One is that societies throughout the world have embraced a culture of individualism. More people are living alone, and aging alone, than ever. Neoliberal social

One is that societies throughout the world have embraced a culture of individualism. More people are living alone, and aging alone, than ever. Neoliberal social policies have turned workers into precarious free agents, and when jobs disappear, things fall apart fast. Labor unions, civic associations, neighborhood organizations, religious groups and other traditional sources of social solidarity are in steady decline. Increasingly, we all feel that we’re on our own. I think this is on point. When people don't feel safe to be themselves at work, the place where they spend most of their waking hours - it can really dampen your mood. In the past, workers were treated poorly, but there was a sense of camaraderie, it was 'us vs the man', a sense of belonging, even if it was in mutual misery. Nowadays, it's worker vs worker for the ever-shrinking number of positions. That's the crux of it I feel - when you're playing a zero sum game [0] with the people you're meant to build emotional connections with, it is very hard to feel good about it. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-sum_game https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-sum_game