to find out quickly that the fascists themselves are owned by the same corporate interests. If anything, this represents an _acceleration_ toward a corporate dystopia straight out of the imagination of Charlton Heston himself. Like you, I also anticipate these guys to go well overboard in their push to consolidate power and influence... It is the only real way I can see to bridge the political divide between those of us actually paying the price here... Social collapse may just be what we need in this day and age, as modern technology gives the opportunity to build any potential system with maximal amount of input from everyone.
You have the same opportunity at a high bank score as everyone else. Just because you're too lazy doesn't justify taking the opportunity away from other people and calling them pricks. I lived in my car at one point in my life and have a high bank score today.
@@carderrentals2470 It's not a zero sum game, but billionaires are treating it like it is. Giving more people more and better opportunities and support doesn't mean you can't still be absurdly rich. At some point money turns into political power and it only benefits those who have the most... oligarchy.
I understand some of the angst that many people feel today, however, we take so much for granted - including the hard work of previous generations who helped create what we have. The good ol’ days really weren’t as great as people imagine. I can remember long lines to buy gas, double digit inflation AND nearly double digit unemployment, 18% mortgage rates, gas guzzling cars that only lasted 3-5 years, etc. etc. I can remember when you were somewhat fortunate if you had central AC. We are rather spoiled today.
We are spoiled materially but the generation who grew up with iPhones have mental issues that no generation before has been able to fathom. It’s not a physical struggle but it’s unprecedented and very serious.
Raised in a hundred year old victorian farm house. Outhouse outback in the 60s. We did have indoor plumbing 1 bath with a box shower and a huge kitchen sink mom bathed my baby brother in. Things slowly got upgraded over the years. Tub in the bathroom, kitchen counters, cabinets and double bowl sink. Rewiring the outside fuse box inside the house with circuit breaker box. Insulation of the walls and attic so mom no longer left the oven door open to warm up the kitchen. Always something getting slowly better. Block garage built in the backyard, few years later it got a concrete floor over the gravel and an overhead door. Then things got to really getting nice. Microwave oven and VCR for a color TV. Eventually mom and dad had a huge satellite antenna for TV and central air. Lots of other things slowly got better over the decades but people don't really appreciate how good most of us have it these days. You appreciate things more when they get better and scream bloody murder when they get worse.
Yup, I grew up mostly in the 70’s and I remember cars rusted to pieces within a few years (I recall being able to see the street through holes in the floor of a best friend’s family car, which wasn’t more than five years old), and in my school I was one of the few children who lived in a home with air conditioning and who had been in an airplane. And this was in a relatively affluent suburb of Chicago. There is a housing affordability crises in the USA and Canada but the past isn’t the utopia many imagine it to be, either.
Basic Living should not be this Unaffordable here in the US. The idea of ever owning your own Home has become a completely Unobtainable thing. It all makes you feel like no matter what we do, it doesn't matter, you'll barely be able to afford your rent, you feel worthless, it has gotten so out of control. ~Serious question: HOW was our country allowed to get THIS bad? How is Nothing being done about it? It's not being talked about, it's not being addressed. This is the most crucial issue that needs to be addressed right now if we want to keep our society from collapsing. This obsession with achieving Perpetual growth is impossible. Yet our country acts like perpetual growth is a completely reasonable goal. There is no way anything can function like that. A huge majority of the population is struggling to even afford Rent.. All of this of course also affects small town businesses because the rent on these shops has increased too. Our country is pretty much requiring everyone to find ways to increase their income but our country isn't providing any options for a huge % of our population. Remember this is just so people could keep up with the increased cost of basic living. With the way our society is structured all of this is completely impossible. It's not possible for us to live in a system where everybody can be wealthy. So lots of store fronts are becoming vacant. Average people cannot afford basic rent. There is absolutely no help for our citizens who are now stuck in poverty.. (and worst of all, we have to wake up everyday and see that our country is completely ignoring that any of this is happening. The media just acts like none of this is going on. They just continue to show us clips on the news and statistics in the media about "How much our economy is thriving")
@@analyticalchick3064 Perhaps you need to watch the video again and use your critical thinking skills you should have developed in school to apply the knowledge you've gained from the video? The Cost of Living Crisis that has occurred across the West since 2020 and the housing crisis that has been steadily getting worse and worse since the 2000s is already causing major decreases in living standards that is only getting worse and worse. Owning property for a good majority of the population, particularly the young, is already seemingly only obtainable going into their Mid-30s, and if the Cost of Living and Housing Crisis continues, by the time the current youth reach their 30s, owning your own property will be completely out of the question for the average person. Meanwhile, basic cost of living, rent, bills, food, commuting will all take the majority of people's paychecks, making saving impossible. No savings means you can't risk leaving your work, which means no time to study or gain new skills or retrain. No savings means no future property. No property means you are forever stuck in that loop. No property and no savings means no inheritance for your children, and they will likely live in even worse conditions. Without property and savings, there is no middle class, without a middle class the upper class can operate completely unchecked and once again dominate everything. Once that happens, the majority of people are already back at those 18th and 19th century standards of living. I find it shocking that you're trying to ignore the fact that living standards have plummeted massively in the past 2 decades compared to the previous standard between 1980-2000, and that this is only the beginning, and that if we continue to ignore it then in another 2 decades time we will be rapidly approaching 18th/19th century living standards again and be completely unable to do anything about it. In my country, the UK, supposedly the sixth richest nation on the planet, the statistics already show this trend massively. Since 2007, wages have remained completely stagnant, meanwhile the cost of living has increased by 77%. House prices have nearly tripled. In 2007, just 25K people used food banks in the UK to survive. In 2024, it was over 3.5 million. In 2007, 12% of Brits lived in poverty, now it is nearing 30%. To deny the fact living standards have decreased rapidly, again, shows you're either purposefully ignorant, or just spoiled enough and so self-indulged and trapped in your own little bubble of privilege that you somehow have not noticed it. If you can't take the content of this video, then apply the decline in living standards in the past few decades, and then use it to model a view of the future, then you seriously shouldn't have been allowed to gradate High School.
@@Samwell_2024 In the UK, owning property for a good majority of the population has ALWAYS been a problem. America is - by far - the most property owning country in the world. Even now, over 60% of households own their home. Are things great? No. But you get what you vote for. Y'all have been voting Labor - aside from Thatcher - for decades. Think that might be the problem? They say they care, but things keep getting worse. Do you believe lying politicians (a global invariant) or your eyes?
This was interesting thanks! Did you know that the photo used of the family in 1918 is actually a picture of famous actor Jimmy Stewart and his family when he was a very young boy? This photo is in the Jimmy Stewart museum in his home town of Indiana PA.
In Sydney, Australia (where I'm from), it has become the second most expensive real estate market in the world. Currently, only 5% of Sydney suburbs are now affordable for people earning the median household income. Unless you are the beneficiary of generational wealth or you bought your first house a few decades ago, you will probably never own or pay off a house in your lifetime.
Who cares though? Nobody needs to own a house. There are a lot of nice rentals out there. No property taxes. Maintenance free. No Insurance. It's the day to day standard of living that is important.
@videostoragechannel The problem with property inflation however is that it also flows through to rental properties. What you're saying would be true, if it wern't for the fact that rental costs are also going through the roof.
@@videostoragechannel I absolutely hate this take. - Property tax is typically paid due to the Government (state, and thus federal) not funding the county enough for them to appropriately service your area. This is why so many businesses don't even pay property tax (lol). - Maintenance fee's on a house are minimal, at best. - Insurance exists as a liability coverage "in case" of emergency, while insinuating the concept of emergency in a region with "no climate related issues can destroy your house", housing insurance is about $5. The reason you would want a house is so you, eventually, never have to pay rent, nor mortgage. You simply have your means of living paid for, by yourself. This is the same idea of owning a car, rather than "constant payments". Being indebted isn't an ideal way to live, nor is it leftist mentality; It's right-leaning mentality that presents "left" because a ton of fake-libs think they're being totally left leaning by saying weird sh** like "renting is cool" to justify their choices in life. Rental property should have checks-and-balances and have heavy regulation surrounding it that guarantees proper living standards for everyone, with appropriate pricing that measures to the true cost of the housing, rather than the "cost of this person's 18th mortgage". Public rentals should exist in conjunction to the private space, and the private space should be limited to, specifically, commercial property -- allocating that "density" is more important than something like "being in a neighborhood". Setting limits per housing owned that can become a rental property also limits the viability (and capability) for non-commercial real-estate to be considered as investment property, and then people can regulate the cost of housing rather than investors. Couple that with a massive increase in building houses that will sell for below a certain threshold (let's say $150,000), this will easily lower the cost of all housing while slowly pushing housing to be more of a necessity than an option. But I also think this needs to happen to utilities again to; Utilities should be owned locally by the state/county, rather than a private entity, and our Government should fund the production of these, with areas opting for alternative ways to collect more to innovate. All of these utilities should work as NFP, unless for commercial real-estate, and thus permit that all citizens have accessibility to each at affordable rates all year round, etc. I guess getting back to the original take at hand. Being indebted isn't a life anyone should want to live, or anyone wants to live. The left leaning discourse here should be something like this, not something insinuating that "everyone should rent forever". That's just far-right economic neoliberal framing coded in a weird way.
