[ellyagg]

No, I wasn't suggesting people from today would rather live in those societies. Part of peoples' sense of well-being comes from a comparison of their quality of life relative to what they believe is possible. American Indians did not know of modern health care, so they were not depressed they didn't have it.

As for your first two bullets, I specifically called out two societies. I don't believe, as you suggest, that all societies more than a few hundred years ago were organized the same. At any rate, I suppose it's possible that Franklin was wrong or American Indian children had it great, but their lives turned into a living hell upon maturity, but I'd have to see more evidence of that.