5 ms·

What are we trying to escape?

by meristohm 5y ago

Railsify 5y ago
Stress
bobcallme 5y ago
The regulators and bureaucrats.
kingTug 5y ago
Our deeply unnatural existence staring into glowing rectangles 8+ hours per day.
- miguelmota 5y ago
  We wake up and look at the small rectangle. Go to work and stare at the medium rectangle. Come home and watch the big rectangle.
  - handrous 5y ago
    > Come home and watch the big rectangle. Come home and watch Black Mirror on our largest black mirror.
- namdnay 5y ago
  If that were the case you’d see lower alcohol consumption among manual labourers than among software engineers…
- ativzzz 5y ago
  More likely loneliness, the article mentions solitary drinking long before we worked in cubicles.
subpixel 5y ago
Apparently 15% of our countrymen believe the QAnon pedophilia hoax/theory [0]. That gives me a certain thirst. [0] https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/05/31/qanon-poll-americans-religion https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/05/31/qanon-poll-americ...
- subpixel 5y ago
  Of all the downvotes I have received on HN, these puzzle me the most.
  - 1_player 5y ago
    While your comment gave me a chuckle, I find it's (perhaps unintentional) flame bait which will steer the discussion into an unproductive crapfest instead of staying on the topic, which is alcoholism in America. That's to say, it won't foster any intelligent discussion. I bet this is why some have expressed disagreement.
emptyfile 5y ago
Life.
35fbe7d3d5b9 5y ago
A lack of community. Or, eachother. Take your pick!
ttz 5y ago
Emptiness, in some cases. Imagine living a life of poverty, or being trapped in a situation you realize you don't have the tools or privilege to escape (having to care for many dependents, no time to go to school, or can't afford to pay for it because you're trying to scrape enough for rent). Having no direction or hope for a better future (perceived or real) has driven people I've known to alcoholism. Not an excuse. Just a perspective.
handrous 5y ago
The Wikipedia pages for most major religions provide a decent set of candidates for further investigation. Ditto a huge percentage of fiction that's considered "literature", if you're into that kind of thing.
aeternum 5y ago
Some of the more recent research on alcohol suggests that it isn't so much of an escape. Instead it creates a type of myopia for the mind, shifting focus from the long-term to the short-term. For some people, it can really help live more in the moment, enjoy time with friends, and temporarily put aside all the stress and worries about the future.

What are we trying to escape?

Railsify 5y ago

Stress

bobcallme 5y ago

The regulators and bureaucrats.

kingTug 5y ago

Our deeply unnatural existence staring into glowing rectangles 8+ hours per day.

miguelmota 5y ago
We wake up and look at the small rectangle. Go to work and stare at the medium rectangle. Come home and watch the big rectangle.
- handrous 5y ago
  > Come home and watch the big rectangle. Come home and watch Black Mirror on our largest black mirror.
namdnay 5y ago
If that were the case you’d see lower alcohol consumption among manual labourers than among software engineers…
ativzzz 5y ago
More likely loneliness, the article mentions solitary drinking long before we worked in cubicles.

subpixel 5y ago

Apparently 15% of our countrymen believe the QAnon pedophilia hoax/theory [0]. That gives me a certain thirst. [0] https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/05/31/qanon-poll-americans-religion https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/05/31/qanon-poll-americ...

subpixel 5y ago
Of all the downvotes I have received on HN, these puzzle me the most.
- 1_player 5y ago
  While your comment gave me a chuckle, I find it's (perhaps unintentional) flame bait which will steer the discussion into an unproductive crapfest instead of staying on the topic, which is alcoholism in America. That's to say, it won't foster any intelligent discussion. I bet this is why some have expressed disagreement.

emptyfile 5y ago

Life.

35fbe7d3d5b9 5y ago

A lack of community. Or, eachother. Take your pick!

ttz 5y ago

Emptiness, in some cases. Imagine living a life of poverty, or being trapped in a situation you realize you don't have the tools or privilege to escape (having to care for many dependents, no time to go to school, or can't afford to pay for it because you're trying to scrape enough for rent). Having no direction or hope for a better future (perceived or real) has driven people I've known to alcoholism. Not an excuse. Just a perspective.

handrous 5y ago

The Wikipedia pages for most major religions provide a decent set of candidates for further investigation. Ditto a huge percentage of fiction that's considered "literature", if you're into that kind of thing.

aeternum 5y ago

Some of the more recent research on alcohol suggests that it isn't so much of an escape. Instead it creates a type of myopia for the mind, shifting focus from the long-term to the short-term. For some people, it can really help live more in the moment, enjoy time with friends, and temporarily put aside all the stress and worries about the future.