Is nostalgia making us think the past was better than it was?

A case for

Nostalgia is making the past seem better than it was. Every generation says the same thing. “Things were better in my generation”. The problem is Victorian stoicism, which has created intergenerational trauma that has been passed down through every generation, meaning that people believe that what came before must have been better. But it’s not, life in the earlier generations was filled with increased racism, sexism, conflict, homophobia etc. We romanticise the past despite this, which is caused by many things such as media, museums and discourse.

The first objection

You're confusing two completely different things. Yes, racism and sexism existed—nobody's arguing for those. But nostalgia isn't about wanting *those* back; it's about missing what actually was better: stable jobs, affordable housing, communities that didn't atomize around screens, less anxiety and depression in kids. The data shows mental health *collapsed* in younger generations despite progress on social issues. You can acknowledge both truths simultaneously. Dismissing real losses as just "Victorian trauma" erases the legitimate grievances people have. What specifically got better in daily life that justifies the trade-offs we made?