3 ms·

I'm purely speculating but I think it's also a side effect of the high degree of development in places like Japan and elsewhere in the first world. If you're th

by tootie 4y ago

I'm purely speculating but I think it's also a side effect of the high degree of development in places like Japan and elsewhere in the first world. If you're the child a middle class family it's just so easy to live a subsistence lifestyle without working hard or engaging in your community. This kind of isolation would kill someone in a more primitive society but if you can lock yourself in an apartment with running water and food delivery you can be relatively comfortable forever.

HPsquared 4y ago
Kind of like how in older societies there have been examples of reclusive people from aristocracy. You don't hear about that in the lower classes, of course, because it's so unsustainable for someone in that position.
- jjoonathan 4y ago
  Hermits were aristocratic? I thought they hunted, fished, and generally saw to their own needs, supplemented with occasional (minimal) trading.
  - revolvingocelot 4y ago
    I think grandparent is talking about wealthy aristocrats who decide they don't want to interact with society/anyone. Pre-pizza-delivery, one would have had to be incredibly wealthy to manage to pull this off -- or be a penniless hermit, yeah. The reason I replied, however, was the use of the phrase "hermits were aristocratic?", because it brought to mind the fad of the ornamental hermit, kept as a positional good on estates of the rich. [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_hermit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_hermit
- arlcode 4y ago
  To be fair we don't hear about the lower classes in general. People who wrote the (history) books didn't bother and therefore historians and archeologist have not a lot to go by. Much of their everyday lives has to be pieced together from scarce evidence. Sociology is only arriving on the scene much later.
bergenty 4y ago
All that housing, food, water and internet cost money. I don’t think it’s as easy as you’re making it seem.

by tootie 4y ago

HPsquared 4y ago

Kind of like how in older societies there have been examples of reclusive people from aristocracy. You don't hear about that in the lower classes, of course, because it's so unsustainable for someone in that position.

jjoonathan 4y ago
Hermits were aristocratic? I thought they hunted, fished, and generally saw to their own needs, supplemented with occasional (minimal) trading.
- revolvingocelot 4y ago
  I think grandparent is talking about wealthy aristocrats who decide they don't want to interact with society/anyone. Pre-pizza-delivery, one would have had to be incredibly wealthy to manage to pull this off -- or be a penniless hermit, yeah. The reason I replied, however, was the use of the phrase "hermits were aristocratic?", because it brought to mind the fad of the ornamental hermit, kept as a positional good on estates of the rich. [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_hermit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_hermit
arlcode 4y ago
To be fair we don't hear about the lower classes in general. People who wrote the (history) books didn't bother and therefore historians and archeologist have not a lot to go by. Much of their everyday lives has to be pieced together from scarce evidence. Sociology is only arriving on the scene much later.

bergenty 4y ago

All that housing, food, water and internet cost money. I don’t think it’s as easy as you’re making it seem.