4 ms·

ugh I'd argue that addiction is much more so a result of America's failed medical system, failed mental health system, long slow decay and the internalization o

by jtmcmc 9y ago

ugh I'd argue that addiction is much more so a result of America's failed medical system, failed mental health system, long slow decay and the internalization of it's populace that the american dream has always been a lie and what little of it that every existed was a cruel and dehumanizing experience.

valuearb 9y ago
It's so cruel and dehumanizing to have live in the wealthiest country in the world, with one of the highest standards of living.
- TuringNYC 9y ago
  America is indeed one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but that wealth is not spread evenly across the country. Most of the wealth is concentrated on the coasts, with incredibly skews towards NY/SF. See: http://labs.time.com/story/how-many-rich-people-live-near-you/ http://labs.time.com/story/how-many-rich-people-live-near-yo... Many of us in tech, esp those in NY/SF tend to live in a bubble of wealth, or at least comfort -- that is not the case for all our fellow citizens. Much of the country is not that rich at all, especially once you get to central parts of the country where industry has fled leaving people with odd jobs and insufficient healthcare. The opoid crisis centers around parts of America which are the hardest hit financially: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/23/health/heroin-opioid-drug-overdose-deaths-visual-guide/index.html http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/23/health/heroin-opioid-drug-... Finally, there is also something about expectations. For my generation, we grew up hearing "work hard, study hard, and you will live a good life, own a home, enjoy the life your father and grandfather lived." Except that formula does not work anymore -- industries which worked for our parents got offshored and we're now competing internationally. An entire generation still holds the expectations of an American lifestyle, buying a home with our 8-5 factory job, having barbecues in our backyard, playing "Where the Boys Are" but that expectation is no longer valid for all, leading to unmet psychological contract an entire generation expected to live.
  - quuquuquu 9y ago
    Indeed!! If you look at Credit Suisse's Global Wealth Handbook, you'll find that in 2015, average wealth per american adult was 350k (on par with Norway and New Zealand), but MEDIAN wealth was just 50k, on par with Malta, Slovenia, Spain, and Israel!! Furthermore, almost a third of Americans have less than 10k in net worth. This is not even enough to survive a year of unemployment without cutting back on essential expenses. And what's worse, "nearly 1/3rd of Americans" is not a small number- it's 100m people!!!
  - at-fates-hands 9y ago
    >> America is indeed one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but that wealth is not spread evenly across the country. This is the blessing and curse of capitalism. You have winners and you have losers. In strong economic times, the rising tides will lift all boats and everybody benefits. When the shit hits the fan, those who are prepared, suffer less. Those with no safety net will suffer more, but there's plenty of government assistance to help those people when they hit hard times. You can cry however much you want to, but the opportunity is out there. You can take online free courses, you can get scholarships and get your college paid for. You can go to a technical college and be employed in a trade in two years if not sooner. The best thing is that ITS UP TO YOU to make it happen. You can sit around and watch everybody and life pass you by, or you can put in the effort, change things up and find a different route than your parents did to be successful. Success is out there my friend, but nobody is going to just hand it to you.
    - papaf 9y ago
      You can cry however much you want to, but the opportunity is out there. There are numbers on this and they don't back up your argument at all. The US has some of worst economic mobility of developed countries [1]. Its almost as bad as the UK which has an archaic class system. You're perpetuating a myth. Also, this idea that people are "crying" about it is a myth. People are angry. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomic_mobility_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomic_mobility_in_the_...
      - 9y ago
- pnutjam 9y ago
  I recently changed jobs, the new job has a 30 day waiting period, but insurance only starts on the 1st of the month following that 30 days, so effectively 50 days for me. With the change in pay structure, holding back a weeks pay, and the fact that I changed jobs because I wasn't making enough money; I've been unable to buy a temporary policy. Cobra is out of the question at over $2.5k for the month. Last week we suspected my daughter had an ear infection, which thankfully seems to have cleared up, but it was and is worrying to think that I really have no options if one of my kids gets sick. If I go to the ER, I'm looking at a minimum bill of around $400, any clinic wants payment up front of around $100. My budget is really tight until I get a couple paydays under my belt.
zzalpha 9y ago
I could point out that rapacious pharma companies and corrupt politicians are key facets of the failed medical and mental health system... so in that respect you're just widening the blame rather than redirecting it.
- chongli 9y ago
  The blame should be wide. There are tons of people with the attitude "somebody else's sick kid is not my problem." The US has this amazingly cynical, navel-gazing culture. This is part of it.

by jtmcmc 9y ago

valuearb 9y ago

It's so cruel and dehumanizing to have live in the wealthiest country in the world, with one of the highest standards of living.

