“In the 1850s, people had the skills, knowledge and infrastructure to live in a functioning 1850s level society.”
It’s amazing how many people today don’t even know how to use a manual can opener.
I am guessing at least 75% of the American population would not know how to obtain potable water if the faucets went dry. Cholera and typhus would run rampant within six months of the loss of sanitary facilities. I’d say 90+% of the populace would not know how to obtain food at a subsistence level. The eco-freaks like to paint a romanticized version of a 19th century lifestyle, simpler, more “peacefulâ€, few wants or needs. In fact, most people, maybe 90% of the population today, would not survive it, it would be too arduous. And those that did would be clamoring for a return to the “decadent†21st century lifestyle.
>>It’s amazing how many people today don’t even know how to use a manual can opener.
My mom was a school nurse at an elementary school. She tells a funny story about a child who was sick in her office, and needed to sharpen her pencil. My mom pointed to the (manual) sharpener. A few moments later, the girl came and said “Your sharpener must not be plugged in, it doesn’t work.”