@@itsJoshW I'm not sure about the left wing, ring wing thing....but I can tell you this as a person who has owned 5 homes...build 2...renovated 2...and as a former electrical contractor, fixed the wiring in 100's of houses....HOUSES ARE WAY TOO EXPENSIVE now. Houses that went for 65k in 1985 are now 650k today...and it has 40 years of age on it. Worse product for 10X money?? How is that an intelligent purchase? You wouldn't buy 40 year old, worn, Air Jordans for 10X the original price. I sold my house and now rent. If houses drop, I may rebuy but investing the money in the stock market and paYING THE RENT W THE DIVS is the real way to go. Property taxes in affluent cities are NUTS! They are as much money as mortgage payments in cheaper cities. Look at LA. They won't even insure the houses now! God knows what insurance rates will be after this fire. Now, this, of course, all depends on location. I 100% agree that if you can find a good deal, take it. I bought a condo in Regina, SK 2 years back for 79K. That's a steal! As you mentioned, the PT and insurance are next to nothing...but unless you can hack the life of an Eskimo, it could be tough. I think anybody who wants to buy a house today needs to consider a cargo house, box house or whatever else is a new idea because the way the market is right now, youre gonna spend 50 years paying for some wood on a plot of dirt. It's just not worth it at these prices.
It's definitely true we are better off today than we were in the past. Of course, experience is relative. People who live today experience today's struggles, so I don't fault anyone who is outraged about their living conditions, despite knowing that they live in the most advanced era and they live in a 1st world country.
There is a reason he is framing the comparisons to the 1780s. In a number of metrics, we're now worse off than at certain points in the past - in spheres like wealth compared to prior generations, senior homelessness, health unaffordability, decreasing life expectancy and QoL life expectancy, general stagnation of wages since the 1970s, lack of pensions and security, average credit debt, home ownership percentage, and proportion of the population that is middle class and related to it inequality. In many of these aspects we are worse off compared to 10, 30, or 60 years ago. Framing our post industrial lifestyles as much better than agrarian society is a bit disingenuous when our lives had been on average materially better in an earlier stage of that late industrialization
Even in my lifetime there have been huge advances in comfort & convienience. AC was a luxury, hung our wash on a clothesline, at one point shared a 3 bed 1.5 bath house with 9 family members. Watched black/white TV w/7 channels. Cell phones & PCs didn't exist. If people are living in poor conditions now (dirty/crime) it is a cultural choice. And yes, when I was young & poor, just starting, the older generation told me I had to work harder too.
@@serebii666 - Much of what you mention is a result of society moving from multi-generational households and larger family sizes where everyone contributes to our current society where many want to have their own home/apartment. AI tells me that after WWII, the average household had more than 3.5 people. Before that it was more than 5 people. Now it is only 2.5 people.
@@chiplangowski3298 "multi-generational households and larger family sizes" those are 2 very seperate family structures that you are mixing together. "want to have their own home" Which was largely accomplished by subsidized Federal loans in the immediate postwar for returning GIs, low interest rate mortgages in the 1950s (that averaged 2,5%) and the rise of tract suburban developments. The rise and standardization of the nuclear family structure happened at that time. "more than 3.5 people." So... 2 Parents and up to 3 kids. In 1950 as per the census around 58% of households had between three and five members, 21% had more than six members, 18% had two members, and only 3% had one member. That is my whole point when I wrote about better conditions in certain metrics 60 years ago - that nuclear family model, which is still the US's primary typology today, lived better than a similar family would today. In 2022, the average American family size was 3.13 people. Today, despite the majority of Americans living in the nuclear family model, they are in many cases more burdened than families from the late 1950s-1960s. "AI tells me" Don't do that. Please, do your own research, don't rely on a glorified predictive word generator for any factual basis.
@serebii666 I very much agree. I think we are regressing back to the early industrial era of workers being exploited by business owners that make an astronomical amount of wealth. Sure, things like child labor and corporate towns don't exist anymore, but they just offshore that work to Asian countries these days. I wanted to say, that when I said "we definitely live better now than in the past", I meant physically. Like, we have electricity, AC, indoor plumbing, stuff like that. Economically, it is definitely bad. And I think the only reason it's not gotten worse is because of laws put on the books during the Theodore Roosevelt era. Who knows how long those will last though.
modern homes, schools, hospitals, police departments and stores are so nice that no one can afford them. but at least we don't have to worry about working in factories any more.
"Owning" land in the US is misinformation. Just because you have a deed doesn't mean you actually own the land. You must continue to pay "rent" to the US government through property taxes annually or they will take your land away from you. It is a criminal practice. We should pay tax once, on purchase. After that, the property should be 100% yours until/unless you decide to sell it. Period, full stop
Nope. You pay taxes every year on your property so the government which protects the land your property is on will and can continue to enforce your ability to keep that property. You want that property to be safe from theft and you want it to be in good condition that won't lead to harm down the road? Pay your taxes. Stop whining.
That’s crazy! In Australia we pay land rates and excess water rates. My land rates are approx $1200 USD per year and water is about $1000. I suppose our land rates could be classed as similar, but I think I’ve heard you pay more than that on property tax? If they take the land for not paying taxes do they at least pay you back what the house is worth if it was sold or do they just take everything and leave you homeless?
@@Brown_Skittle I pay property taxes to my local government in exchange for police protection, fire protection, code enforcement (so my neighbors don’t create unsafe or undesirable conditions around my property), streets & sidewalks to get to & from my property, water & sewer lines to/from my property. Those are the basic needs that help me use & enjoy my property. My taxes also go towards amenities I like that are near my property - parks, trails, libraries, rec centers, community events, etc.
The Year of the Plague? We were all in lockdown and a million Americans died of Covid? Life was great then? Smh. I guess it WAS Boom times if you were in the funeral industry.
I can see why people long for the past. It's the only time they felt they were part of the collective "American Dream." Now it's just the name of a declining mall in the feted swamplands of New Jersey...
Lol....I was going to comment the same. The commentator was talking about increasing longevity. Lol Doctors also smoked in the hospital and in your room.
For all the younger people doubting how it was in the 1970s, as an older guy who was a kid in that era, this video is basically correct. I was one of only a few children in my class whose home had air conditioning and who had been in an airplane. This was in an affluent middle-class suburb of Chicago. Cars just didn’t last and they rusted like crazy. I remember in one of my best friend’s cars you could see the street through the holes rusted in the floor (carpeted car interiors were a luxury option, as were radios and air conditioning). It was not more than five years old. Odometers had only five digits because it was so unusual for a vehicle to last 100,000 miles. Yes, there is a real problem with housing affordability in today’s USA (and it needs to be addressed) but let’s not sugar-coat the past.
I'm poor and he's right about material things being so much better. We just take lots of things for granted. Electricity, running water, ac, central heat, appliances, internet, tv, cars, etc. are fairly new in the grand scheme of things. We should be grateful.
@brandond5963 you would be unaware of the future advancements and wouldn't crave them. Your quality of life would be much higher in almost every aspect. The amount of satisfaction back then is incomparably higher than modern times. It isn't even close
I found it interesting that there is a regression or return for society with 1) families having multiple jobs to cover costs, no longer a single bread winner 2) Also going back into renting rather than owning a home. But it’s still improved with devices to occupy you rather then going to sleep when it’s dark and the candle wearing out.
The feeling of gratitude and retrospect this video gives me towards modern times makes me appreciate what I have as a lower-class american who was born into an upper middle class. Things have gotten worse but not in any way bad.
This is an excellent video and I believe accurate. I'm 65 and can hardly believe how much richer we are compared with the 60s and 70s. I tell my adult kids about it and they try to comprehend
In the 1970s the average home had 500 square feet per person and now it is double that. My wife and I love our small energy efficient home. Electricity, oil heat and taxes are less than $5,000 a year. We built our own place on a nice piece of land after selling a 3 bedroom home that was just over 2,200 square feet.
It's true. If someone wants the same standard of living (materially) that was common in 1970, they'd probably be able to afford it. Finding a safe and cohesive community at that standard, however, might be difficult. We've lost the high trust society that we once had.
What do you think is the best designed home for American's curent lifestyle? We don't need a living room and a family room, we don't need a formal dinning room with a kitchen dinnete especially if the kitchen has an island dinning area. What is the best open open concept great space configuration? Is a entry foyer necessary? I do like a combo mud room laundry from the garage entry. I'm looking for the smallest most versatile design that allows for dual purposes rooms wich will create building cost savings to be allocated on decrotive upgrades like 9' ceilings, woodwork, and fireplace bookshelves. Thanks
I live in Rockland County, New York. A one bedroom apartment is about $2700 per month near me. Obviously, some cost much more than this, depending on what neighborhood it's in
yea thats INSANE nowonder ppl on streets homeless dooign drugs, even if wanted to rent INSTEAD drugs they cant AFFORD it with the little they get. altho they should be able to be helped more now that they are deporting those that were getting 5k or more a month. ofcourse don't hold your breath.
What wonderful video I would prefer to live back in the 80’s and 90’s when the prospect of owning a home was still within reach and the technology was limited to dial up internet.
90s, maybe. 80s, definitely not. Inflation was crushing (worse than now). Interest rates were ridiculous (16% on a mortgage, with 6% on a savings account). Remember, Reagan was elected in 1984. It took Paul Volker years of high interest rates to crush inflation. It's going to take whoever gets that job in the Trump admin just as long. Inflation is slow to end - and it is always a monetary issue. The Biden administration injected literally trillions of dollars into the economy. It's going to take a lot of time to suck it back out and/or grow the economy enough to restore value to the dollars already floating around.
@@jenrferrusoIf you don’t mind using phones (talking about the non portable ones like what we used typically today) that hook to the line only. Sure. Sometimes I would prefer to be at those times even if there’s less technology.
Well presented. How easily it is to take things for granted. I currently live in poverty, but health care has at least significantly extended my life. Before the late 70s liver transplants were not available. Fortunately, I haven't needed one yet.
14:20 Most of us would all rather go back to living in the 1980s or the 1950s, obviously. There is no buying power now, with a much lower standard of living.
This is true but people are so much more wasteful with money now. example: buying coffee at a cafe everyday = $150/month cell phone = $70/month internet = $60/month cable tv/streaming service = $50-$100/month new car payment = $250-$500/month dining out 3x a week = $250-$500/month entertainment = $200-$400/month wanton purchasing of useless stuff = $ ??? ...... ..... .....
