I sometimes daydream of going way back to the Roman Empire or such and telling them of their legacy (without getting locked up in an insane asylum), which inevitably leads to wondering what more they might want to know.
"Are our children healthier," they might ask, or "Must we still join the army," or "Do nobles still get away with everything".
To which my answers would be yes, no, and umm.
While we don't have nobles who are by birthright allowed to go out and be all "Guards! Kill that peasant, he looked at me funny", I can't help but think rich people might have just about that same role. It might not be outright legal, but I get the feeling that in practice their money would smooth a lot of the consequences out. Two months instead of four years, at least. And could nobles really get away with that without issue, even back then?
I'd like to say that at least they don't believe themselves fundamentally better people, nor do the common folk believe that of them, but there's no shortage of belief in the idea that people get rich mostly because they work hard on both sides - and being hard-working is inherently better, isn't it?
Many things are objectively better (like healthcare), but I'd have trouble disproving anyone who insisted our hierarchies are mostly the same as always, just with different names.
"Are our children healthier," they might ask, or "Must we still join the army," or "Do nobles still get away with everything".
To which my answers would be yes, no, and umm.
While we don't have nobles who are by birthright allowed to go out and be all "Guards! Kill that peasant, he looked at me funny", I can't help but think rich people might have just about that same role. It might not be outright legal, but I get the feeling that in practice their money would smooth a lot of the consequences out. Two months instead of four years, at least. And could nobles really get away with that without issue, even back then?
I'd like to say that at least they don't believe themselves fundamentally better people, nor do the common folk believe that of them, but there's no shortage of belief in the idea that people get rich mostly because they work hard on both sides - and being hard-working is inherently better, isn't it?
Many things are objectively better (like healthcare), but I'd have trouble disproving anyone who insisted our hierarchies are mostly the same as always, just with different names.