To give real examples smoking was normal, as was pedestray and ironically the Roman gladiatoral combat which is considered peak decadence was intended to combat decadence!
Normal is a pretty shitty heuristic for being good.
A few counter examples doesn't mean that the heuristic is bad. Heuristics will always have counter examples, that's why they're heuristics, not rules.
Given a single counter example, the burden of proof should be on the users of the heuristic to show why the use of that heuristic is an improvement over the alternatives (which have no counter examples).
I just don't see the peak decadence point.
How about modern sports aren't "to death"?
Although often well paid gladiators often were slaves which brings up the next big difference - consent!
If someone were to properly incentivize you (say, by offering to give you $10000 or whatever) I bet you would be able to come up with few more very important differences.
> To give real examples smoking was normal, as was pedestray
From an objective perspective, in what way was classical pederasty "harmful and destructive"? What was the harm and destruction that resulted?
These are differences in moral values that have nothing to do with mental health.
Well, until the 1860s in the US too. And until the '70s, open segregation.
