4 ms·

The labor force participation rate is only 3% higher than it was in 1950 [1]. Meanwhile, the average number of hours people work per year has dropped by over 20

by Aunche 3y ago

The labor force participation rate is only 3% higher than it was in 1950 [1]. Meanwhile, the average number of hours people work per year has dropped by over 200 [2]. People have more free time than ever. They just spend most of it consuming media [3]. [1] https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CIVPART https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CIVPART [2] https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/AVHWPEUSA065NRUG https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/AVHWPEUSA065NRUG [3] https://www.insiderintelligence.com/content/us-time-spent-with-media-2022 https://www.insiderintelligence.com/content/us-time-spent-wi...

deepsquirrelnet 3y ago
“the participation rate is the percentage of the population that is either working or actively looking for work” Many more people in the 50s were not actively looking for work.
- Aunche 3y ago
  I included this graph precisely because it shows there weren't particularly fewer people not actively looking for work. You're probably confusing this for the employment rate.
thsksbd 3y ago
Labor participation numbers are very interesting. However I think they point to a deeper malaise: There is a segment of society that has checked out. They wont form families. They wont realize themselves. They wont create bonds of love with others. They survive living off the good will parents, grandparents or the state. Mind you, I consider these people are victims. On the other hand, people who are trying to form families, form bonds, find it much harder to afford basic things their parents could afford despite selling double the amount of hours to the labor market than their families did two, or three generations ago.
- barrysteve 3y ago
  Victims?! Really? The malaise is deeply relatable, and we ignore the warning signs constantly. Not everybody believes the same things and it's about damn time the outliers stood up and asserted their will. The majority cannot consume and suck the life out of competing beliefs forever. The hubris in the hive mind attitudes and the complete homogenity of consciousness in popular culture, is lethally bad for social cohesion. It is mandatory to have private beliefs supported and related online. These excluding technological policies sold to the public on dogwhistle references to domestic terrorism has to end. Obviously no-one is going to do it, there's too much wealth to secure and good times to be milked. The majority has let these men down and we call them victims, as if that helps broken morale and isolated truths....
  - thsksbd 3y ago
    A guy getting playing video games or getting high off his mom's pension all day is not a valiant outlier asserting his independence. He's a mooch, parasitical to his parents and contributing nothing to the human experience. He's also a victim because, partially, he's fallen into this state of despair because society's attitude towards checking out has become too lenient and soft to keep most these boys (and it is mostly boys) in line. In fact, he's not even courageously stepping out of the head. No one judges him, no one really cares what he does. A beatnik in the fifties might haves been an interesting person to talk to. Today, he's just a bum.
    - barrysteve 3y ago
      Yeah fine, there's idiots everywhere. But my point still stands. Surface levels judgements don't uncover why he's doing what he's doing. You don't fall into despair, despair doesnt make you a victim, you choose to despair. Kiekergaard's Sickness unto death, describes it well enough for your average pot smoker. Your incredibly white-bread judgements, I should have seen coming! All the more reason to continue to diverge paths. You simply don't have a clue what is going on with 'the youth'. I guess that old science idea is still true, progress happens one generation at a time. The irony of the deepest survelliance the world has ever seen and people are no wiser.
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by Aunche 3y ago

deepsquirrelnet 3y ago

“the participation rate is the percentage of the population that is either working or actively looking for work” Many more people in the 50s were not actively looking for work.

Aunche 3y ago
I included this graph precisely because it shows there weren't particularly fewer people not actively looking for work. You're probably confusing this for the employment rate.

thsksbd 3y ago

Labor participation numbers are very interesting. However I think they point to a deeper malaise: There is a segment of society that has checked out. They wont form families. They wont realize themselves. They wont create bonds of love with others. They survive living off the good will parents, grandparents or the state. Mind you, I consider these people are victims. On the other hand, people who are trying to form families, form bonds, find it much harder to afford basic things their parents could afford despite selling double the amount of hours to the labor market than their families did two, or three generations ago.

barrysteve 3y ago
Victims?! Really? The malaise is deeply relatable, and we ignore the warning signs constantly. Not everybody believes the same things and it's about damn time the outliers stood up and asserted their will. The majority cannot consume and suck the life out of competing beliefs forever. The hubris in the hive mind attitudes and the complete homogenity of consciousness in popular culture, is lethally bad for social cohesion. It is mandatory to have private beliefs supported and related online. These excluding technological policies sold to the public on dogwhistle references to domestic terrorism has to end. Obviously no-one is going to do it, there's too much wealth to secure and good times to be milked. The majority has let these men down and we call them victims, as if that helps broken morale and isolated truths....
- thsksbd 3y ago
  A guy getting playing video games or getting high off his mom's pension all day is not a valiant outlier asserting his independence. He's a mooch, parasitical to his parents and contributing nothing to the human experience. He's also a victim because, partially, he's fallen into this state of despair because society's attitude towards checking out has become too lenient and soft to keep most these boys (and it is mostly boys) in line. In fact, he's not even courageously stepping out of the head. No one judges him, no one really cares what he does. A beatnik in the fifties might haves been an interesting person to talk to. Today, he's just a bum.
  - barrysteve 3y ago
    Yeah fine, there's idiots everywhere. But my point still stands. Surface levels judgements don't uncover why he's doing what he's doing. You don't fall into despair, despair doesnt make you a victim, you choose to despair. Kiekergaard's Sickness unto death, describes it well enough for your average pot smoker. Your incredibly white-bread judgements, I should have seen coming! All the more reason to continue to diverge paths. You simply don't have a clue what is going on with 'the youth'. I guess that old science idea is still true, progress happens one generation at a time. The irony of the deepest survelliance the world has ever seen and people are no wiser.
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