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Bread and circuses[1] satifies only the most base of human needs[2]. Perhaps that is why stress, anxiety, depression, and mental health issues have been on the

Bread and circuses[1] satifies only the most base of human needs[2]. Perhaps that is why stress, anxiety, depression, and mental health issues have been on the rise for quite some time now. [1]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_and_circuses https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_and_circuses [2]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_need...

anarchimedes 9y ago
And not everyone is secure enough in the "bread" either. "An estimated 12.3 percent of American households were food insecure at least some time during the year in 2016, meaning they lacked access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. That is essentially unchanged from 12.7 percent in 2015. The prevalence of very low food security also essentially unchanged, at 4.9 percent in 2016 and 5.0 percent in 2015." [1] [1]https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=84972 https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=849...
BookmarkSaver 9y ago
>Perhaps that is why stress, anxiety, depression, and mental health issues have been on the rise for quite some time now You're gonna need a citation on that. Especially because it's far more likely that it's simply become more acceptable to talk about, and the definitions have expanded.
- wu-ikkyu 9y ago
  I don't know how much easier it is to talk about but I do agree the definitions have expanded greatly. Perhaps a more objective measure is needed, such as the suicide rate: U.S. Suicide Rate Surges to a 30-Year High https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/health/us-suicide-rate-surges-to-a-30-year-high.html https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/health/us-suicide-rate...
opportune 9y ago
I think there's a lot to be said for how helpless the average worker is in the modern economy. Part of it isn't just the absolute conditions of modern people, but the knowledge and zeitgeist that people have now. The concept of the "American Dream" isn't dead, but it's becoming increasingly reserved for only a small subset of people with specific backgrounds and skills. People that aren't, for lack of a better word, special simply aren't going to make it big; more importantly, even if this has always been the case, people now know that about themselves. People born in poverty look to lottery tickets, both literally and in the form of risky activities like gang activities and becoming professional sports players (which is risky relative to what else you could accomplish given the same amount of effort). They typically don't have access to education, or benefit from stable households, enough to break out. Middle class people don't realistically have a chance of becoming wealthy unless they're unusually smart or socially skilled. Neither group has the means to fix this situation politically or culturally because very wealthy people control politics and culture (or at the very least, all the important parts). Most modern success stories are essentially an upper-middle class person rising to the lower-upper class. I think we need a new frontier. Maybe that's just a substitute for a lottery ticket, but it's a lottery ticket with much better odds.
- alphaalpha101 9y ago
  The 'American dream' has never existed in the form you seem to think it has. It's never been possible for everyone to 'make it big'. That's just physically impossible. The problem with the US is you guys seem to think that if everyone has some abstract level of 'potential' then if they don't make it they just deserve to fail and starve. In my country, we don't view things that way.

anarchimedes 9y ago

And not everyone is secure enough in the "bread" either. "An estimated 12.3 percent of American households were food insecure at least some time during the year in 2016, meaning they lacked access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. That is essentially unchanged from 12.7 percent in 2015. The prevalence of very low food security also essentially unchanged, at 4.9 percent in 2016 and 5.0 percent in 2015." [1] [1]https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=84972 https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=849...

BookmarkSaver 9y ago

>Perhaps that is why stress, anxiety, depression, and mental health issues have been on the rise for quite some time now You're gonna need a citation on that. Especially because it's far more likely that it's simply become more acceptable to talk about, and the definitions have expanded.

wu-ikkyu 9y ago
I don't know how much easier it is to talk about but I do agree the definitions have expanded greatly. Perhaps a more objective measure is needed, such as the suicide rate: U.S. Suicide Rate Surges to a 30-Year High https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/health/us-suicide-rate-surges-to-a-30-year-high.html https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/health/us-suicide-rate...

opportune 9y ago

I think there's a lot to be said for how helpless the average worker is in the modern economy. Part of it isn't just the absolute conditions of modern people, but the knowledge and zeitgeist that people have now. The concept of the "American Dream" isn't dead, but it's becoming increasingly reserved for only a small subset of people with specific backgrounds and skills. People that aren't, for lack of a better word, special simply aren't going to make it big; more importantly, even if this has always been the case, people now know that about themselves. People born in poverty look to lottery tickets, both literally and in the form of risky activities like gang activities and becoming professional sports players (which is risky relative to what else you could accomplish given the same amount of effort). They typically don't have access to education, or benefit from stable households, enough to break out. Middle class people don't realistically have a chance of becoming wealthy unless they're unusually smart or socially skilled. Neither group has the means to fix this situation politically or culturally because very wealthy people control politics and culture (or at the very least, all the important parts). Most modern success stories are essentially an upper-middle class person rising to the lower-upper class. I think we need a new frontier. Maybe that's just a substitute for a lottery ticket, but it's a lottery ticket with much better odds.

alphaalpha101 9y ago
The 'American dream' has never existed in the form you seem to think it has. It's never been possible for everyone to 'make it big'. That's just physically impossible. The problem with the US is you guys seem to think that if everyone has some abstract level of 'potential' then if they don't make it they just deserve to fail and starve. In my country, we don't view things that way.