Things have gotten better and progress has been made from times past, it just seems worse now because we have more access to information. We've come far, and have further to go!
this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2023
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While "technically" true. We all know the average lifespan was brought down by a high infant mortality. So comparingbthat to when peopke retired is meaningless. That said, it dies seem worse because with more information we realize how much better it could be. 100 years ago, the average american had no idea how common slums were outside the US. And those that knew considered those slum people less than human. So what we have really done is expanded who is considered human, and who matters. That certainly does make it look worse.
Yeah, mean lifespan is meaningless if the distribution is bimodal. Median would be a more useful average.
This was and still is very true. The level of the poverty in places like that is astounding and beyond the experience of most anyone in a 1st world country. I grew up in America, in poverty of the level that my single mother was only eating what she could scrounge at work some years so she'd have enough to feed us kids. Yet when I deployed to Panama in the mid 90's for a 2 month military operation, and had to operate in many of the rural areas of Panama during those missions, I had my eyes opened to what real 3rd world poverty looks like. The way I grew up would have been a huge improvement for many of the people I saw there. You can't really understand it until you've seen it with your own eyes.
Also, significantly less dead babies increasing average lifespan is a very happy way to boost that number
*fewer dead babies
*significantly less dead baby
The less/fewer distinction is arbitrary Victorian bullshit flying directly in the face of how English is used. The only point of it was to try and make English more like Latin and allow aristocrats who spoke Latin to look down on those without expensive private education.
Please dont perpetuate it.
There's no need to make shit up.
I do beg your pardon, it was Georgian not Victorian era when this nonsense was dreamed up for no reason other than preference for trying to cram Latin-esque cases into english.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/no-genuine-rule-dictates-the-use-of-less-or-fewer-cs25kv8s5
The wiki article on it notes that
i.e. it is a shibboleth for saying "I am educated unlike you uncultured lot who use natural sounding language"
Yeah, people who learn and understand language are the worst
You cant say "the worst" when talking about an uncountable group, you have to say "the least good" because I prefer that and it makes me sound smart by correcting you. Apparently that is sufficient for it to be understanding language and for you to be wrong.
Most people thank me for the little correction and just go about their day without being a total asshole.
Really most people thank you for being an annoying pedant who isnt even correct?
No, most people aren't self-important assholes like you who lie for attention.
I think we can all agree to that.