Again, rose colored glasses. The 1980s were not all that. Rare to have AC. Rare computers. Rare cable TV. Rare cell phones. No Amazon, but there was Sears & Roebuck catalog. No remote work. Metered, expensive phone calls. Don't even get me started on the neon lycra clothes - even yoga pants are an improvement. We did have better music, though.
@marksizer3486 You missed the important part about the fact that just about every man with almost any job could afford a wife, kids, a few cars, and a home. The 1980s in the USA represented the Zenith of Western Civilization. Things started collapsing in the 90s, most notably with the women whose value dropped precipitously. We lost high value women, culture, music, buying power, and standard of living. Things were infinitely better in the 80s. Western Civilization is collapsing all over the world right now. Economies are failing and numerous countries are on the verge of population collapse.
Someone living in a small house today lives far better than a king did not that long ago in the late 1800s. No electric, no heat other then a fireplace. No indoor plumbing for hot and cold water and sanitation needs. You can’t compare.
Life expectancy is going down and people can't afford basic housing or healthcare... It's hidden because many people use credit and are massively in debt. It's becoming a crisis where a huge percent are unable to realistically live on their wages.
My grand parents started off in a cabin and had horses. My grandfather lived through the Great Depression two world wars and and lived long enough to see a man walk in the moon.
In the 1940's 50's and early 60's houses were built smaller but comfortable and there was a simple but elegant style to furniture and housing that was an actual style not just a simplification just for industrial convenience. Also, houses were built for people then, but now they are built for the commodity of square feet. People are forced to accept ridiculously oversized houses for investment security pushed by banks who make as much money as possible by moving as many molecules as possible.
I agree, houses are no longer on a livable scale. Just take a look at Jimmy Stewart's house in LA, or the home of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez, or Marilyn Monroe's home. They are just Normal nice houses, not 11k square foot behemoths. Gavin Newsome is doing a little happy dance that that is all burned down. More taxes, and no more homes without and onsuite for every bedroom
I live in a studio but I'm grateful to have electricity, heat, and running water. I'm grateful to be able to do simple work and be able to buy everything I need and many things I want. People want to much in modern times because they compare themselves to people doing better than them than people who aren't. or never had the chance to live better.
We have a lot to be grateful for, but equality and opportunity for all is still not achieved. Thanks for this eye opening video. It reminded me how far we have come in just one century.
There is a bit of a misnomer about living. Prior to electricity, much of life was outdoors, particularly when weather was nice. So, one would sit beneath a tree and read, shell peas, knit, or do other tasks. With that in mind, things weren't so cramped when all you did was sleep. Today, we have abandoned the outside for an insular indoors and waste our space on useless locations such as bathrooms. For a room we defecate and bathe in, we sure build them big these days. My mother's seemingly large 2-story house build circa 1890 was revealed to be only 2,400sf. Family scoffed and stated the agent had mis-measured, but no, the house was that size. How could such a large house be so small? The bathrooms, of which there were three, and the closets were small and there were virtually no hallways. No wasted space.
I was born in 1953 and grew up in white suburban America. Compared to what this video shows how people lived in the 19th and early 20th centuries I have had it REALLY good. I grew up in a 3 bedroom 2 bath house and my brother and I each had our own bedroom. My dad was an Engineer and my mom was a Teacher and we always had 2 cars (one bought new and the other pre-owned). The neighborhood I grew up in was safe and quiet. I always took my very comfortable upbringing for granted because it’s all I ever knew. My parents, OTOH, had to endure The Great Depression and World War II. I realize now how fortunate I was and still am.
I am white and grew up in the 50s in a single parent home. Mom made minimum wage in a factory. Guess what? You work hard and you get out of poverty. Color has nothing to do with it.
Then family was strong, physical work was hard , mental health was good and life ended early. Now family is weak, physical work is minimal, mental health is declining and life expectancy has increased. There was a generation where life was pretty much balanced.
Many details are completely avoided or not discussed here. You never brought up the explosion modern homeless issues, the expanse in exploitation of lower socioeconomic classes by the higher classes. The sudden decrease in effective national education. As well as many more severe impacts we face in the last five decades. Which are increasingly ignored by the larger masses for the sake of this convenience.
I think it would be interesting to do a comparison of urban families vs rural families during the same time period. I think life was very different. Interesting video.
@@LyricsQuest we send fricken 84% income tax to the 80 QUADRILLINAIR rothschild family :/ they STOLE that money! we COULD send the millitery but that aint ever gonna happen!
yea same exept its more liek 950 a month but luckly have a house thats paid for tho would like to do some repairs. idk how peaople affording rent i guess everybody secretly 3rd time job drug dealer?
Packed in like sardines in a can. Son lives in one where you run out of parking space easily. 2 cars and then you park on the street. Street is often near full of cars on both sides. Nice homes just too small of a yard and driveway.
At one point, humans lived in caves and makeshift tents, had to scavenge rotting carcasses, and had to constantly guard against cannibals and wild animals. The important thing is that we’re not supposed to move backwards. We should not tolerate falling living standards to any degree, especially not when it is being caused largely by the injustice of an increasingly unequal society. Also, we should not assume that this decline is temporary, when things will only improve if we demand and force them to improve. If we wait for things to get better, we will just find that we fall further and more of the gains of progress are taken away.
"we’re not supposed to move backwards" You use this word "supposed". I don't think it means what you think it means. History has no arrow. Humans are not "supposed" to do anything - it implies an entity with a plan and your knowledge of said plan. Even if you believe that G*d does have a plan for humanity, it is massive hubris to assume you know its direction and/or intent. "things will only improve if we demand and force them to improve." Now that I agree with - although I'd bet we have nearly opposite demands and different definitions of "force".
This is all the proof anyone should need that without government regulations, the free market would lead to the majority of ppl living in abject poverty.
Clearly you're not reading the comments. Government regulations have only increased since the halcyon days of yore (1950s, 60s, 80s, 90s depending on the commenter), yet things were better then (according to said commenters). If anything, I'd say this video is evidence of the exact opposite.
I live in Toronto in a 1200sqft 125 year old brick semi "worth" 1.2 million cdn$. We bought it for less than half of that 15 years ago. My kids will likely never be able to own a home so in a few years were going to build a secondary house on the property for whoever starts a family first. My family is spread all over the country and Im kind of excited at the prospect of having at least one of my kids close to home. As I always wanted a close nit family like the families many of my immigrant friends have/had as white canadian families of my generation followed the money all over the country which resulted in having very little close family to connect with and rely on particulary as we age. My own parents live 2 hours away and Ihave almost no contact with aunts,uncles, cousins and my brother. Im hoping one upside to the real estate shitstorm were currently in at least results in closer family bonds...im still going to have to spend 500k$ to find out lol
A friendly reminder that having land and not using that land is considered quite a luxury. Every house with a patch of land should plant a fruit tree, imo.
This, to me, is a redemption from the one video regarding modern housing. A large problem with that video is framing it as if classic commoner housing, especially of non-white non-american origin until the 1970s+, lived in luxury. One note, however, is neighborhoods. The typical "suburbian" home we have today use to be called the 'gated community', while suburbia of the era of creation was typically an ideal where the "inter neighborhood" was filled with housing, and the inter-city (typically business district) would be where apartments would be. In the 1970's - 1980's, or so, this slowly devolved and we eventually caved into a society wherein the typical classic suburbian house is a rental apartment. While most also believe something like sears 'started the mass produced home', these started before sears, and although it was for more wealthier individuals, it wasn't common. Sears just made that market consumable to the average citizen. Which falls nicely in the immigrant, minority, and racial divide until the 1960's (really even till today). Immigrants of the past were lucky to even live in an apartment with a window, while minority groups who were us citizens were lucky to even live, along with anyone of a darker skin tone. To that extent, from signs that said "irish need not apply" to cities in the 1900's catering specifically to italian's (mob presence), it slowly drove the stylized image of "an american family" into depravity. This goes triple if you lived already in a state without slavery but in an area that was predominantly very racist but no segregation. This was the rise of the various figures in pointy white hats. This also leads to immigration -- something that's a hot button topic today. We've always been this Country that both accepts immigrants, and "blames them" for everything. In a typical basis, at least since the 1800's, the common US citizen would blame anyone who wasn't within their ethnic circles for the problems, in turn, leading to all of those "x need not apply" signs you'd hear. A lot of this is basic history, stuff many either learned already, but this context truly matters. You can't speak about housing if we do not address the secondary market that didn't have this luxury -- nor can we address housing in the classic eras if we do not note that the people who lived in "amazing Victorian houses" weren't, in all honesty, capitalists, baron robbers, wealthy or aristocrat families of the yesteryear; "old money". The common house was built less to last, and more to be serviceable and easy to maintain. You didn't just install that new electric in your house without knowing if it won't break, ya feel me? And that's where a lot of this misconception about "quality of products" comes from. Classic products we used to build homes with, were of no better quality than today -- and in many, many cases, of were worse quality. What is being confused for "common household" is being actually discussed as a "master craftsmen hired by a wealthy individual". The typical house didn't have insanely fancy woodworking, it didn't have chair rails, it didn't have fancy decorative walls, or fancy kitchens, or fancy doors. It didn't have dedicant decor or various unique elements of different wood species or stone. And, even if it did, varnish and various materials were not enough to protect it to last more than 20 - 40 years before rotting. These concepts were merely to flaunt money, rather than actually being functional parts of a house. Which, as noted in the previous video, is what people cared about more for the longest period of time.
Very interesting report, Ken. Modern people -- even we now living modestly -- forget how good we have it when it comes to shelter/tents/houses and genuine homes. ADDED: I confess we post WWII baby boomers grew up thinking what we had available was normal in the larger picture. We had no concept that 1946-1986 living was an anomality.
