Oh how times have changed. On radio this morning, Pat and Stu looked at a list of the most requested Christmas gifts of 1913 compared to the most requested of 2013. Looking at the two lists, one thing becomes clear: Capitalism really works.
To start, take a look at the MyHeritage list of the most commonly requested presents from a century years ago:
- Candy
- Nuts
- Rocking horse
- Doll
- Mittens/gloves
- Toy train
- Oranges
- Books
- Handkerchiefs
- Skates
“No PlayStations, and no $400 gifts,” Stu observed. “That wasn't what you did. You got something that you kind of wanted.”
Now take a look at the items topping the 2013 lists:
- Furby Boom
- Teksta Robotic puppy
- LeapPad Ultra
- Flying Fairy
- Bug Hugs Elmo
- Barbie Dream house
- Giggly Monkey
- Nerf Gun
- Ninja Turtles
- Lego
While times, tastes, and technology has obviously changed over the last 100 years, Pat could not help but point out the endorsement these lists provide for capitalism.
“And what you can get from this is, oh, capitalism works,” Pat explained. “Yeah, capitalism has worked. I mean, I don't care what you want to babble about your income inequality, the disparity, the gap between the rich and poor. The fact is our society is amazing. And even the poor here are not poor compared to what we used to be before capitalism fixed things.”
Front page image courtesy of the AP