TuringNYC 9y ago
America is indeed one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but that wealth is not spread evenly across the country. Most of the wealth is concentrated on the coasts, with incredibly skews towards NY/SF. See: http://labs.time.com/story/how-many-rich-people-live-near-you/ http://labs.time.com/story/how-many-rich-people-live-near-yo... Many of us in tech, esp those in NY/SF tend to live in a bubble of wealth, or at least comfort -- that is not the case for all our fellow citizens. Much of the country is not that rich at all, especially once you get to central parts of the country where industry has fled leaving people with odd jobs and insufficient healthcare. The opoid crisis centers around parts of America which are the hardest hit financially: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/23/health/heroin-opioid-drug-overdose-deaths-visual-guide/index.html http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/23/health/heroin-opioid-drug-... Finally, there is also something about expectations. For my generation, we grew up hearing "work hard, study hard, and you will live a good life, own a home, enjoy the life your father and grandfather lived." Except that formula does not work anymore -- industries which worked for our parents got offshored and we're now competing internationally. An entire generation still holds the expectations of an American lifestyle, buying a home with our 8-5 factory job, having barbecues in our backyard, playing "Where the Boys Are" but that expectation is no longer valid for all, leading to unmet psychological contract an entire generation expected to live.
- quuquuquu 9y ago
  Indeed!! If you look at Credit Suisse's Global Wealth Handbook, you'll find that in 2015, average wealth per american adult was 350k (on par with Norway and New Zealand), but MEDIAN wealth was just 50k, on par with Malta, Slovenia, Spain, and Israel!! Furthermore, almost a third of Americans have less than 10k in net worth. This is not even enough to survive a year of unemployment without cutting back on essential expenses. And what's worse, "nearly 1/3rd of Americans" is not a small number- it's 100m people!!!
- at-fates-hands 9y ago
  >> America is indeed one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but that wealth is not spread evenly across the country. This is the blessing and curse of capitalism. You have winners and you have losers. In strong economic times, the rising tides will lift all boats and everybody benefits. When the shit hits the fan, those who are prepared, suffer less. Those with no safety net will suffer more, but there's plenty of government assistance to help those people when they hit hard times. You can cry however much you want to, but the opportunity is out there. You can take online free courses, you can get scholarships and get your college paid for. You can go to a technical college and be employed in a trade in two years if not sooner. The best thing is that ITS UP TO YOU to make it happen. You can sit around and watch everybody and life pass you by, or you can put in the effort, change things up and find a different route than your parents did to be successful. Success is out there my friend, but nobody is going to just hand it to you.
  - papaf 9y ago
    You can cry however much you want to, but the opportunity is out there. There are numbers on this and they don't back up your argument at all. The US has some of worst economic mobility of developed countries [1]. Its almost as bad as the UK which has an archaic class system. You're perpetuating a myth. Also, this idea that people are "crying" about it is a myth. People are angry. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomic_mobility_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomic_mobility_in_the_...
    - 9y ago
pnutjam 9y ago
I recently changed jobs, the new job has a 30 day waiting period, but insurance only starts on the 1st of the month following that 30 days, so effectively 50 days for me. With the change in pay structure, holding back a weeks pay, and the fact that I changed jobs because I wasn't making enough money; I've been unable to buy a temporary policy. Cobra is out of the question at over $2.5k for the month. Last week we suspected my daughter had an ear infection, which thankfully seems to have cleared up, but it was and is worrying to think that I really have no options if one of my kids gets sick. If I go to the ER, I'm looking at a minimum bill of around $400, any clinic wants payment up front of around $100. My budget is really tight until I get a couple paydays under my belt.

zzalpha 9y ago

I could point out that rapacious pharma companies and corrupt politicians are key facets of the failed medical and mental health system... so in that respect you're just widening the blame rather than redirecting it.

chongli 9y ago
The blame should be wide. There are tons of people with the attitude "somebody else's sick kid is not my problem." The US has this amazingly cynical, navel-gazing culture. This is part of it.