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I do think there's a limit to how much doom and gloom an individual can productively handle and I suppose this also applies to society as a whole. People seem

by fleddr 4y ago

I do think there's a limit to how much doom and gloom an individual can productively handle and I suppose this also applies to society as a whole. People seem to accept that it's all downhill from here, and sometimes even cynically applaud it. Like with the male sperm story. It's catastrophic and accelerating, yet got near-zero attention. The few responses to it seem to celebrate it. Humanity lacks a story for the future. It can't just be "it's going to get so much worse" nor can it be "if we try really hard, we may slow down the decline, but a decline it will be". Those stories just aren't good enough. Nobody invests in a sinking ship.

peytoncasper 4y ago
"People seem to accept that it's all downhill from here" Strange, I know plenty of people that do see an upside, including myself. It's a choice to believe things can and will get better. Unless you have a crystal ball, we're both choosing to believe in an unknown future. So choosing to believe it will get worse is no different from believing it will get better. Although one is arguably better for mental health.
- fleddr 4y ago
  You make an excellent point, there's a major oversight in my original post. The distortion lens of media and social media is a thing. The real world and its people are vastly different from what one might read online. Yet an increasing amount of people barely interact with the real world and real people, hence they internalize the doom and gloom as if it is reality.
Der_Einzige 4y ago
The real story is the massive increase in LGBT identification across the youth. I strongly believe that a large component of this is biological due to hormonal changes.
- threadweaver34 4y ago
  It's important we understand what's going on for the future of the species, but the research is political suicide.
- not_enoch_wise 4y ago
  Thank you for not wasting a single valuable second backing your belief up with evidence.
  - pixl97 4y ago
    Beau of the fifth column did an episode on this sometime within the last year. That is on the number of youth identifying as LBGT... it's amazing how many people that are something will publicly identify as that thing if they are not at risk of being humiliated, beaten, or even killed for it.
- mlindner 4y ago
  I’d say the cause is societal because it’s popular to become part of a protected class. You can’t change your race but you can change this.
  - xwdv 4y ago
    I’m honestly surprised why you can’t change your race. Race, like gender, isn’t really a real thing beyond an abstract human concept. If you want to identify as black why not simply say you are black? Especially if you can pass as black without further modifications? Most people’s lineages aren’t even so pure that you can say they are a pure example of a certain “race” anyway. We just accept people at face value. You could be 50% black and say you’re black and people accept it wholeheartedly (i.e. Barack Obama) So why not 40%? Or 5%?
    - birdyrooster 4y ago
      people see race as a proxy to lineage when it really isn't appropriate and leads to the doublespeak you are highlighting. nonetheless, the reason its not accepted to change race is because the adopting person would be, in the eyes of many, adopting a lineage which is not theirs. that lineage is one that is likely attached to suffering and there is cultural and potentially financial reparations that are occurring for people from these lineages who identify as black. these reparations, if taken by someone from another lineage, would be theft
- fleddr 4y ago
  I don't know about the hormonal changes, you'd have to back that one up. But regardless, we can't ignore some major cultural shifts. LGBT is an example where you have real LGBT and what seems to be a cultural version of it. People honestly probably not belonging to that group in a lasting way, but joining in regardless. It's fits a larger pattern of creating a persona with as many victim labels as possible. These labels creating the self-fabricated identity, which are then used to excuse yourself from your own flaws and bring down the "privileged", those with less labels. This may be fun for a while but the obvious danger is that this self-obsession over identity gets you nowhere in the real world. Nobody gives a crap about these labels nor can you hide behind them. You should not read this stereotyping the wrong way. I have empathy for minorities, I loathe the cultural version of it where it's worn like fashion or weaponized. And I do worry about social contagion. A teenager chronically online in the most gullible part of their lives are absolutely affected. A teenager will believe anything you tell them and they'll copy anything other teenagers do. Teenagers are idiots. Source: once was one.
