5 ms·

And you suppose making more money, or wanting to, is somehow evil?

by iwwr 16y ago

_delirium 16y ago
In many cases it wasn't really a voluntary choice to change lifestyle in order to make more money; a lot of the mass-urbanization periods happened when previous ways of making money collapsed. In the U.S., two big periods of rural flight were the late 19th century, when industrialization of farming lowered prices enough that family farmers were no longer competitive; and the 1930s, when the dust-bowl put another large cohort of family farmers out of business. You could argue they ended up better off anyway, but it wasn't as if millions of people sat down and voluntarily decided, "well, I could stay and farm, but I'd rather go to the city and work in a factory". The collapse of family farming as a viable occupation sort of made the choice for them.
- iwwr 16y ago
  The industrialists were not responsible for the conditions of late medieval agriculture. Again, would the rural folk have been better off without the factories altogether? An alternative way to look at things was that industrialism saved Europe (and later the rest of the world) from waves of famine. It allowed, for the first time since centuries, the possibility for ordinary people to travel to work and to move up in society. Conditions were not agreeable to a modern eye, but compared to the past were a great improvement.
psykotic 16y ago
I suppose, said or insinuated no such thing. What a childish comeback. Of course it isn't evil. If you're starving then making money is not only not evil but a necessity. Beyond meeting your immediate needs, working endless hours at a repetitive, unhealthy job to support your family or further your children's future is commendable. That does not mean worker conditions improved with industrialization as compared to working on your own farm or as a day laborer.
- iwwr 16y ago
  A standard of living is not made by just the raw hours of leisure. Industrialization also brought security from famine and allowed for hygiene, sewage and medicine. It also allows people to chose to work very little, just to support their bare necessities (although very few chose to).

And you suppose making more money, or wanting to, is somehow evil?

by iwwr 16y ago

And you suppose making more money, or wanting to, is somehow evil?

In many cases it wasn't really a voluntary choice to change lifestyle in order to make more money; a lot of the mass-urbanization periods happened when previous ways of making money collapsed. In the U.S., two big periods of rural flight were the late 19th century, when industrialization of farming lowered prices enough that family farmers were no longer competitive; and the 1930s, when the dust-bowl put another large cohort of family farmers out of business. You could argue they ended up better off anyway, but it wasn't as if millions of people sat down and voluntarily decided, "well, I could stay and farm, but I'd rather go to the city and work in a factory". The collapse of family farming as a viable occupation sort of made the choice for them.

iwwr 16y ago
The industrialists were not responsible for the conditions of late medieval agriculture. Again, would the rural folk have been better off without the factories altogether? An alternative way to look at things was that industrialism saved Europe (and later the rest of the world) from waves of famine. It allowed, for the first time since centuries, the possibility for ordinary people to travel to work and to move up in society. Conditions were not agreeable to a modern eye, but compared to the past were a great improvement.

psykotic 16y ago

I suppose, said or insinuated no such thing. What a childish comeback. Of course it isn't evil. If you're starving then making money is not only not evil but a necessity. Beyond meeting your immediate needs, working endless hours at a repetitive, unhealthy job to support your family or further your children's future is commendable. That does not mean worker conditions improved with industrialization as compared to working on your own farm or as a day laborer.

iwwr 16y ago
A standard of living is not made by just the raw hours of leisure. Industrialization also brought security from famine and allowed for hygiene, sewage and medicine. It also allows people to chose to work very little, just to support their bare necessities (although very few chose to).