To be fair you are talking about a time when: If you got into a fight with someone and no one was seriously injured no one was arrested or taken to court.  Freedom=Responsibility was widely understood  Fear mongering by the media was much less wide spread (Unless it was international war of course) But my absolute favorite, In most cases access to food and water was not a guarantee but communities came together to help each other in times of need. Could you imagine a neighborhood where there is a family that are all obese living next to a family who has to regulate every cent to make sure their children don't starve to death?