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> When did we become so not only complacent but also discouraging of any genuine effort? It is as if everyone is so aloof that if you show any effort or appreci

> When did we become so not only complacent but also discouraging of any genuine effort? It is as if everyone is so aloof that if you show any effort or appreciation of your craft that you're societally acknowledging your own serfdom or that you're serving "the man". People perceive (perception being more important than reality in this case) growing inequality, and see that society as a whole isn't moving toward any goals they care about, so they just grift as be they can, coast and collect their paychecks. Society used to dream of a future of abundance and robot house-maids, now we picture the future being scarcity and catastrophic climate change and nuclear fallout. Am I wrong? Please tell me I'm wrong. I want to hear what future dreams society is persuing other than moving money around and making investment portfolios grow.

0des 5y ago
You're wrong. These concerns, in many forms, have been present for years, however we were once instilled with the instinct to overcome, but now frailty is more valued because even in failure you can not criticize those who are less able. Those appearing less able while still managing to overcome, even when due to random chance, results in more peer accolades and ironic fanfare in the face of adversity or some other disadvantage. The privilege industrial complex continues. Am I kidding? Please tell me I'm kidding.
- adamsmith143 5y ago
  > These concerns, in many forms, have been present for years, however we were once instilled with the instinct to overcome, but now frailty is more valued because even in failure you can not criticize those who are less able. Actually I think you are totally off base here. I know in my cohort of age 30+ millennials there is a strong sense of doom. Many people have the attitude of "why should I have kids when they'll be born into a hellscape" or "why bother trying to save for retirement when the world will probably collapse before I reach 70." These are very real and very pervasive thought patterns I have seen in younger people in particular. It has nothing to do with frailty and your take smacks of boomerisms.
  - 0des 5y ago
    > boomerisms I think we are done here, have a great day
  - glitchc 5y ago
    My 10 year old feels this way. His depiction of the future is far more pessimistic than mine was at his age, and the conditions under which I grew up were objectively worse compared to his present circumstances (he has his own room, multiple electronic devices, gaming consoles, etc. etc., typical middle-class). There seems to be a persistent message saying “buckle your belts, things are going to get worse” across all social groups, from school to friends to popular media. There seems to be concerted effort to prepare these kids to expect less than previous generations. Parents can only do so much to block these influences.
    - Apocryphon 5y ago
      Even getting past climate change gloom, present economic situations don’t inspire much confidence. College admissions seem much more stringent than they were a decade or two ago, never mind the rising tuitions, the debt obligations, and so on. Housing prices continue to climb. A lot has happened since the Great Recession.
      - 0des 5y ago
        You realize this has been going on for at least a century, right? At one point we literally confiscated all of the gold by order of government. Whether the overton window is shifting or not, this stuff has been going on since time immemorial.
        imtringued 5y ago
        Except in ancient egypt and for a short period when Bracteates were used as currency. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracteate#Early_medieval_bracteates https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracteate#Early_medieval_bract...
        5y ago

0des 5y ago

You're wrong. These concerns, in many forms, have been present for years, however we were once instilled with the instinct to overcome, but now frailty is more valued because even in failure you can not criticize those who are less able. Those appearing less able while still managing to overcome, even when due to random chance, results in more peer accolades and ironic fanfare in the face of adversity or some other disadvantage. The privilege industrial complex continues. Am I kidding? Please tell me I'm kidding.

adamsmith143 5y ago
> These concerns, in many forms, have been present for years, however we were once instilled with the instinct to overcome, but now frailty is more valued because even in failure you can not criticize those who are less able. Actually I think you are totally off base here. I know in my cohort of age 30+ millennials there is a strong sense of doom. Many people have the attitude of "why should I have kids when they'll be born into a hellscape" or "why bother trying to save for retirement when the world will probably collapse before I reach 70." These are very real and very pervasive thought patterns I have seen in younger people in particular. It has nothing to do with frailty and your take smacks of boomerisms.
- 0des 5y ago
  > boomerisms I think we are done here, have a great day
- glitchc 5y ago
  My 10 year old feels this way. His depiction of the future is far more pessimistic than mine was at his age, and the conditions under which I grew up were objectively worse compared to his present circumstances (he has his own room, multiple electronic devices, gaming consoles, etc. etc., typical middle-class). There seems to be a persistent message saying “buckle your belts, things are going to get worse” across all social groups, from school to friends to popular media. There seems to be concerted effort to prepare these kids to expect less than previous generations. Parents can only do so much to block these influences.
  - Apocryphon 5y ago
    Even getting past climate change gloom, present economic situations don’t inspire much confidence. College admissions seem much more stringent than they were a decade or two ago, never mind the rising tuitions, the debt obligations, and so on. Housing prices continue to climb. A lot has happened since the Great Recession.
    - 0des 5y ago
      You realize this has been going on for at least a century, right? At one point we literally confiscated all of the gold by order of government. Whether the overton window is shifting or not, this stuff has been going on since time immemorial.
      - imtringued 5y ago
        Except in ancient egypt and for a short period when Bracteates were used as currency. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracteate#Early_medieval_bracteates https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracteate#Early_medieval_bract...
      - 5y ago