If you got sent back in time...

[Zulu Romeo]

I'd be tempted to say 50 years before my birth, as I could then hopefully spend the later years of my life enjoying the 1970s and 1980s.

The advantage of that is that you can then point out to your peers whether that person with heavy make-up on the TV is a boy or a girl.

 

[RoJoHen]

Honestly, it would be a lot more fun if I could do some advanced planning. Otherwise, you're just a fish out of water.

That's kind of the point.

If you randomly get sucked through a time portal, where would you hope to end up? This is not for you to plan your retirement. This is survival.

 

[Finn]

1870s Hartford

My alma mater would have existed for nearly 60 years. I'd try to meet Samuel Twain and give him input about his books, oh yeah and mention something about "Finn"....

 

[Snaploud]

but I'll choose the closest time-frame to now. That would be 1960.

Not allowed, unless you were born this year.

Ah, reading comprehension is failing me today...

Okay, that would make the earliest year 1934....Ummm...That's not going to work... I'm going to have to re-think this one...

 

[Arrqh]

Most every other time period would be rather dangerous to a modern person to try and live in. Diseases, wars, poor hygiene, general eye for an eye bloodthirstiness. No thanks.

Basically. Quality of life has pretty much continued to improve over time, so the further back in time you go the more it's going to suck. And you'd be just as likely to get sick from diseases that were around at the time and be just as poorly off as everyone else at the time.

This thread actually made me think about smallpox which, in the US at least, people stopped getting vaccinations for in 1970 or so. Of course if I did wind up in a time period before they came up with the vaccine I could always go lick a cow or something, and even having knowledge of modern disease prevention techniques would be very helpful... but I can't say that's a very appealing prospect.

 

[Snaploud]

Yeah, I'm still trying to think of a time period and place in which I could stay alive and free for more than a month...I'm drawing a blank.

As for the distinction between planning for retirement and survival...I'm not seeing much of a difference in the short-term.

 

[RoJoHen]

Well, I'm saying that there is no planning at all. If you want, you can get dropped off outside of town so you won't be immediately spotted. You can "plan" while you're walkin'.

 

[Skywalker]

I really rather wouldn't go back in time at all, but what the heck, I'll be different. Going back to the early 20th century or 19th century is boring. I'll go all the way back to the early 2nd century AD and live in Rome during the era of the Five Good Emperors.

 

[RoJoHen]

I really rather wouldn't go back in time at all

Yeah, well, you did. Suck it up.

 

[Skywalker]

I really rather wouldn't go back in time at all

Yeah, well, you did. Suck it up.

Note to self: leave a time capsule in the vicinity of RoJoHen's house containing a note saying:

"Screw you, buddy!

P.S. I hope Chuck still got made."

 

[RoJoHen]

I'm full of mixed emotions.

 

[Starbreaker]

I need to go far enough back in time to where there's advanced technology again.

 

[KimMH]

As a woman of color I don't think my chances would be any better than here and now. Going back in time in Asia I would have few rights and would probably be relegated to a lifetime of hard physical labor and little chance to own property or make a lot of my own decisions. An asian woman in Europe or America before the 20th Cent I would be working in a laundry or a restaurant or as a domestic in wealthy white people's homes.

It actually makes me wonder what the next 50-100 years could bring. I like to think it could only get better.

 

[Goji]

I'd go back to dinosaur times.

No, I'm not taking this very seriously. But let's face it, my generation is addicted to modern technology. I'd be bored out of my mind 50 years ago, and it'd only get worse the further back you go. But if I went back far enough that absolutely nothing was recognizable I figure I could get over it more easily.

Plus it might be fun to screw with mammalian evolution. Maybe I could help the giant carnivorous birds evolve sentience first. That'd be neat.

 

[RoJoHen]

Aw, dinosaur times would be so lonely!

 

[Goji]

Pffft. Like humans are so great.

 

[RoJoHen]

I like 'em.

 

[Arrqh]

Oh I wish, I wish I hadn't killed that fish

 

[Goji]

Maybe the giant carnivorous birds will find a use for them in their new world order. Maybe as bait.

 

[The Borg Queen]

I don't think I'd like to go anywhere in the past.

Unless it was to one of those ancient super-advanced civilizations, if any of them ever really existed.