The principle insight of the 1900 House series (shown here last year, no on PBS, this year) seemed to be that, despite protests to the contrary, most people are wedded to modern standards of living. The sheer barbarism of the world the environmentalists want to drag us back to is a salutary lesson.
In message <20000620165226.23236.qmail at web124.yahoomail.com>, James
Baird <jlbaird3 at yahoo.com> writes
>
>Has anyone been watching "The 1900 House" on PBS? (I
>guess it was on in the UK last year) I jsut cought
>the 2nd episode last night, and I found it
>fascinating, not least because of the insights into
>political development.
>
>For those who don't know, its a sort of "Real World",
>except its a family thaat is living for 3 months in a
>London house which has been remodeled to make it into
>a replica of a turn of the century middle-class
>dwelling. Gas lighting, coal stove, etc. The family
>is only allowed to make use of products that would
>have been available in 1900 London, and they have to
>stay within the budget of an average middle class
>family of the time.
>
>The 2nd episode last night showed the family moving
>in, and the wife (who was the one who wnated to do it)
>breaking down under the workload after a few days,
>complaining that the husband was getting the better
>deal, etc. Just watching her and her daughters doing
>the wash (12 hours to do a single load!), I wondered
>how women ever had time to agitate for suffrage and
>the like. Check it out if you get the chance...
>
>Jim Baird
>
>
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