  - blahblah1234567 4y ago
    >"about the hormonal changes, you'd have to back that one up." Endocrine disruptors [0] are widely distributed by humans within our environment, for use directly or indirectly within food & water resource streams, such as: - Polymers within plastics, used in food, water, and other human-consumed product containers (and other lifestyle commodities, such as clothing, toiletries, etc.). Example: Phthalates [1] For more examples google "Plastic polymer endocrine disruptors" - Herbicides. Example: Atrazine [2] (As well as Pesticides and Fungicides) For more examples google "Herbicide endocrine disruptors", "Pesticide endocrine disruptors", and/or "Fungicide endocrine disruptors" (Many chemicals in each of the three categories are endocrine disruptors) You can thank the EPA & FDA for being revolving doors for chemical industry lobbyists, for companies such as Bayer (which purchased Monsanto), Syngenta (which produces Atrazine), and Dow Chemical. [0] "Many chemicals, both natural and man-made, may mimic or interfere with the body’s hormones, known as the endocrine system. Called endocrine disruptors, these chemicals are linked with developmental, reproductive, brain, immune, and other problems." National Institute of Health Environmental Services. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/index.cfm https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/ind... [1] "Some types of phthalates have affected the reproductive system in animals. Human health effects from exposure to low levels of phthalates are not as clear. More research is needed to assess the human health effects of exposure to phthalates." "CDC researchers found measurable levels of many phthalate metabolites in the general population. This finding indicates that phthalate exposure is widespread in the U.S. population." CDC. National Biomonitoring Program. https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html [2] "Atrazine induces complete feminization and chemical castration in male African clawed frogs". Tyrone B. Hayes tyrone@berkeley.edu, Vicky Khoury, Anne Narayan, +7, and Sherrie Gallipeau. University of California, Berkeley, CA, and approved January 15, 201 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0909519107 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0909519107
- beecafe 4y ago
  Or it could be that people are LGBT and can now safely come out and be LGBT? If you look at a chart of handness, as left-hander were no longer forced to be right-handers, the proportion of left-handers shot up till stabilizing at the naturally occuring population level. Why couldn't it be the exact same is occurring with LGBT identification?
  - tyler-groves 4y ago
    [flagged]
- hinkley 4y ago
  Don’t we have 4 times the rate of obesity as identifying LGBT right now? But you went for gender politics.
- Maursault 4y ago
  There's archeological evidence of transgenders going back almost 3000 years before any hormone was ever isolated. Some Native American tribes had room for as many as 7 genders. There are definitely not more LGBT today than before. Animals probably invented it a few hundred millions of years ago. The good news for you is narcissism can be mitigated. Get help.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
xvilka 4y ago
> People seem to accept that it's all downhill Not everything will go downhill. Some things surely, but not everything - some things will go uphill. For example, suppose climate change eliminates half of Earth biosphere, including half of humans. Chances are, their medicine, technology, education, social structure will still be better.
- rcme 4y ago
  Usually people will treat the deaths of their loved ones as going downhill, even if the death improves society as a whole. I believe the GPs point was that there needs to be a positive story about the future to inspire people to realize that future. Like if all that the future holds is the death of your loved ones, why would you care about issues facing society?

