re: I cannot even fathom what life was like during WWII for the average person

I don’t think we will ever fully be able to appreciate it, that generation is fading away and currently people seem more intent on erasing history than learning from it.

I grew up in a very small village just south of Aberdeen, Scotland. Even in the 80’s, you could still see the effects of the war....I still remember some iron “stumps” in a stone wall and my dad explaining they cut the iron part of the fence/wall to make into ammo. Strange thing to realize that even in a tiny village they stripped everything they could for the war effort.

My mom (English) was born in the 50’s, but her and my grandparents are still 100% you eat everything on your plate...especially meat which was rationed very heavily during war, and even after.

The World at War is an awesome series/documentary.

Check it out.

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Cable news didn't invent misinformation.

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No the internet just made it widespread and there was no such thing as a 24 hour news channel. Now they are infinite.

I assume you know this but didn't mention it.

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I believe in the American spirit. We may fight amongst ourselves and whine but if anyone fricks with us, we come out swinging.

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Just go and lay your hand on a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and I think you're gonna finally understand.

I have no doubt that life was hard then. But at least this country was united and had something to fight for.

The only thing worse would be living during the black death pandemic that killed up to half the European population.

and many people went through it twice between WWI AND WWII

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Can you imagine today’s snowflake citizenry who think wearing a mask violates their freedom being told to eat less meat, donate their metal items, and grow victory gardens?

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Can you imagine the people who fought WWII being told to do these things for no good reason?

The average American benefitted greatly during the war.. steady work meant money and security... that brought forth more housing albeit at a much slower rate until after the war. For some families it meant saving for the future and investing in war bonds which brought forth unprecedented American savings in the middle class. But even with that, the stress and uncertainty tapered the positives. The news was so much different .. the most up to date news was in the papers and on the radio... the propaganda was filtered through rallies and news reels at the theatre.. the propaganda wasn’t always good news as they played on the emotions of young men to get them to volunteer.. Nationalism was high which isn’t inherently bad but it led to paranoia and fed the underbelly of rumors and falsehoods that passed through communities.. Rationing was a part of life but also kept the underworld at work while they also worked with the government in many other ways.. war leads to strange bedfellows as they say..

I imagine the unknown was always the toughest part of day to day life.. I also can see how different life between the coasts, especially in the middle.. while they all sent their children, the coastal region probably had a more paranoid existence.

Amazing how this march against fascism had way less banners and people with colored hair.