GDR writes:
Would you rather have grown up when you did that now?
That's not a question that can be answered with any degree of rationality. What children need is their parents' love and care and so long as their basic needs of food, clothing, health, housing and friends are met, they'll be happy regardless.
All the stuff you worry about now are adult concerns and adults have those concerns at all times in history.
What I do remember are children in my class with calipers on their legs caused by polio. Those were the ones that survived it. I remember much talk amongst adults of children in 'iron lungs' until they died. A close friend died of measles and the girl across the street that I'd promised to marry died in an epileptic fit. Most adults seemed to have false teeth. Teachers could abuse kids with impunity - belting them with whatever implement came to hand from wooden blackboard dusters to purpose made canes.
Although I didn't know it - being a child - food was poor post-war and some families in my street had no men.
We were free to roam and we went everywhere on our bikes, but the roads had far less traffic then, not everyone had a car.
Doors where quite definately locked, burgalry wasn't invented in the 21st century. It was the age of consumer goods and electronics, stuff in house was worth stealing.
As for religion, the Catholic kids fought the Protestand kids in the streets. They had seperate schools - catlickers and proddydogs. All great fun until they found you on your own.
Society has always changed, some things have improved beyond recognition, some things feel like they're not as good, but when looked at objectively there's been a steady rise in living standards and a steady fall in crime for centuries. Those improvement are because of our secular institutions - religious belief is a drag on progress.
Je suis Charlie. Je suis Ahmed. Je suis Juif. Je suis Parisien. I am Mancunian. I am Brum. I am London. Olen Suomi Soy Barcelona. I am Ukraine.
"Science adjusts it's views based on what's observed.
Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved."
- Tim Minchin, in his beat poem, Storm.
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