by fleddr 4y ago

peytoncasper 4y ago

"People seem to accept that it's all downhill from here" Strange, I know plenty of people that do see an upside, including myself. It's a choice to believe things can and will get better. Unless you have a crystal ball, we're both choosing to believe in an unknown future. So choosing to believe it will get worse is no different from believing it will get better. Although one is arguably better for mental health.

fleddr 4y ago
You make an excellent point, there's a major oversight in my original post. The distortion lens of media and social media is a thing. The real world and its people are vastly different from what one might read online. Yet an increasing amount of people barely interact with the real world and real people, hence they internalize the doom and gloom as if it is reality.

Der_Einzige 4y ago

The real story is the massive increase in LGBT identification across the youth. I strongly believe that a large component of this is biological due to hormonal changes.

threadweaver34 4y ago
It's important we understand what's going on for the future of the species, but the research is political suicide.
not_enoch_wise 4y ago
Thank you for not wasting a single valuable second backing your belief up with evidence.
- pixl97 4y ago
  Beau of the fifth column did an episode on this sometime within the last year. That is on the number of youth identifying as LBGT... it's amazing how many people that are something will publicly identify as that thing if they are not at risk of being humiliated, beaten, or even killed for it.
mlindner 4y ago
I’d say the cause is societal because it’s popular to become part of a protected class. You can’t change your race but you can change this.
- xwdv 4y ago
  I’m honestly surprised why you can’t change your race. Race, like gender, isn’t really a real thing beyond an abstract human concept. If you want to identify as black why not simply say you are black? Especially if you can pass as black without further modifications? Most people’s lineages aren’t even so pure that you can say they are a pure example of a certain “race” anyway. We just accept people at face value. You could be 50% black and say you’re black and people accept it wholeheartedly (i.e. Barack Obama) So why not 40%? Or 5%?
  - birdyrooster 4y ago
    people see race as a proxy to lineage when it really isn't appropriate and leads to the doublespeak you are highlighting. nonetheless, the reason its not accepted to change race is because the adopting person would be, in the eyes of many, adopting a lineage which is not theirs. that lineage is one that is likely attached to suffering and there is cultural and potentially financial reparations that are occurring for people from these lineages who identify as black. these reparations, if taken by someone from another lineage, would be theft
fleddr 4y ago
I don't know about the hormonal changes, you'd have to back that one up. But regardless, we can't ignore some major cultural shifts. LGBT is an example where you have real LGBT and what seems to be a cultural version of it. People honestly probably not belonging to that group in a lasting way, but joining in regardless. It's fits a larger pattern of creating a persona with as many victim labels as possible. These labels creating the self-fabricated identity, which are then used to excuse yourself from your own flaws and bring down the "privileged", those with less labels. This may be fun for a while but the obvious danger is that this self-obsession over identity gets you nowhere in the real world. Nobody gives a crap about these labels nor can you hide behind them. You should not read this stereotyping the wrong way. I have empathy for minorities, I loathe the cultural version of it where it's worn like fashion or weaponized. And I do worry about social contagion. A teenager chronically online in the most gullible part of their lives are absolutely affected. A teenager will believe anything you tell them and they'll copy anything other teenagers do. Teenagers are idiots. Source: once was one.
- blahblah1234567 4y ago
  >"about the hormonal changes, you'd have to back that one up." Endocrine disruptors [0] are widely distributed by humans within our environment, for use directly or indirectly within food & water resource streams, such as: - Polymers within plastics, used in food, water, and other human-consumed product containers (and other lifestyle commodities, such as clothing, toiletries, etc.). Example: Phthalates [1] For more examples google "Plastic polymer endocrine disruptors" - Herbicides. Example: Atrazine [2] (As well as Pesticides and Fungicides) For more examples google "Herbicide endocrine disruptors", "Pesticide endocrine disruptors", and/or "Fungicide endocrine disruptors" (Many chemicals in each of the three categories are endocrine disruptors) You can thank the EPA & FDA for being revolving doors for chemical industry lobbyists, for companies such as Bayer (which purchased Monsanto), Syngenta (which produces Atrazine), and Dow Chemical. [0] "Many chemicals, both natural and man-made, may mimic or interfere with the body’s hormones, known as the endocrine system. Called endocrine disruptors, these chemicals are linked with developmental, reproductive, brain, immune, and other problems." National Institute of Health Environmental Services. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/index.cfm https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/ind... [1] "Some types of phthalates have affected the reproductive system in animals. Human health effects from exposure to low levels of phthalates are not as clear. More research is needed to assess the human health effects of exposure to phthalates." "CDC researchers found measurable levels of many phthalate metabolites in the general population. This finding indicates that phthalate exposure is widespread in the U.S. population." CDC. National Biomonitoring Program. https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html [2] "Atrazine induces complete feminization and chemical castration in male African clawed frogs". Tyrone B. Hayes tyrone@berkeley.edu, Vicky Khoury, Anne Narayan, +7, and Sherrie Gallipeau. University of California, Berkeley, CA, and approved January 15, 201 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0909519107 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0909519107
beecafe 4y ago
Or it could be that people are LGBT and can now safely come out and be LGBT? If you look at a chart of handness, as left-hander were no longer forced to be right-handers, the proportion of left-handers shot up till stabilizing at the naturally occuring population level. Why couldn't it be the exact same is occurring with LGBT identification?
- tyler-groves 4y ago
  [flagged]
hinkley 4y ago
Don’t we have 4 times the rate of obesity as identifying LGBT right now? But you went for gender politics.
Maursault 4y ago
There's archeological evidence of transgenders going back almost 3000 years before any hormone was ever isolated. Some Native American tribes had room for as many as 7 genders. There are definitely not more LGBT today than before. Animals probably invented it a few hundred millions of years ago. The good news for you is narcissism can be mitigated. Get help.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

xvilka 4y ago

> People seem to accept that it's all downhill Not everything will go downhill. Some things surely, but not everything - some things will go uphill. For example, suppose climate change eliminates half of Earth biosphere, including half of humans. Chances are, their medicine, technology, education, social structure will still be better.

rcme 4y ago
Usually people will treat the deaths of their loved ones as going downhill, even if the death improves society as a whole. I believe the GPs point was that there needs to be a positive story about the future to inspire people to realize that future. Like if all that the future holds is the death of your loved ones, why would you care about issues facing society?