This was an excellent historical review. I appreciate growing up in a golden age during the 1960s and 70's time of bounty in resources, education, and general optimism.
Unless you were black.
Amen to that! I'm thankful every day that I was born in the mid 50s in the USA.
I think the golden age was the 40’s and 50’s.
that time US was country #1, not just economy #1
Todays starter home is a sedan with a buddy heater a hot plate and a sleeping bag
California Dreamin'.........
Remember YOU voted for it
Absolutely 💯
Beats sleeping outside and beats walking.
lmao!!
@@jeffreyrichard2575 Guessing you voted to live 10 to a tenement apartment like "when America was richest"
In our state you need to make 120 k a year to afford a house. Rent for a one bedroom apartment is 1700 a month, most people I know who build houses can’t afford to buy one. Pretty sad, investment companies are buying what my parents generation called starter homes are renting them out.
Oligarchy = a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution. This is what the US is coming to and the next 4 years it will get worse
What state is this?
@ Arizona, Maricopa County
Not just starter homes:any homes that they can make big bucks from renting. Here, we have retirees downsizing to apartments or starter homes. The selling prices are dizzying. 🤔🤯 Selling prices overall are just nuts! A week doesn't go by without some investment firm, realtor, or front man for an investment firm wanting to buy my home. No, thank you. It's not for sale. Besides, your offers are ridiculously low!
I don't see it getting any better
14:18 my mom always says "i would never want to live in a time without flushing toilets" 😂😂😂
Love or live?
Your mom must be fairly young, cuz outhouses were still in towns in the fifties, and for decades more in rural areas. In fact, these days many homesteaders often survive without flush toilets.
I’m a millennial, my dad helped run plumbing to my grandparents house when he was a teenager (in the late 70s). All of his older siblings grew up in a house without internal plumbing. Living in a time without flushing toilets isn’t that long ago for a lot of people in the US. And is still a reality for many people worldwide.
One of my teachers told me when I was a kid that the best invention man kind created was indoor plumbing.
Full circle. We started this nation all crammed together in a 200 sqft space getting paid pennies, and now here we are heading toward that way of life again. How beautiful.
Sad but true 😅
I'm retired but work out a lot and stay super active but when I finally sit down at the end of the day I can always relax enjoying the channel.
Some of my ancestors came across the Oregon trail and pioneered in the Pacific Northwest under very primitive conditions, while others were well-off Europeans, doctors and engineers, who didn't arrive in the Eastern U.S. until the after WW1. So, my forefathers lived at polar opposites of a wide spectrum of conditions. Although our parents were homeowners, my wife & I were only able to afford to buy our first family home in California in our 40s when the bubble burst in 2008. Due to the rebounding housing market fueled by demand exceeding the supply, we were able to sell our property when we retired 15 years later for 3 times what we had invested. It was a modest 1947 ranch style "fixer" in Compton. When it sold, we moved to the Deep South and purchased a single storey 1898 Victorian built by a small town lawyer. It was one of the nicest homes in the area at the time it was built, but an 80 year old local said that it might have been the 1930s before the gas lights were installed and there was a car in the driveway instead of a horse. Electricity probably wasn't available in our town until the 1940s. I guess what I'm saying is that the standard of living has fluctuated all over the place depending on both individual resources and local conditions, despite the trends your video eloquently describes. It's an excellent historical timeline overall, although I think it's also important to note that we currently seem to be entering a 2nd gilded age with an ultra-wealthy oligarchy and a shrinking middle class.
I sadly agree.
History clearly repeats itself to those who pay attention. Sadly, this attention span is also dwindling with my generation and the ones now following.
McHenry, something was wrong to your ancestors. Besides that they had Oregon for $50 for 500 hectares, they had no Indian opposition. The difference between you and your ancestors is that you are not “hungry”. No drive to achieve anything and always ready to blame someone else. Your ancestors were “hungry” looking to make a homestead.
@@Rav3nclaw43 most of us are aware of it, but what are we capable of doing to change it?
I used to feel bad that I didn't have a luxurious career. Then one day I thought about how previous generations didn't care about that. They just survived. Then I was more thankful for what I had.
I wish everyone would be required to watch a video like this! I love historical fiction, and history, and it really brings that “long, boring” car ride into perspective when you can think “hey, at least it’s not a horse-drawn wagon with no AC,” etc. Great video, thank you!
Especially the younger generation
So many people don’t realize or appreciate the graces they enjoy today. Thanks for a great video 😊
Toilet paper is only a thing recently.. people really need to remember that.
So true
My grandparents always told me we are spoilt today as back in the depression days and earlier life was unbelievably hard for the ordinary person. If you fell you fell hard
Well I'm 45 and been falling my whole life. The people I know born in the 40s to 60s even got left stuff from their parents. Homes, businesses, items, money. Most of them later, they either sold off or used up for themselves. They will also get retirement and social security. The houses were cheaper when they were in their 40s and cars and cost of living was cheaper. Also, college was cheaper too. The only thing that's been good is giving more scholarship opportunities to the kids graduating now and the chance to earn college credits in high school. Us xennials got the shaft since we didn't get offered hardly anything. At least not here. Not only did we pay a huge fortune for college if we went, but we were taught in high school that we won't have social security. Most of my classmates have already passed. Plus, we can't afford a home unless we were left one or we rented. I wish teens in the 60s 70s were taught more about birth control.
@@amanda1099 Way to compare your life situation to the one generation who had the best circumstances in all of human history, and not to the whole rest of human history.
my grandmother was born in the 30s and talks fondly of the 40s-70s, I noticed she started becoming disgusted at the world with each passing year since I was born (the 80s)..she's still alive and not impressed with anything, she ignored pretty much all technological advances. I'm quite certain she would go back to the 40s if given the chance
The period from the 50’s to the early 2000’s were the good times. Now we are regressing back to baseline
wose becuase atleast the elite could be X_Xed, they will now have high high technology far beyodn waht they have shown us, possibly even EMP all the old tech so only their tech works.
mid 2000's* Since Late 2000's It's Been a Shit Show
@@slazeblaze319 Honestly the late 2000s wasn’t that bad except for 2009 and some parts of 2007 (at least to my experience). But yes like 80% of the 2000s was pretty great and to me was the last decade of when everything made sense. But I understand what you all meant by the mid and late 2000s becoming a bullshit time starting especially at 2008 when we experienced the worse home price and mortgage situations. I guess what you all meant that after the early - mid 2000s. Everything became a shit show since then.
Exactly what I’m saying! The 1950s to the 2000s is what I call those periods “The fifty years of greatness.”. 💯💯💯💯🫡🫡
Nicely presented. Now, if we can rid the government of corruption, we can all have nicer things again instead of being one paycheck away from homelessness.
Deregulation by our elected officials, of big business. They are forming monopolies and even buying the favor of some Supreme Court justices. Agreed. There is ridiculous overt corruption at the federal level and its done by so called fiscal conservatives.
Ain't gonna happen. Now that the USSR is gone, the rich are free to take it all.
Now, 1 day later, we do! ❤🤍💙January 20th 2025 💙🤍❤
@@bonniemoerdyk9809 Indeed! 😁
@@bonniemoerdyk9809😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
What this video tells me is that Americans had it good for about a 20 to 30 year period and the rest of the time we have gotten the shaft…
you vote for the reality you get. The greatest obstacle to wealth obtainment is .....THE GOVERNMENT
@@jeffreyrichard2575 I couldn't vote in the 70s… I wasn't born until 1973… But you are right we all create our own reality. Not sure how that fits in here for society… It's a lot harder for society to create our reality… We could start with maybe being a little bit more positive.
Yeah, this is mostly correct. Although from around the mid 1800's and after, most american's were able to purchase parcel's of land, and build their own houses on this land. Many did, which is why/how we have the roads we have today. But the problem that exists in this video is that everyone had this same treatment.
One large misconception is how people treated immigrants, foreigners, and former slaves/darker skinned individuals. Post civil war, it was possible still to "own a house" being any of these, but it was exponentially harder. It was harder to get a job, harder to get money to survive, and harder to learn a trade.
And people did, my ancestors infamously did in my city, they built their house in the late 1800's, then all of their family built houses around their houses after. But they were darker skinned, in new york, married to an irish immigrant. Living in an italian neighborhood, where this racial divide was even greater than it was in the 1960s.
That being said, it truly depends on the socioeconomic class. The poor were poor. The working class were working class. The 'middle' class didn't actually get created until post wwi, but a lot of this came from the backs of socialist ideals and socialist concepts added into the US in order to stop industrialization from destroying it's people.
@@jeffreyrichard2575Well, we're about to find out how things go without a functioning government. Given how quickly things fell apart 5 years ago, last time we had anti-government clowns in place when there was a crisis, I'm not holding my breath, especially with far bigger crises looming. The drop in life expectancy, the rioting, the collapse in employment opportunity, being the only G7 country that actually went into recession, before the adults were voted back into the room… I'm bracing for tough times, and some of the best educated people I know are already in the process of GTFO. And what do you expect will happen when 'THE GOVERNMENT' starts slapping crazy tariffs onto our biggest trading partners? Say bye bye to all the cheap imported goods and gadgets you've been enjoying since the turn of the century, and the year-round seasonal fruit mentioned in this video!
@@jeffreyrichard2575voting makes no difference when the people elected will just do what the people with most money tell them to.
Yes, I have wondered what life was like for average people throughout the decades. Very interesting video, thank you!
It’s sad we have regressed…..in most cities, a single person can not afford their own apartment, a 6 figure plus income is required to think of buying a single family home. Prices have risen more than wages resulting in increased homelessness, people living in their vehicles , and “Pad-share” style shared housing with communal kitchens and living areas
The video detailed centuries of large multi-generational families living together in tiny apartments/homes. Often times there were strangers living with the family as well
But you are lamenting that a single person can't afford to live in an apartment alone? Are conditions worse now? Or are expectations just too high now?
