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> scared to wait for a cab I contend that American Unhappiness is manufactured and sustained by the constant onslaught of misinformation, broadcast by special

by metadope 10mo ago

> scared to wait for a cab I contend that American Unhappiness is manufactured and sustained by the constant onslaught of misinformation, broadcast by special interest groups, all of whom have it in their general plan to make you feel an unmet need, a base emotional response, a tickle in your amygdla. Likely, your life is not that bad. Likely, the fear you feel, waiting for a cab outside your favorite bistro, is a response to programming you ingested from the culture that tries to nurse you into a permanent state of semi-consciousness. Fear is sensational, a proven sales tool, a political football, click-bait 'journalism'. There are whole armies of professional and amateur fear-mongers out there, who make it their life's mission to plant the seeds of fear into your imagination, to sell you a product, a candidate, a policy. >> fulfillment requires more than material wealth, Agreed, but... >> which in our quest for more stuff, we have forgotten. Reject the programming. Whether it is fear or desire that the advertisers/liars attempt to trigger in you, recognize the effort aimed at making you feel wants/needs that do not actually do you or our society any good at all, and reject the unhappiness they are trying to program into you. It is an individual responsibility. An individual has authority over their own emotional states. Defend yourself from the onslaught of lies and liars. > Society needs to feel safe for people to truly feel happy. I don't disagree with this. But whose is responsible for 'feelings'?

garbawarb 10mo ago
Is the United States more prone to misinformation and special interest groups than other countries?
- crote 10mo ago
  Yes. The forced two-party system inevitably leads to an us-versus-them mentality. Everything gets divided into Good Things done by Us, and Bad Things done by Them. There's no room for nuance, everything has to be pushed to the extremes in order to get a handful of voters to flip. In a healthy democracy with at least a handful of political parties the small groups of lunatics aren't going to poison the entire spectrum: they are mostly contained into the tiny extremist parties served by heavily biased extremist media. The vast majority of the population, however, is served by more moderate parties and more neutral media - where misinformation and blatant corruption is heavily frowned upon. Turns out when people have a genuine alternative, they don't just stick with whatever shit they are trying to pull this time just because "the other guy is even worse".
  - fellowniusmonk 10mo ago
    And of course we are also the largest global target.
    - crote 10mo ago
      Not even remotely close.

garbawarb 10mo ago

Is the United States more prone to misinformation and special interest groups than other countries?

crote 10mo ago
Yes. The forced two-party system inevitably leads to an us-versus-them mentality. Everything gets divided into Good Things done by Us, and Bad Things done by Them. There's no room for nuance, everything has to be pushed to the extremes in order to get a handful of voters to flip. In a healthy democracy with at least a handful of political parties the small groups of lunatics aren't going to poison the entire spectrum: they are mostly contained into the tiny extremist parties served by heavily biased extremist media. The vast majority of the population, however, is served by more moderate parties and more neutral media - where misinformation and blatant corruption is heavily frowned upon. Turns out when people have a genuine alternative, they don't just stick with whatever shit they are trying to pull this time just because "the other guy is even worse".
- fellowniusmonk 10mo ago
  And of course we are also the largest global target.
  - crote 10mo ago
    Not even remotely close.