How naval histories handle the hardships of ratings

Has naval history moved too far from the old emphasis on rum, sodomy, and the lash toward ignoring the hardships of ratings?

Some current authors do ignore the hardships, but earlier writing also overemphasized them, and commanders differed in their methods.

The older emphasis on harsh lower-deck life is judged to have gone too far. Some current authors are criticized for going the other way and overlooking those hardships. Conditions were more complicated than either account suggests. Different commanders used different methods, so a single picture of naval service is inadequate.