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Well, we are totally addicted to antidepressants and all sorts of other mood altering drugs we wouldn't need otherwise. Every time I see how many people are tak

Well, we are totally addicted to antidepressants and all sorts of other mood altering drugs we wouldn't need otherwise. Every time I see how many people are taking meth for 'ADHD' I think of Soma. And it would be very easy to make the argument that America has a 'caste system'. Zuck, Bezos, Gates all went to schools almost none of us could even consider affording to attend.

unethical_ban 7y ago
Not meth or anti-depressants, but even alcohol and weed to excess. And yeah, more than anything I think we have a caste system. Social mobility is decreasing, and we certainly don't interact with people of far-away economic classes unless it is required (usually). I don't think the poor like being poor the same way the Epsilons were pleased not to be burdened with responsibility.
- sonnyblarney 7y ago
  1 in 6 Americans take some kind of 'anti depressant'. [1] That's enough to talk about Soma. 11% of children have ADHD [2] We give them ritalin, which is meth. Obviously not all of them, but quite a lot. So 25% right there on anti-depressants, possibly ritalin. This doesn't factor in all the other legal and illegal drugs. The Soma prediction is not unreasonable at all. Also, 'the rich' in America generally do have the burden of responsibility. Wall Street lawyer earning $800K is not an easy field trip. [1] https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/one-6-americans-take-antidepressants-other-psychiatric-drugs-n695141 https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/one-6-americans-t... [2] http://www.demarleinc.com/ADHD%20NY%20TIMES%20more-diagnoses-of-ADHD%204-24-13.pdf http://www.demarleinc.com/ADHD%20NY%20TIMES%20more-diagnoses...
  - antisemiotic 7y ago
    Ritalin is methylphenidate, not methamphetamine (which is what is usually called "meth"). And it's an SNDRI, while by "antidepressant" most people mean SSRI (or older types like MAO inhibitors and tricyclic). Though SNDRI are also used as antidepressants, I haven't really heard about Ritalin being classified/used as such. Do you have a source for that? I'm not trying to make an argument here, just pointing out some factual errors in case you wonder why you're being downvoted.
    - sonnyblarney 7y ago
      Yes, that's technically true, but it's besides the point: Ritalin is close enough to Soma for the predictive nature of the story to make sense. A very significant chunk of the population are taking drugs, legally or not legally, that materially affect our state of mind. This is a dystopian feature of 'A Brave New World'.

unethical_ban 7y ago

Not meth or anti-depressants, but even alcohol and weed to excess. And yeah, more than anything I think we have a caste system. Social mobility is decreasing, and we certainly don't interact with people of far-away economic classes unless it is required (usually). I don't think the poor like being poor the same way the Epsilons were pleased not to be burdened with responsibility.

sonnyblarney 7y ago
1 in 6 Americans take some kind of 'anti depressant'. [1] That's enough to talk about Soma. 11% of children have ADHD [2] We give them ritalin, which is meth. Obviously not all of them, but quite a lot. So 25% right there on anti-depressants, possibly ritalin. This doesn't factor in all the other legal and illegal drugs. The Soma prediction is not unreasonable at all. Also, 'the rich' in America generally do have the burden of responsibility. Wall Street lawyer earning $800K is not an easy field trip. [1] https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/one-6-americans-take-antidepressants-other-psychiatric-drugs-n695141 https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/one-6-americans-t... [2] http://www.demarleinc.com/ADHD%20NY%20TIMES%20more-diagnoses-of-ADHD%204-24-13.pdf http://www.demarleinc.com/ADHD%20NY%20TIMES%20more-diagnoses...
- antisemiotic 7y ago
  Ritalin is methylphenidate, not methamphetamine (which is what is usually called "meth"). And it's an SNDRI, while by "antidepressant" most people mean SSRI (or older types like MAO inhibitors and tricyclic). Though SNDRI are also used as antidepressants, I haven't really heard about Ritalin being classified/used as such. Do you have a source for that? I'm not trying to make an argument here, just pointing out some factual errors in case you wonder why you're being downvoted.
  - sonnyblarney 7y ago
    Yes, that's technically true, but it's besides the point: Ritalin is close enough to Soma for the predictive nature of the story to make sense. A very significant chunk of the population are taking drugs, legally or not legally, that materially affect our state of mind. This is a dystopian feature of 'A Brave New World'.