re: Why I would want to live in the late 1930's

I don't agree on the time because that was a horrible time for many people and families. But, I get what you're saying. I want a simpler time as well. My grandfather was a fireman and a police officer on his off days. He had a limited education but worked very hard to provide for his family. They had a small but comfortable house. My mom and her sister shared a full sized bed up until my grandparents' deaths when my mom and her sisters were teens. It was a comfortable, easier life because they worked for and appreciated what they had instead of constantly trying to keep up with their neighbors. Having more and being more wasn't a priority. Living life and being a family was. That's the life I want. Nowadays, kids want so much and you're expected to buy them this gadget or those clothes. Not like the kids expect it (at least mine don't) but other people actually expect you to provide I phones and xboxs and 400 extracurriculars and whatnot for your kids otherwise you're a crappy parent. If you have 3 kids, you better have at least 4 bedrooms because kids are not expected to share anything anymore. It's sad to me to see the entitlement of a lot of kids now. And it's sadder because they didn't turn themselves into unbearable greedy little shits. It's their parents who have folded to the court of mommy opinion. I reject this and try not to raise my kids like that. Not saying my kids have nothing. But what they have is what they need and some of what they want, like I did. I have zero hope for this newest generation of adults, whatever they're called. Not a game changer in the bunch. But, I have hope that there are more parents out there who recognize these awful attributes in that generation and try to raise better kids because of it.

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You would not want to live in the late 1930s, I assure you.

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Like all economic disasters the severity depended on where you lived. My parents and grand parents were not rich, but they never went hungry. They had homes to live in and even had a radio. There were a lot more people like them that weren't starving then were starving. Their life wasn't as easy as ours but it wasn't all pain and misery.

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Why I would want to live in the late 1930's

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I think what you mean is that you would want to have lived through the 1930s for the experience. I've lived through some shitty times, and they made me who I am. I'd never volunteer to go back through them however.

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Many moons ago, my grandpa told me how they had only a very few shot gun shells to hunt for food because they had very little money to buy ammo.

They had better make sure that every shot count because one bullet or shot gun shell was very expensive because of the lack of money they had.

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My father grew up this way. They didn't even have electricity or toilet until he was in his teens.

Yet all of his kids have advanced college degrees. We grew up poor by any current standard. Something I'm thankful for more as I get older and now am a father to be.

I grew up poor enough to realize that--despite my success--I could be poor again. Keeps one both humble and confident.

Modern people have no idea what poor or real poverty is. I worry what happens as we get further and further separated from it he realities of the true human condition.

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Yes, you are. Not to say that there isn't some truth in it, but it just doesn't net out. There are still plenty of folks who remember those times. Not many would want to go back.

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That doesn't mean street_pizza wouldn't appreciate it. If he would willingly put himself in a situation it would be different than growing up poor.

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I've done the "poor, rich" cycle twice already. Maybe I'm a slow learner, but I realize I was always at my best when down on my luck.

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Failure brings about the best-or-worst of a person's character.

I tend to judge people by what their NEXT step is AFTER a setback or failure, more so than the failure. We all make mistakes. Our reaction tells the tale.