@ in case you missed it, there was a time where a couple could afford a single family home on one income (the average income) Now the average income might not afford a studio apartment depending on the city
I don’t think it is expecting too much to be able to afford a studio if one is gainfully employed full time or retired
@@nicolaxoxo1 - There was also a time when the government would just give you 160 acres if you rode your horse out on the prairie and staked a claim on the land. Times change. The value of property goes up as the population increases. People need to adjust with the times.
Reading the comments here it’s clear some people are not listening to your message. We live in a country where most people’s lives are so much easier. Thank you for showing that so clearly. I appreciate your channel so much. You always seem to bring an appreciative view of life, thank you.
Easier doesn’t make you happier😢
i met and talked to a Nigerian guy who lived lower middle class in Lagos until he was 16 before migrating, his stories gave me a good appreciation for how good we have it.
@@morganstubieharder doesn't make you happier, either.
It’s going back toward 1850-1900.
The rich get richer a d soon the middle class will be squeezed into non existence. 😢
will be worse becase they got way higher tech than they show us and they probbaly can become an (evil) iron man, altho becuase they are evil they will inevitably fight eachother once they exterminated all of us.
Wow, thank you for this great overview!
This is an excellent video. I have often cautioned people about viewing the past through rose colored glasses. When I look at the magnificent homes that are routinely shown on this channel, I have to remind myself that the only way my ancestors would have gotten into one of them would have been as servants. One of my forbearers died in the 1870s from tuberculosis (then called consumption) at the age of 36. He left a widow and five children without any means of support. No welfare, social security, food stamps, unemployment insurance etc. The three youngest children had to be given up for adoption. The older two were old enough to work. This was in an age when society only became concerned about child labor if there was s shortage. Thomas Hobbes once famously described life for the vast majority of people as "nasty, brutish and short."
I appreciate this presentation's positive portrayal of 'general progress'. I encourage This House to press for better. ALWAYS BETTER! 🤩
Just a reminder that when the life expectancy was 30s or 40s, there were plenty of people living into their 70s, and even some in the 80s and 90s. Child life expectancy skew the results. It's not that everyone was dropping dead at 45, but that the death rate for babies was high, and even up to age 5, still quite precarious. After that things even out more.
Yes, I wish more people would realise this
While I agree that the standard of living has fundamentally improved on a global scale, unfortunately this video feels overly reductionist. It is true that the labor protections and progressive policies of the early 20th century helped to grow a robust middle class and gave us a _small_ taste of the unimaginable wealth that was ultimately created by us in the first place. However, do realize that _none_ of this is guaranteed... in fact, those who vie for power have been chipping away at these mechanisms for the better part of the last century! Sadly, the middle class is quickly evaporating and we are quite literally a stones throw away from a tragically dark future. And for what!? So that some rich pr!ck reach a new highscore in his bank account at the expense of everyone else?
It's concerning to say the least.
Yep, I think videos like these should be shown to everyone, to show that without government regulations, the "free market" would lead to the majority of people living in abject poverty and that the vast majority of people would never escape it.
Historical living standards need to be taught at all levels of education, and people need to be routinely reminded that all that really stands between our Post-1940s standard of living and that of the 18th and 19th centuries is simply legislation.
The US unfortunately is now under a Government who seeks to bring back the economy and standard of living of the late 19th century back alongside the big business dominated Government. It's my hope actually that the Trump Administration goes too far, too quickly with their intent to destroy the Middle Class so that the US can vote him out and dismantle his Republican Party in 2028 before its too late. I feel if the MAGA Republican Party is elected again in 2028, there won't be free elections in 2032.
Luckily, I'm European so what's happening in the US won't happen here. All of our major political parties would be considered Centre-Left to Far Left in the US, what is happening in the US would be unthinkable here. However, I do believe that Leftist Parties across the Western World need to put the social justice, identity politics, gender politics back to a secondary position and begin campaigning again on class politics and aiming to strengthen regulations, legislation and improve the lot of the majority
I feel one of the main reasons Trump did so well is because the Democratic Party is too focused on identity politics that quite frankly don't affect the majority of people while inflation was sky high, people's purchasing power evaporated, the economy was in a mess which did happen under Biden's Presidency even if the causes are mostly due to the COVID Bill and Ukraine War. The Republicans atleast spoke about the Working Middle Class even if they ultimately aim to destroy them, Kamala Harris's whole campaign effectively never even addressed the socioeconomic issues of the US and focused on identity politics. .
@@Samwell_2024
Great minds think alike... Once I saw what an abject failure the Democratic campaign turned out to be, I quickly began to realize that this was _inevitable._
To be frank, the only choice given to us was between extreme-right with their "Ur Fascism" playbook, and the right-lite who fight to maintain the status quo. Doing nothing isn't viable option for most Americans anymore... but we are going to find out quickly that the fascists themselves are owned by the same corporate interests. If anything, this represents an _acceleration_ toward a corporate dystopia straight out of the imagination of Charlton Heston himself.
Like you, I also anticipate these guys to go well overboard in their push to consolidate power and influence... It is the only real way I can see to bridge the political divide between those of us actually paying the price here... Social collapse may just be what we need in this day and age, as modern technology gives the opportunity to build any potential system with maximal amount of input from everyone.
they want the power its not even about the money, those at top just print it rothschilds got 80 QUADRILLION it is estimated.
You have the same opportunity at a high bank score as everyone else. Just because you're too lazy doesn't justify taking the opportunity away from other people and calling them pricks. I lived in my car at one point in my life and have a high bank score today.
@@carderrentals2470 It's not a zero sum game, but billionaires are treating it like it is. Giving more people more and better opportunities and support doesn't mean you can't still be absurdly rich. At some point money turns into political power and it only benefits those who have the most... oligarchy.
I understand some of the angst that many people feel today, however, we take so much for granted - including the hard work of previous generations who helped create what we have. The good ol’ days really weren’t as great as people imagine. I can remember long lines to buy gas, double digit inflation AND nearly double digit unemployment, 18% mortgage rates, gas guzzling cars that only lasted 3-5 years, etc. etc. I can remember when you were somewhat fortunate if you had central AC. We are rather spoiled today.
I’m going to say it’s like that today.
Cars lasted longer than 3-5 years, heck we always buy cars about 3-5 years old in the first place. Never buy new cars, they are not an investment.
We are spoiled materially but the generation who grew up with iPhones have mental issues that no generation before has been able to fathom. It’s not a physical struggle but it’s unprecedented and very serious.
Raised in a hundred year old victorian farm house. Outhouse outback in the 60s. We did have indoor plumbing 1 bath with a box shower and a huge kitchen sink mom bathed my baby brother in. Things slowly got upgraded over the years. Tub in the bathroom, kitchen counters, cabinets and double bowl sink. Rewiring the outside fuse box inside the house with circuit breaker box. Insulation of the walls and attic so mom no longer left the oven door open to warm up the kitchen. Always something getting slowly better. Block garage built in the backyard, few years later it got a concrete floor over the gravel and an overhead door.
Then things got to really getting nice. Microwave oven and VCR for a color TV. Eventually mom and dad had a huge satellite antenna for TV and central air.
Lots of other things slowly got better over the decades but people don't really appreciate how good most of us have it these days. You appreciate things more when they get better and scream bloody murder when they get worse.
Yup, I grew up mostly in the 70’s and I remember cars rusted to pieces within a few years (I recall being able to see the street through holes in the floor of a best friend’s family car, which wasn’t more than five years old), and in my school I was one of the few children who lived in a home with air conditioning and who had been in an airplane. And this was in a relatively affluent suburb of Chicago. There is a housing affordability crises in the USA and Canada but the past isn’t the utopia many imagine it to be, either.
Basic Living should not be this Unaffordable here in the US. The idea of ever owning your own Home has become a completely Unobtainable thing. It all makes you feel like no matter what we do, it doesn't matter, you'll barely be able to afford your rent, you feel worthless, it has gotten so out of control. ~Serious question: HOW was our country allowed to get THIS bad? How is Nothing being done about it? It's not being talked about, it's not being addressed. This is the most crucial issue that needs to be addressed right now if we want to keep our society from collapsing. This obsession with achieving Perpetual growth is impossible. Yet our country acts like perpetual growth is a completely reasonable goal. There is no way anything can function like that. A huge majority of the population is struggling to even afford Rent.. All of this of course also affects small town businesses because the rent on these shops has increased too. Our country is pretty much requiring everyone to find ways to increase their income but our country isn't providing any options for a huge % of our population. Remember this is just so people could keep up with the increased cost of basic living. With the way our society is structured all of this is completely impossible. It's not possible for us to live in a system where everybody can be wealthy. So lots of store fronts are becoming vacant. Average people cannot afford basic rent. There is absolutely no help for our citizens who are now stuck in poverty.. (and worst of all, we have to wake up everyday and see that our country is completely ignoring that any of this is happening. The media just acts like none of this is going on. They just continue to show us clips on the news and statistics in the media about "How much our economy is thriving")
It's like you didn't even watch the video. Watch the video over and over again until you understand.
@@analyticalchick3064 Perhaps you need to watch the video again and use your critical thinking skills you should have developed in school to apply the knowledge you've gained from the video? The Cost of Living Crisis that has occurred across the West since 2020 and the housing crisis that has been steadily getting worse and worse since the 2000s is already causing major decreases in living standards that is only getting worse and worse.
Owning property for a good majority of the population, particularly the young, is already seemingly only obtainable going into their Mid-30s, and if the Cost of Living and Housing Crisis continues, by the time the current youth reach their 30s, owning your own property will be completely out of the question for the average person.
