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There is a theory about the suicide rate among farmers (which has always been high) that I'm not sure I completely believe, but I don't think it's nonsense. It
by uxp100 8y ago
There is a theory about the suicide rate among farmers (which has always been high) that I'm not sure I completely believe, but I don't think it's nonsense. It goes something like:
Farmers (well, I'm speaking mainly about livestock farmers here) spend their lives dealing with death, and doing cost/benefit analysis. When it's time to send an animal to slaughter, they do so. When the vet says some expensive procedure is not likely to work, they kill the animal, even though emotional relationships are built with what is also their capital. They have the weapons to deal with it.
So when a farm is failing, and they are in late middle age, they are more comfortable than average saying, ok, I gave it a try, it didn't work out, I can't start over doing something else. The skill I have spent my life learning is when to give up, and I've got the tool to do it.
- ciconia 8y ago> even though emotional relationships are built with what is also their capital Living among farmers (France) I can confidently say they have no emotional attachment to their animals. For them it's just raw material.
- GalacticDomin8r 8y agoThe emotional de-attachment is needed for many people I expect. I once raised a small herd of bottle calves. The day I sold them to market is the day I dropped any dream of raising livestock.
- agumonkey 8y agoOdd, some of them have the paradoxical statement that 'they love their livestock'.
- mreome 8y agoThat really only seems to apply to livestock farmers. It seems more likely that it has to do with the all encompassing nature of that kind of life. A farm is a business, home, career, lifestyle, and culture. If something so central to who you are fails with no hope of recovery, what do you do?
- JamesBarney 8y agoI imagine farmers also have a gun ownership rate much higher than the national average. And gun ownership is highly correlated with suicide.