17 ms·

Why am I not surprised? The world is really going down right now and just following news what's going on is reason enough to cry like a baby or lose it complet

by VvR-Ox 7y ago

Why am I not surprised? The world is really going down right now and just following news what's going on is reason enough to cry like a baby or lose it completely. That's one of the main reasons why many people take drugs - it helps to forget what's happening around us and it makes us numb enough to stop feeling the constant pain when we think about the things happening to our brothers and sisters who aren't lucky enough to be born in the right place, to have the right parents or live in the "right" place etc. Too much information on how the people are screwed every minute may be reason enough to be depressed if you don't shut those thoughts out in the long run.

smt88 7y ago
In many ways (disease, poverty, social well-being) the world is better than it ever has been. Just because bad things are happening and dominate news doesn't mean that's all that's happening or that the net is negative.
- VvR-Ox 7y ago
  Sorry please see the other answers as you share some of your thoughts on my words and I've already given my answers to that.
gfodor 7y ago
I hate to break it to you, but if the news is affecting your mental health you should realize that that is by design. The world may or may not be in a good state of affairs in an absolute sense, but it is better than it has ever been, and insofar as the news seems worse now than in the past, that has more to do with those in charge of the news media and their incentives and biases than actual changes in the state of the world getting worse.
- VvR-Ox 7y ago
  You are absolutely right about the design of the news but despite this very bad things are happening (just the facts). Let me bring in some of those facts: 1. "25.9 million refugees globally -- the highest level ever recorded" according to Amnesty International (https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/refugees-asylum-seekers-and-migrants/global-refugee-crisis-statistics-and-facts/ https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/refugees-asylum-seeker...) 2. "Global emissions increased from 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 1900 to over 36 billion tonnes 115 years later" (https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emis...) 3. "Plastic in the oceans" (https://ourworldindata.org/where-does-plastic-accumulate https://ourworldindata.org/where-does-plastic-accumulate) 4. "52.4 percent decline in sperm concentration and a 59.3 percent decline in total sperm counts from 1973 to 2011 for men in the West" (https://www.researchgate.net/blog/post/sperm-counts-in-the-western-world-have-declined-nearly-60-percent-since-the-1970s https://www.researchgate.net/blog/post/sperm-counts-in-the-w...) Ok I will stop it right here but of course there are many more tendencies that would speak against a too optimistic view on the world at the moment in my opinion. Of course there is enough media, drugs and be-happy-every-day-mantras etc. to disturb your thoughts and allow to ignore all this.
tim333 7y ago
The world is getting better in many ways. Check out Pinker et al. eg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCm9Ng0bbEQ&t=770s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCm9Ng0bbEQ&t=770s
- VvR-Ox 7y ago
  I don't see how he arrives at the conclusion there would be less pollution. Compared to when? What exactly would he define as such? I could counter all the stuff he proposes now with bringing in more of the bad news but I've already done that in another answer if you are interested. He can be optimistic as he is a white male with prosperity. This group is the one with the best conditions on earth - it's easy to enjoy life if you can be a part of that. The people who suffer the most don't even have the luxury to think about global concerns and inequality. They have to fight to survive every day and they have to feed their families and escape the next war to finally arrive in the West where he will be treated worse than a dog. Please ask these people how they cannot share his positive view on our planet.
  - tim333 7y ago
    Re a couple of your points: The non white third world has been on a roll the last 30 years - China is way richer like 10x and even Africa is growing quickly now. Life expectancy way up. Re pollution I imagine he's referring to urban air pollution which has got better since coal burning days. Not quite sure on that one.

by VvR-Ox 7y ago

smt88 7y ago

In many ways (disease, poverty, social well-being) the world is better than it ever has been. Just because bad things are happening and dominate news doesn't mean that's all that's happening or that the net is negative.

VvR-Ox 7y ago
Sorry please see the other answers as you share some of your thoughts on my words and I've already given my answers to that.

gfodor 7y ago

I hate to break it to you, but if the news is affecting your mental health you should realize that that is by design. The world may or may not be in a good state of affairs in an absolute sense, but it is better than it has ever been, and insofar as the news seems worse now than in the past, that has more to do with those in charge of the news media and their incentives and biases than actual changes in the state of the world getting worse.

VvR-Ox 7y ago
You are absolutely right about the design of the news but despite this very bad things are happening (just the facts). Let me bring in some of those facts: 1. "25.9 million refugees globally -- the highest level ever recorded" according to Amnesty International (https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/refugees-asylum-seekers-and-migrants/global-refugee-crisis-statistics-and-facts/ https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/refugees-asylum-seeker...) 2. "Global emissions increased from 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 1900 to over 36 billion tonnes 115 years later" (https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emis...) 3. "Plastic in the oceans" (https://ourworldindata.org/where-does-plastic-accumulate https://ourworldindata.org/where-does-plastic-accumulate) 4. "52.4 percent decline in sperm concentration and a 59.3 percent decline in total sperm counts from 1973 to 2011 for men in the West" (https://www.researchgate.net/blog/post/sperm-counts-in-the-western-world-have-declined-nearly-60-percent-since-the-1970s https://www.researchgate.net/blog/post/sperm-counts-in-the-w...) Ok I will stop it right here but of course there are many more tendencies that would speak against a too optimistic view on the world at the moment in my opinion. Of course there is enough media, drugs and be-happy-every-day-mantras etc. to disturb your thoughts and allow to ignore all this.

tim333 7y ago

The world is getting better in many ways. Check out Pinker et al. eg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCm9Ng0bbEQ&t=770s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCm9Ng0bbEQ&t=770s

VvR-Ox 7y ago
I don't see how he arrives at the conclusion there would be less pollution. Compared to when? What exactly would he define as such? I could counter all the stuff he proposes now with bringing in more of the bad news but I've already done that in another answer if you are interested. He can be optimistic as he is a white male with prosperity. This group is the one with the best conditions on earth - it's easy to enjoy life if you can be a part of that. The people who suffer the most don't even have the luxury to think about global concerns and inequality. They have to fight to survive every day and they have to feed their families and escape the next war to finally arrive in the West where he will be treated worse than a dog. Please ask these people how they cannot share his positive view on our planet.
- tim333 7y ago
  Re a couple of your points: The non white third world has been on a roll the last 30 years - China is way richer like 10x and even Africa is growing quickly now. Life expectancy way up. Re pollution I imagine he's referring to urban air pollution which has got better since coal burning days. Not quite sure on that one.