Meanwhile, basic cost of living, rent, bills, food, commuting will all take the majority of people's paychecks, making saving impossible. No savings means you can't risk leaving your work, which means no time to study or gain new skills or retrain. No savings means no future property. No property means you are forever stuck in that loop. No property and no savings means no inheritance for your children, and they will likely live in even worse conditions.
Without property and savings, there is no middle class, without a middle class the upper class can operate completely unchecked and once again dominate everything. Once that happens, the majority of people are already back at those 18th and 19th century standards of living.
I find it shocking that you're trying to ignore the fact that living standards have plummeted massively in the past 2 decades compared to the previous standard between 1980-2000, and that this is only the beginning, and that if we continue to ignore it then in another 2 decades time we will be rapidly approaching 18th/19th century living standards again and be completely unable to do anything about it.
In my country, the UK, supposedly the sixth richest nation on the planet, the statistics already show this trend massively. Since 2007, wages have remained completely stagnant, meanwhile the cost of living has increased by 77%. House prices have nearly tripled. In 2007, just 25K people used food banks in the UK to survive. In 2024, it was over 3.5 million. In 2007, 12% of Brits lived in poverty, now it is nearing 30%.
To deny the fact living standards have decreased rapidly, again, shows you're either purposefully ignorant, or just spoiled enough and so self-indulged and trapped in your own little bubble of privilege that you somehow have not noticed it. If you can't take the content of this video, then apply the decline in living standards in the past few decades, and then use it to model a view of the future, then you seriously shouldn't have been allowed to gradate High School.
@@Samwell_2024 In the UK, owning property for a good majority of the population has ALWAYS been a problem. America is - by far - the most property owning country in the world. Even now, over 60% of households own their home. Are things great? No. But you get what you vote for. Y'all have been voting Labor - aside from Thatcher - for decades. Think that might be the problem? They say they care, but things keep getting worse. Do you believe lying politicians (a global invariant) or your eyes?
Great video, I completely disagree with your ending... The economy is trash and the wages are crap. Home ownership is a disappearing opportunity.
This was interesting thanks! Did you know that the photo used of the family in 1918 is actually a picture of famous actor Jimmy Stewart and his family when he was a very young boy? This photo is in the Jimmy Stewart museum in his home town of Indiana PA.
6:47
In Sydney, Australia (where I'm from), it has become the second most expensive real estate market in the world. Currently, only 5% of Sydney suburbs are now affordable for people earning the median household income.
Unless you are the beneficiary of generational wealth or you bought your first house a few decades ago, you will probably never own or pay off a house in your lifetime.
Who cares though? Nobody needs to own a house. There are a lot of nice rentals out there. No property taxes. Maintenance free. No Insurance. It's the day to day standard of living that is important.
@videostoragechannel The problem with property inflation however is that it also flows through to rental properties. What you're saying would be true, if it wern't for the fact that rental costs are also going through the roof.
@@videostoragechannel I absolutely hate this take.
- Property tax is typically paid due to the Government (state, and thus federal) not funding the county enough for them to appropriately service your area. This is why so many businesses don't even pay property tax (lol).
- Maintenance fee's on a house are minimal, at best.
- Insurance exists as a liability coverage "in case" of emergency, while insinuating the concept of emergency in a region with "no climate related issues can destroy your house", housing insurance is about $5.
The reason you would want a house is so you, eventually, never have to pay rent, nor mortgage. You simply have your means of living paid for, by yourself. This is the same idea of owning a car, rather than "constant payments". Being indebted isn't an ideal way to live, nor is it leftist mentality; It's right-leaning mentality that presents "left" because a ton of fake-libs think they're being totally left leaning by saying weird sh** like "renting is cool" to justify their choices in life.
Rental property should have checks-and-balances and have heavy regulation surrounding it that guarantees proper living standards for everyone, with appropriate pricing that measures to the true cost of the housing, rather than the "cost of this person's 18th mortgage".
Public rentals should exist in conjunction to the private space, and the private space should be limited to, specifically, commercial property -- allocating that "density" is more important than something like "being in a neighborhood". Setting limits per housing owned that can become a rental property also limits the viability (and capability) for non-commercial real-estate to be considered as investment property, and then people can regulate the cost of housing rather than investors. Couple that with a massive increase in building houses that will sell for below a certain threshold (let's say $150,000), this will easily lower the cost of all housing while slowly pushing housing to be more of a necessity than an option.
But I also think this needs to happen to utilities again to; Utilities should be owned locally by the state/county, rather than a private entity, and our Government should fund the production of these, with areas opting for alternative ways to collect more to innovate. All of these utilities should work as NFP, unless for commercial real-estate, and thus permit that all citizens have accessibility to each at affordable rates all year round, etc.
I guess getting back to the original take at hand.
Being indebted isn't a life anyone should want to live, or anyone wants to live. The left leaning discourse here should be something like this, not something insinuating that "everyone should rent forever". That's just far-right economic neoliberal framing coded in a weird way.
@@itsJoshW I'm not sure about the left wing, ring wing thing....but I can tell you this as a person who has owned 5 homes...build 2...renovated 2...and as a former electrical contractor, fixed the wiring in 100's of houses....HOUSES ARE WAY TOO EXPENSIVE now. Houses that went for 65k in 1985 are now 650k today...and it has 40 years of age on it. Worse product for 10X money?? How is that an intelligent purchase?
You wouldn't buy 40 year old, worn, Air Jordans for 10X the original price.
I sold my house and now rent. If houses drop, I may rebuy but investing the money in the stock market and paYING THE RENT W THE DIVS is the real way to go.
Property taxes in affluent cities are NUTS! They are as much money as mortgage payments in cheaper cities. Look at LA. They won't even insure the houses now! God knows what insurance rates will be after this fire.
Now, this, of course, all depends on location. I 100% agree that if you can find a good deal, take it. I bought a condo in Regina, SK 2 years back for 79K. That's a steal! As you mentioned, the PT and insurance are next to nothing...but unless you can hack the life of an Eskimo, it could be tough.
I think anybody who wants to buy a house today needs to consider a cargo house, box house or whatever else is a new idea because the way the market is right now, youre gonna spend 50 years paying for some wood on a plot of dirt. It's just not worth it at these prices.
Sad but true.
It's definitely true we are better off today than we were in the past.
Of course, experience is relative. People who live today experience today's struggles, so I don't fault anyone who is outraged about their living conditions, despite knowing that they live in the most advanced era and they live in a 1st world country.
There is a reason he is framing the comparisons to the 1780s. In a number of metrics, we're now worse off than at certain points in the past - in spheres like wealth compared to prior generations, senior homelessness, health unaffordability, decreasing life expectancy and QoL life expectancy, general stagnation of wages since the 1970s, lack of pensions and security, average credit debt, home ownership percentage, and proportion of the population that is middle class and related to it inequality. In many of these aspects we are worse off compared to 10, 30, or 60 years ago. Framing our post industrial lifestyles as much better than agrarian society is a bit disingenuous when our lives had been on average materially better in an earlier stage of that late industrialization
Even in my lifetime there have been huge advances in comfort & convienience. AC was a luxury, hung our wash on a clothesline, at one point shared a 3 bed 1.5 bath house with 9 family members. Watched black/white TV w/7 channels. Cell phones & PCs didn't exist. If people are living in poor conditions now (dirty/crime) it is a cultural choice. And yes, when I was young & poor, just starting, the older generation told me I had to work harder too.
@@serebii666 - Much of what you mention is a result of society moving from multi-generational households and larger family sizes where everyone contributes to our current society where many want to have their own home/apartment. AI tells me that after WWII, the average household had more than 3.5 people. Before that it was more than 5 people. Now it is only 2.5 people.
@@chiplangowski3298 "multi-generational households and larger family sizes" those are 2 very seperate family structures that you are mixing together.
"want to have their own home" Which was largely accomplished by subsidized Federal loans in the immediate postwar for returning GIs, low interest rate mortgages in the 1950s (that averaged 2,5%) and the rise of tract suburban developments. The rise and standardization of the nuclear family structure happened at that time.
"more than 3.5 people." So... 2 Parents and up to 3 kids. In 1950 as per the census around 58% of households had between three and five members, 21% had more than six members, 18% had two members, and only 3% had one member.
That is my whole point when I wrote about better conditions in certain metrics 60 years ago - that nuclear family model, which is still the US's primary typology today, lived better than a similar family would today. In 2022, the average American family size was 3.13 people. Today, despite the majority of Americans living in the nuclear family model, they are in many cases more burdened than families from the late 1950s-1960s.
"AI tells me" Don't do that. Please, do your own research, don't rely on a glorified predictive word generator for any factual basis.
@serebii666 I very much agree. I think we are regressing back to the early industrial era of workers being exploited by business owners that make an astronomical amount of wealth.
Sure, things like child labor and corporate towns don't exist anymore, but they just offshore that work to Asian countries these days.
I wanted to say, that when I said "we definitely live better now than in the past", I meant physically. Like, we have electricity, AC, indoor plumbing, stuff like that. Economically, it is definitely bad. And I think the only reason it's not gotten worse is because of laws put on the books during the Theodore Roosevelt era. Who knows how long those will last though.
Now is the best time to live in America. There’s never been a better time than the present.
I needed this. It's nice to take a look at the big picture and see how far along we have become and to be thankful for what I have.
modern homes, schools, hospitals, police departments and stores are so nice that no one can afford them. but at least we don't have to worry about working in factories any more.
They’re cheap pieces of shit built with garbage materials that will not last. They only look nice to rip off people.
I worked in factories my whole life and still can't afford shit... And I definitely live within my means.. the greedy Rich that keep you poor
"Owning" land in the US is misinformation. Just because you have a deed doesn't mean you actually own the land. You must continue to pay "rent" to the US government through property taxes annually or they will take your land away from you. It is a criminal practice. We should pay tax once, on purchase. After that, the property should be 100% yours until/unless you decide to sell it. Period, full stop
Nope. You pay taxes every year on your property so the government which protects the land your property is on will and can continue to enforce your ability to keep that property.
