What would people from centuries ago think of our politics today?

[User157088589849]

I'm currently reading an excellent book called the timetravellers guide to medieval england. It's based in the 14h century but the concepts are very funny as what we would call normal, they would seem obscene. What would people from different centuries make of our progress the politics we debate and our political system?

[Blue3]

Commoners can vote? They can read, too? There's no king? The Earth goes around the sun? What's "health care" and why does it cost money, can't you pray for free? The Internet, what's that? You can fly in the air? How do you make things explode, what's gunpowder? Indoor plumbing, toilet paper, what is this madness?

In other words, even to people as recent as the 14th century, our world and politics and issues would be completely alien to them, there's almost no comparison. The 1700's is probably as far back as you can go and have people not completely astonished with just about everything, never mind the politics.

[DC Al Fine]

We'll be barbarians in their eyes I assume.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

To these guys...







...were probably a bunch of reactionist, paranoid freaks. 

[Cory]

To these guys...







...were probably a bunch of reactionist, paranoid freaks. 

I can't help but think America having a black President would be one of the biggest political shock to them personally.

[barfbag]

The first thing they would think is how are there no slaves? There's the fact people can vote, women can vote and work, a black president. They wouldn't recognize our country. Most people would freak out about our debt being in numbers they've never heard of. Politicians have been having affairs for millenniums so all of our sex scandals would be routine. How we react to scandals with glamour and gossip would probably be seen as weird. Anthony Weiner's scandal would expose people from centuries ago to a plethora of knowledge they can't even recognize.

[Lief 🗽]

To these guys...







...were probably a bunch of reactionist, paranoid freaks. 

Yeah, but these guys also thought it was okay to enslave an entire race of people and treat an entire gender of people as basically property, sooo...

[Pessimistic Antineutrino]

Never mind politics. They would be surprised the Americas exist, let alone its politics.

[Middle-aged Europe]

A negro is president, women are allowed to vote, and sodomists can marry each other.

They would think that we're out of our f***king mind. And then they would probably start to learn how to carry out terrorist bombings or something.

[barfbag]

A negro is president, women are allowed to vote, and sodomists can marry each other.

They would think that we're out of our f***king mind. And then they would probably start to learn how to carry out terrorist bombings or something.

Prior to Old Europe there was the Roman Empire where sodomy wasn't forbidden. Women were allowed to vote in ancient Greece. Blacks have presided over African countries for millenniums. It depends on how far back we go and which part of the world we're talking about.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Women were allowed to vote in ancient Greece.

No, they weren't.

[The Free North]

To these guys...







...were probably a bunch of reactionist, paranoid freaks. 

Yeah, but these guys also thought it was okay to enslave an entire race of people and treat an entire gender of people as basically property, sooo...

Swing and a miss

[TNF]

Who gives a s**t? They lived in different times under vastly different conditions than the ones in which we live, so we should really not even begin to care what the 'Founding Fathers' would think about [insert issue here]. It's also really funny to see everyone acting like the Founding Fathers would be outraged about [insert example of runaway state power here] because they basically lead a coup d'etat to protect their own financial interests from being seized from those uppity yeoman farmers and artisans back in the immediate aftermath of the American Revolution.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I think they would be to amazed at the quality of the picture on television to care.

[barfbag]

Who gives a s**t? They lived in different times under vastly different conditions than the ones in which we live, so we should really not even begin to care what the 'Founding Fathers' would think about [insert issue here]. It's also really funny to see everyone acting like the Founding Fathers would be outraged about [insert example of runaway state power here] because they basically lead a coup d'etat to protect their own financial interests from being seized from those uppity yeoman farmers and artisans back in the immediate aftermath of the American Revolution.

Our founding fathers were some of the most brilliant men our world has ever seen. Are you saying they set up our country as a conspiracy to protect their own money? You're right about living in different times where there's a different set of issues. Part of the fun of politics is comparing times for the sake of comparing times.

[Link]

They would probably commit ritualistic suicide.  America has become a success beyond their wildest dreams and the most some people can worry about is "I want an AR-15 with a 100 round magazine 'cause da second amendment."  I mean talk about totally missing the point.