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I ran across these images on a Facebook page called “History Defined”. I was very irritated by much of the commentary under these images. They described the subjects of the photos as hard working, family oriented and proud. They said their lives were simple and better than modern life.

This is ridiculous. These people suffered in poverty and under oppression. There is nothing inherently noble about these people’s lives. They had no options. I’m sure they would have chosen a different lot in life if they could have. Their labor made someone else wealthy.

Romanticizing past hardships, oppression, legalized racism and child labor is manipulative gas lighting. There is no reason to glorify this sad time period in human history. Oddly enough people in poverty in modern times are maligned and not seen as noble. They are looked down on for their economic condition.

There is nothing stopping anyone from hard work, pride or family values now. Those qualities are just as prevalent now as in past. It’s a matter of personal choice. I don’t trust people that romanticize past time periods and malign the current age. The difference between modern times in the US and one hundred years ago is that we have labor and discrimination laws and people that never had a voice in this country have one now. Is that what people mean by “Make America Great Again”?