You want that property to be safe from theft and you want it to be in good condition that won't lead to harm down the road? Pay your taxes. Stop whining.
Greatest country on earth yeah right
That’s crazy! In Australia we pay land rates and excess water rates. My land rates are approx $1200 USD per year and water is about $1000. I suppose our land rates could be classed as similar, but I think I’ve heard you pay more than that on property tax? If they take the land for not paying taxes do they at least pay you back what the house is worth if it was sold or do they just take everything and leave you homeless?
@@RextheRebelhow does the government protect your land? Genuine question
@@Brown_Skittle I pay property taxes to my local government in exchange for police protection, fire protection, code enforcement (so my neighbors don’t create unsafe or undesirable conditions around my property), streets & sidewalks to get to & from my property, water & sewer lines to/from my property. Those are the basic needs that help me use & enjoy my property. My taxes also go towards amenities I like that are near my property - parks, trails, libraries, rec centers, community events, etc.
I’d say that refrigerators and freezers are two of the greatest consumer product inventions.
The rising cost of living is lowering the standard of living people once enjoyed in 2020.
The Year of the Plague? We were all in lockdown and a million Americans died of Covid? Life was great then? Smh. I guess it WAS Boom times if you were in the funeral industry.
Already know. Biden fucked it up for everyone. And not Trump supported either BTW.
I can see why people long for the past. It's the only time they felt they were part of the collective "American Dream." Now it's just the name of a declining mall in the feted swamplands of New Jersey...
This was very, very interesting. Thank you!
I love living in my "suburban home" By the way, it's a 1978 Chevrolet Suburban 😅
8:56 - Enjoying a cigarette while reading a magazine in his hospital room.
Lol....I was going to comment the same. The commentator was talking about increasing longevity. Lol
Doctors also smoked in the hospital and in your room.
@@Lili-xq9sn_higher._ At least the doctors (and surgeons, especially) had started to wash their hands.
lol, I remember as a kid going for doctor visits. He always had a huge cigar going, in a cigar smoke filled office. No one batted an eye over it.
The good ol’ days ma guy. 👍💯
Thank you, that was enjoyable.
Excellent Video keep them coming I have grandparents that came from Luxembourg to the US
I am tired of being poor.
Same
Fix it! All the information to become wealthy is at your fingertips. If you wanted it bad enough, you would make it happen.
@@elimeir8558😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😒
@@elimeir8558 so are you a millionaire yet then?
Me too
For all the younger people doubting how it was in the 1970s, as an older guy who was a kid in that era, this video is basically correct. I was one of only a few children in my class whose home had air conditioning and who had been in an airplane. This was in an affluent middle-class suburb of Chicago. Cars just didn’t last and they rusted like crazy. I remember in one of my best friend’s cars you could see the street through the holes rusted in the floor (carpeted car interiors were a luxury option, as were radios and air conditioning). It was not more than five years old. Odometers had only five digits because it was so unusual for a vehicle to last 100,000 miles. Yes, there is a real problem with housing affordability in today’s USA (and it needs to be addressed) but let’s not sugar-coat the past.
I'm poor and he's right about material things being so much better. We just take lots of things for granted. Electricity, running water, ac, central heat, appliances, internet, tv, cars, etc. are fairly new in the grand scheme of things. We should be grateful.
We may have gained more but we have also lost too much... the things that matter.....
@@thsone like what?
Would much rather live in the 60ties. Housing situation is a disgrace. So are food prices.
Boomers enjoyed benefits their parents paid for, then pulled up the ladders for future generations.
boomers had it the easiest by far
Eh I'd rather have all the luxuries of living in modern day, as well as taking into account all the advancements that society has made since then
@brandond5963 you would be unaware of the future advancements and wouldn't crave them. Your quality of life would be much higher in almost every aspect. The amount of satisfaction back then is incomparably higher than modern times. It isn't even close
I found it interesting that there is a regression or return for society with
1) families having multiple jobs to cover costs, no longer a single bread winner
2) Also going back into renting rather than owning a home.
But it’s still improved with devices to occupy you rather then going to sleep when it’s dark and the candle wearing out.
A better comparison would be 1925 to 2025… That is a lot more thought-provoking comparison on our standard of living
The feeling of gratitude and retrospect this video gives me towards modern times makes me appreciate what I have as a lower-class american who was born into an upper middle class. Things have gotten worse but not in any way bad.
This was your best segment.
This is an excellent video and I believe accurate. I'm 65 and can hardly believe how much richer we are compared with the 60s and 70s. I tell my adult kids about it and they try to comprehend
The 2020's should show a box and overpass.
😂😂😂😂😢
The 1st half of the 2020's anyway.
If I were fortunate enough to have a job, maybe high enough on the seniority rolls to keep my job, I’d like to live in the 1930’s .
That was a fantastic overview of such a long period. So strange how far we've come and how much further we can go!
In the 1970s the average home had 500 square feet per person and now it is double that. My wife and I love our small energy efficient home. Electricity, oil heat and taxes are less than $5,000 a year.
We built our own place on a nice piece of land after selling a 3 bedroom home that was just over 2,200 square feet.
It's true. If someone wants the same standard of living (materially) that was common in 1970, they'd probably be able to afford it. Finding a safe and cohesive community at that standard, however, might be difficult. We've lost the high trust society that we once had.
What do you think is the best designed home for American's curent lifestyle? We don't need a living room and a family room, we don't need a formal dinning room with a kitchen dinnete especially if the kitchen has an island dinning area. What is the best open open concept great space configuration? Is a entry foyer necessary? I do like a combo mud room laundry from the garage entry. I'm looking for the smallest most versatile design that allows for dual purposes rooms wich will create building cost savings to be allocated on decrotive upgrades like 9' ceilings, woodwork, and fireplace bookshelves. Thanks
Well researched, and very interesting!
I live in Rockland County, New York. A one bedroom apartment is about $2700 per month near me. Obviously, some cost much more than this, depending on what neighborhood it's in
yea thats INSANE nowonder ppl on streets homeless dooign drugs, even if wanted to rent INSTEAD drugs they cant AFFORD it with the little they get. altho they should be able to be helped more now that they are deporting those that were getting 5k or more a month. ofcourse don't hold your breath.
What wonderful video I would prefer to live back in the 80’s and 90’s when the prospect of owning a home was still within reach and the technology was limited to dial up internet.
agree - since I am on home dial up internet and wish internet would go away!
90s, maybe. 80s, definitely not. Inflation was crushing (worse than now). Interest rates were ridiculous (16% on a mortgage, with 6% on a savings account). Remember, Reagan was elected in 1984. It took Paul Volker years of high interest rates to crush inflation. It's going to take whoever gets that job in the Trump admin just as long. Inflation is slow to end - and it is always a monetary issue. The Biden administration injected literally trillions of dollars into the economy. It's going to take a lot of time to suck it back out and/or grow the economy enough to restore value to the dollars already floating around.
@@jenrferrusoIf you don’t mind using phones (talking about the non portable ones like what we used typically today) that hook to the line only. Sure. Sometimes I would prefer to be at those times even if there’s less technology.
I wish this could have been longer! Love it tysm
Well presented. How easily it is to take things for granted. I currently live in poverty, but health care has at least significantly extended my life. Before the late 70s liver transplants were not available. Fortunately, I haven't needed one yet.
14:20 Most of us would all rather go back to living in the 1980s or the 1950s, obviously.
There is no buying power now, with a much lower standard of living.
This is true but people are so much more wasteful with money now.
example:
buying coffee at a cafe everyday = $150/month
cell phone = $70/month
internet = $60/month
cable tv/streaming service = $50-$100/month
new car payment = $250-$500/month
dining out 3x a week = $250-$500/month
entertainment = $200-$400/month
wanton purchasing of useless stuff = $ ???
......
.....
.....
@@kkjppt5359 Indeed.....people are also wasteful, too used to modern conveniences, and live beyond their means.
Again, rose colored glasses. The 1980s were not all that. Rare to have AC. Rare computers. Rare cable TV. Rare cell phones. No Amazon, but there was Sears & Roebuck catalog. No remote work. Metered, expensive phone calls. Don't even get me started on the neon lycra clothes - even yoga pants are an improvement. We did have better music, though.
@marksizer3486 You missed the important part about the fact that just about every man with almost any job could afford a wife, kids, a few cars, and a home.
The 1980s in the USA represented the Zenith of Western Civilization. Things started collapsing in the 90s, most notably with the women whose value dropped precipitously. We lost high value women, culture, music, buying power, and standard of living.
Things were infinitely better in the 80s. Western Civilization is collapsing all over the world right now. Economies are failing and numerous countries are on the verge of population collapse.
Someone living in a small house today lives far better than a king did not that long ago in the late 1800s. No electric, no heat other then a fireplace. No indoor plumbing for hot and cold water and sanitation needs. You can’t compare.
Kings still had it better, even if the commodities and tech weren't as advanced.
@@RextheRebel yeah, but we have paprika and salt
Life expectancy is going down and people can't afford basic housing or healthcare... It's hidden because many people use credit and are massively in debt. It's becoming a crisis where a huge percent are unable to realistically live on their wages.
Very cool video
11:08 lol, i had those PJs. They were terry cloth with the trap door in back.
My grand parents started off in a cabin and had horses. My grandfather lived through the Great Depression two world wars and and lived long enough to see a man walk in the moon.
In the 1940's 50's and early 60's houses were built smaller but comfortable and there was a simple but elegant style to furniture and housing that was an actual style not just a simplification just for industrial convenience. Also, houses were built for people then, but now they are built for the commodity of square feet. People are forced to accept ridiculously oversized houses for investment security pushed by banks who make as much money as possible by moving as many molecules as possible.
