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I skimmed the article, but I think this disconnect may be due to demographics. Reddit skews very young, and I think things are harder for youth. The older gene

I skimmed the article, but I think this disconnect may be due to demographics. Reddit skews very young, and I think things are harder for youth. The older generation has seen their housing values explode over the last decade, same with their retirement accounts. Many are “paper rich”. Younger people aren’t established, they see high housing prices and feel the “American dream” was stolen from them. They see the current market values, and think they “missed out” on the rise. After all, will we see another decade of this kind of prosperity? Could be a kind of FOMO. I do agree that stepping away from social media is important. Reddit has a lot of folks with a victim mentality (victims of “the system” - represented by capitalism), and that idea is easy to cultivate in oneself. It has a kernel of truth, but I think people ruminate and it doesn’t do any good.

rayiner 5y ago
Reddit and Twitter skew young, urban, and educated. It seems like these people are the least happy, because they feel like they deserve more. My in laws out in smaller Oregon cities, who mostly didn’t go to college or went to the local state school, seem pretty happy. One took on a lot of debt for college and is an unhappy progressive activist.
- watwut 5y ago
  I don't buy this. I know plenty of unhappy rural people and unhappy uneducated people. And statistically, going by social issues they don't do well either.
  - systemvoltage 5y ago
    I disagree. City life is full of stress. Want to go to a nursery to pick up some plants in Oakland, CA? It will take ya 2.5 hours, not to mention finding parking on the street and then dealing with 'asshole' customer service - there is no incentive to improve because hey they have a lot of people buying plants and if you don't like it, go somewhere else. This is just a small slice of what's wrong with city life from today's errands I had to run. Traffic, population density, constant fear of crime and someone breaking into your car, everything just takes longer and the noise itself takes the joy out of life. My parents live in rural California and it is the most beautiful, impossibly gorgeous place with a sense of tranquility in the air. Life moves slowly and at a nice pace. Everyone is nice to one another. And this isn't some rich neighborhood.
    - CalChris 5y ago
      I live in Oakland and it isn't 2.5 hours to go to a nursery for plants. Go to Broadway Terrace or even Ace Hardware on Grand.
    - watwut 5y ago
      I live in city and don't live in fear of crime. Also, I have most stores in walking distance. A lot more in biking/scootering distance. And public transport to get me further.
- refurb 5y ago
  This is a pretty accurate take - “they feel like they deserve more”. Then you grow up with relatively few wants, there is a lot of time to spend wondering what your purpose is.
  - sudosysgen 5y ago
    I assure you that growing in want doesn't detract from existential crises.
padastra 5y ago
Reddit and HN skews to the perennially online, who are composed of people that believe work should be easy, fulfilling, highly paid, and most of all: optional. They also think this is the natural state of nature and it’s everyone else’s fault that it is not so.
- minikites 5y ago
  >natural state of nature What about modern life has anything to do with this mythical "natural" state? Why should people be left to die as if we were the same as gazelles?
- jessaustin 5y ago
  Based on studies of neolithic tribes, the "natural state of nature" is spending 2-3 hours a day hunting or gathering food, an hour preparing meals, and the rest of the time goofing off. Is there somewhere in modern society this schedule is available?
  - username90 5y ago
    Its also spent fighting off other people who want to live on the same very limited natural resources, or you die from starvation. That is the reason we stopped living like that, it hasn't been possible for thousands of years since there simply are too many humans to do it.
    - sudosysgen 5y ago
      The reason there are too many humans to do it is because we invented agriculture, and we stopped living like that just as we invented agriculture. Spending your time fighting for limited resources is actually not something we stopped doing. If you live in the US on average around 4% of your working time is spent on war, and that's working more than twice the hours, all things considered, of people in the neolithic. And that's in relative peace time, expect that to revert to the mean in the next decade or two. Anyways, this is besides the point, the natural state of man is indeed to do less labour and even less work than nowadays.

rayiner 5y ago

Reddit and Twitter skew young, urban, and educated. It seems like these people are the least happy, because they feel like they deserve more. My in laws out in smaller Oregon cities, who mostly didn’t go to college or went to the local state school, seem pretty happy. One took on a lot of debt for college and is an unhappy progressive activist.

watwut 5y ago
I don't buy this. I know plenty of unhappy rural people and unhappy uneducated people. And statistically, going by social issues they don't do well either.
- systemvoltage 5y ago
  I disagree. City life is full of stress. Want to go to a nursery to pick up some plants in Oakland, CA? It will take ya 2.5 hours, not to mention finding parking on the street and then dealing with 'asshole' customer service - there is no incentive to improve because hey they have a lot of people buying plants and if you don't like it, go somewhere else. This is just a small slice of what's wrong with city life from today's errands I had to run. Traffic, population density, constant fear of crime and someone breaking into your car, everything just takes longer and the noise itself takes the joy out of life. My parents live in rural California and it is the most beautiful, impossibly gorgeous place with a sense of tranquility in the air. Life moves slowly and at a nice pace. Everyone is nice to one another. And this isn't some rich neighborhood.
  - CalChris 5y ago
    I live in Oakland and it isn't 2.5 hours to go to a nursery for plants. Go to Broadway Terrace or even Ace Hardware on Grand.
  - watwut 5y ago
    I live in city and don't live in fear of crime. Also, I have most stores in walking distance. A lot more in biking/scootering distance. And public transport to get me further.
refurb 5y ago
This is a pretty accurate take - “they feel like they deserve more”. Then you grow up with relatively few wants, there is a lot of time to spend wondering what your purpose is.
- sudosysgen 5y ago
  I assure you that growing in want doesn't detract from existential crises.

padastra 5y ago

Reddit and HN skews to the perennially online, who are composed of people that believe work should be easy, fulfilling, highly paid, and most of all: optional. They also think this is the natural state of nature and it’s everyone else’s fault that it is not so.

minikites 5y ago
>natural state of nature What about modern life has anything to do with this mythical "natural" state? Why should people be left to die as if we were the same as gazelles?
jessaustin 5y ago
Based on studies of neolithic tribes, the "natural state of nature" is spending 2-3 hours a day hunting or gathering food, an hour preparing meals, and the rest of the time goofing off. Is there somewhere in modern society this schedule is available?
- username90 5y ago
  Its also spent fighting off other people who want to live on the same very limited natural resources, or you die from starvation. That is the reason we stopped living like that, it hasn't been possible for thousands of years since there simply are too many humans to do it.
  - sudosysgen 5y ago
    The reason there are too many humans to do it is because we invented agriculture, and we stopped living like that just as we invented agriculture. Spending your time fighting for limited resources is actually not something we stopped doing. If you live in the US on average around 4% of your working time is spent on war, and that's working more than twice the hours, all things considered, of people in the neolithic. And that's in relative peace time, expect that to revert to the mean in the next decade or two. Anyways, this is besides the point, the natural state of man is indeed to do less labour and even less work than nowadays.