Incorrect, customer demand moved away from Levitttowns to larger homes because AMERICA !
@pavelow235 No
I agree, houses are no longer on a livable scale. Just take a look at Jimmy Stewart's house in LA, or the home of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez, or Marilyn Monroe's home. They are just Normal nice houses, not 11k square foot behemoths. Gavin Newsome is doing a little happy dance that that is all burned down. More taxes, and no more homes without and onsuite for every bedroom
I live in a studio but I'm grateful to have electricity, heat, and running water. I'm grateful to be able to do simple work and be able to buy everything I need and many things I want. People want to much in modern times because they compare themselves to people doing better than them than people who aren't. or never had the chance to live better.
We have a lot to be grateful for, but equality and opportunity for all is still not achieved. Thanks for this eye opening video. It reminded me how far we have come in just one century.
Rich as can be and as unhappy as possible! ❤ modern life & “progressivism”
Great video, thank you.
Lots and lots of people around here living in parks or cars. I don't remember that from years ago. Also, the average lifespan is dropping again.
Oh yes, all the near-highway sidestreets and all the walmart parking lots.
I like camping in my car on 2 or 3 day road trips but wouldn't want to live full time like that.
Awesome video! Loved the history.
There is a bit of a misnomer about living. Prior to electricity, much of life was outdoors, particularly when weather was nice. So, one would sit beneath a tree and read, shell peas, knit, or do other tasks. With that in mind, things weren't so cramped when all you did was sleep. Today, we have abandoned the outside for an insular indoors and waste our space on useless locations such as bathrooms. For a room we defecate and bathe in, we sure build them big these days. My mother's seemingly large 2-story house build circa 1890 was revealed to be only 2,400sf. Family scoffed and stated the agent had mis-measured, but no, the house was that size. How could such a large house be so small? The bathrooms, of which there were three, and the closets were small and there were virtually no hallways. No wasted space.
Great video 🎬🏆
I was born in 1953 and grew up in white suburban America.
Compared to what this video shows how people lived in the 19th and early 20th centuries I have had it REALLY good. I grew up in a 3 bedroom 2 bath house and my brother and I each had our own bedroom. My dad was an Engineer and my mom was a Teacher and we always had 2 cars (one bought new and the other pre-owned). The neighborhood I grew up in was safe and quiet.
I always took my very comfortable upbringing for granted because it’s all I ever knew. My parents, OTOH, had to endure The Great Depression and World War II. I realize now how fortunate I was and still am.
I HAVE actually been wondering lately how people lived in different decades, this video read my mind!
If we were White and my father was a well-paid, college-educated professional, living in the late 1940's and all the 1950's would have been great.
The black poverty rate was lower back then
I am white and grew up in the 50s in a single parent home. Mom made minimum wage in a factory. Guess what? You work hard and you get out of poverty. Color has nothing to do with it.
@@ihave35cents95Good point. You read accurate history as many others today don’t realize.
Not really true that you have to be White to have it good in the ‘40s and the ‘50s. That’s the big misunderstanding. Still I’d wish I was in the ‘50s.
@ I’m guessing you’re white.
This is interesting!
I'm gonna watch it again.
Great video
2020's/2030's: in tents. ☹️😓
Then family was strong, physical work was hard , mental health was good and life ended early. Now family is weak, physical work is minimal, mental health is declining and life expectancy has increased. There was a generation where life was pretty much balanced.
2020s: just an old van under a bridge
Many details are completely avoided or not discussed here. You never brought up the explosion modern homeless issues, the expanse in exploitation of lower socioeconomic classes by the higher classes. The sudden decrease in effective national education. As well as many more severe impacts we face in the last five decades. Which are increasingly ignored by the larger masses for the sake of this convenience.
I think it would be interesting to do a comparison of urban families vs rural families during the same time period. I think life was very different. Interesting video.
The income and wealth disparity in the 2015 - 2025 has skyrocketed, along side with the corruption in Washington DC.
Especially alongside the national debt.
@@LyricsQuest we send fricken 84% income tax to the 80 QUADRILLINAIR rothschild family :/ they STOLE that money! we COULD send the millitery but that aint ever gonna happen!
I live on 1200 a month
No mortgage/rent, no car payment and DIY everything makes that easy for me. Inflation and health issues could change that.
yea same exept its more liek 950 a month but luckly have a house thats paid for tho would like to do some repairs. idk how peaople affording rent i guess everybody secretly 3rd time job drug dealer?
In reflection I thank God daily and don't complain it's a miracle we have it so good!
I'm with you. Thankful for what I had and what I have now. Always place trust in God's provision. Be a blessing.
These American suburbs look like a nightmare..
Really awful.
Packed in like sardines in a can. Son lives in one where you run out of parking space easily. 2 cars and then you park on the street. Street is often near full of cars on both sides. Nice homes just too small of a yard and driveway.
At one point, humans lived in caves and makeshift tents, had to scavenge rotting carcasses, and had to constantly guard against cannibals and wild animals. The important thing is that we’re not supposed to move backwards. We should not tolerate falling living standards to any degree, especially not when it is being caused largely by the injustice of an increasingly unequal society. Also, we should not assume that this decline is temporary, when things will only improve if we demand and force them to improve. If we wait for things to get better, we will just find that we fall further and more of the gains of progress are taken away.
"we’re not supposed to move backwards" You use this word "supposed". I don't think it means what you think it means. History has no arrow. Humans are not "supposed" to do anything - it implies an entity with a plan and your knowledge of said plan. Even if you believe that G*d does have a plan for humanity, it is massive hubris to assume you know its direction and/or intent.
"things will only improve if we demand and force them to improve." Now that I agree with - although I'd bet we have nearly opposite demands and different definitions of "force".
This is all the proof anyone should need that without government regulations, the free market would lead to the majority of ppl living in abject poverty.
Clearly you're not reading the comments. Government regulations have only increased since the halcyon days of yore (1950s, 60s, 80s, 90s depending on the commenter), yet things were better then (according to said commenters). If anything, I'd say this video is evidence of the exact opposite.
Try running history in reverse, starting in 2024 and going towards 1609, would probably give a very different feel.
How the other half lives , Jacob Riis
I live in Toronto in a 1200sqft 125 year old brick semi "worth" 1.2 million cdn$. We bought it for less than half of that 15 years ago. My kids will likely never be able to own a home so in a few years were going to build a secondary house on the property for whoever starts a family first. My family is spread all over the country and Im kind of excited at the prospect of having at least one of my kids close to home. As I always wanted a close nit family like the families many of my immigrant friends have/had as white canadian families of my generation followed the money all over the country which resulted in having very little close family to connect with and rely on particulary as we age. My own parents live 2 hours away and Ihave almost no contact with aunts,uncles, cousins and my brother. Im hoping one upside to the real estate shitstorm were currently in at least results in closer family bonds...im still going to have to spend 500k$ to find out lol
In the future describing us now 2025 will seem rather ancient too.
A friendly reminder that having land and not using that land is considered quite a luxury. Every house with a patch of land should plant a fruit tree, imo.
My house was built in 1930
Very interesting idea, thank you. Unfortunately, I was unable to watch but a minute due to vocal fry as it's very distracting. Best wishes.
This, to me, is a redemption from the one video regarding modern housing. A large problem with that video is framing it as if classic commoner housing, especially of non-white non-american origin until the 1970s+, lived in luxury.
One note, however, is neighborhoods. The typical "suburbian" home we have today use to be called the 'gated community', while suburbia of the era of creation was typically an ideal where the "inter neighborhood" was filled with housing, and the inter-city (typically business district) would be where apartments would be. In the 1970's - 1980's, or so, this slowly devolved and we eventually caved into a society wherein the typical classic suburbian house is a rental apartment.
While most also believe something like sears 'started the mass produced home', these started before sears, and although it was for more wealthier individuals, it wasn't common. Sears just made that market consumable to the average citizen.
Which falls nicely in the immigrant, minority, and racial divide until the 1960's (really even till today).
Immigrants of the past were lucky to even live in an apartment with a window, while minority groups who were us citizens were lucky to even live, along with anyone of a darker skin tone.
To that extent, from signs that said "irish need not apply" to cities in the 1900's catering specifically to italian's (mob presence), it slowly drove the stylized image of "an american family" into depravity. This goes triple if you lived already in a state without slavery but in an area that was predominantly very racist but no segregation. This was the rise of the various figures in pointy white hats.
This also leads to immigration -- something that's a hot button topic today. We've always been this Country that both accepts immigrants, and "blames them" for everything. In a typical basis, at least since the 1800's, the common US citizen would blame anyone who wasn't within their ethnic circles for the problems, in turn, leading to all of those "x need not apply" signs you'd hear.
A lot of this is basic history, stuff many either learned already, but this context truly matters. You can't speak about housing if we do not address the secondary market that didn't have this luxury -- nor can we address housing in the classic eras if we do not note that the people who lived in "amazing Victorian houses" weren't, in all honesty, capitalists, baron robbers, wealthy or aristocrat families of the yesteryear; "old money".
The common house was built less to last, and more to be serviceable and easy to maintain. You didn't just install that new electric in your house without knowing if it won't break, ya feel me?
And that's where a lot of this misconception about "quality of products" comes from. Classic products we used to build homes with, were of no better quality than today -- and in many, many cases, of were worse quality. What is being confused for "common household" is being actually discussed as a "master craftsmen hired by a wealthy individual". The typical house didn't have insanely fancy woodworking, it didn't have chair rails, it didn't have fancy decorative walls, or fancy kitchens, or fancy doors. It didn't have dedicant decor or various unique elements of different wood species or stone. And, even if it did, varnish and various materials were not enough to protect it to last more than 20 - 40 years before rotting. These concepts were merely to flaunt money, rather than actually being functional parts of a house. Which, as noted in the previous video, is what people cared about more for the longest period of time.