Why do so many people think things are worse than ever when they're almost certainly better?
My grandfather for instance, thinks a second American civil war is going to happen any day now. When asked why, he cites the political climate. I've been reading historical headlines the day after wars were declared to get an idea of what the coverage was like, and American news has actually gotten better in my opinion. The Paducah Daily Sun covered the American-Spanish war with "THE ROAR OF AMERICA'S CANNON." in it's coverage, which is now some fringe-level shit. You might see emotional yellow journalism in pundits and talking heads, but the daily news coverage is generally very dry and by the facts on CNN, MSNBC, FOX and especially local news.
Not too mention crime has been steadily decreasing since it's recordation which began in colonial times. Even the stock market, which he's sure is going to crash any day now, has been giving back a return of about 7% every year since the 50s.
So what gives? I use my relative as an example, but I know so many other people who also think things are shit. This study below pisses me off. I'm onboard for fears about an oligarchy and class mobility, but other than those two, things seem pretty good to me. To illustrate my point, guess how many kids are "sterotpically kidnapped"? (Meaning it was a stranger) 115. In the entire country.
People have no context of government perspective of international affairs, and actual knowledge of state of the world isn't necessary to get through life.
Leo White
when people talk about some sort of civil conflict in america, i feel they almost always overlook the fact that the food production is highly centralized in just a few states and dependent on a massive country wide infrastructure/business system. any regional based conflict would soon stop because there would be no food
Charles Perez
>Why do so many people think things are worse than ever when they're almost certainly better? People have always thought that. "lewronggeneration" is probably the most enduring meme in history
Zachary King
Mostly nostalgia goggles and treating the past like a fairytale land
Our forefathers would give both nuts to live in the age we do
Jack Martin
People are fucking retarded that's why.
Adam Sanders
ppl become spoiled and lazy in long term good conditions its like they are wishing for war, world ending and suffering so they can enjoy comfiness again because obviously, they wont be the ones blown to pieces in an eyeblink
Grayson Davis
It's nostalgia. Well not quite. It's something called Survivorship bias.
>While difficult to quantify objectively, a common opinion is that music was better in the past. However, while listeners are exposed to a much greater quantity (and thus, presumably, subjective quality) of contemporary music, only the "best" music from one generation survives to be frequently replayed for the next generation, and this process becomes more selective with each generation.
See your Grandaddy probably just remembers the good times of his younger days and not all the shit.
Nolan White
>they're almost certainly better? Absolutely sublime meme my dude.
Jacob Fisher
In some ways, society improved, in some ways it got worse.
Materially speaking, humanity is doing quite well. Technologically we are very advanced and so on. We live in a more peaceful time.
At the same time, in some issues, things got worse. Our culture is extremely hedonistic (not in the Epicurean sense). In the end, the result of this is a lot of unhappiness, broken marriages, etc. For example, the number of single mothers have increased.
Schools are creating a very soft generation, that claims to be traumatized by reading a chalking with the name of a political candidate they dislike.
Not to mention, humanities academia managed to get worse (other than maybe Psychology recently, due to the replication wars).
Ian Morris
>Not to mention, humanities academia managed to get worse the history department at my school is pretty based the only professor that insists on doing what you mentioned is beyond hated, not only by the students but the faculty as well
John Moore
>implying we're not heading fast towards the last man
Connor Reed
Basically this.
Alexander Harris
>surveilance is annoying > terrorist attacks are worse than cold war. >Climate change is scary. >Democracy on crisis. >Wealth distribution getting worse. You may dont mind about rich people getting richer, but important changes are comming and the non-rich people will be left behind.
Anthony Wood
>You might see emotional yellow journalism in pundits and talking heads, but the daily news coverage is generally very dry and by the facts on CNN, MSNBC, FOX and especially local news.
I see you've never read Huffington Post before... While the other posts here are very agreeable, it should be mentioned that there IS definitely turmoil in the political climate of the West. Not enough to spark a civil war by any means, but it's there. Look at Trump and the evangelical elitist/nationalist populist schism of the GOPe, the wealth inequality that has stimulated candidates like Sanders here , or the roiling fever of racial tension that's at its lowest point since the 1970s
Bordering on /pol/ territory though.
Adrian Sanchez
no that's a very accurate statement user there is a reason Trump and Sanders are so popular, and why race relations are at an all time low.
Joshua Russell
Egocentrism I think, and add nostalgia too. "My generation was the most special ever existed"
Parker Evans
> but the daily news coverage is generally very dry and by the facts on CNN, MSNBC, FOX and especially local news. m8 when you invaded Iraq and Afghanistan every newspaper and TV channel was churning out that MERIKA'S CANONS shit.
Ryan Jackson
My thoughts.
Increase media - Not really a fixed narrative. But negativity sells, you can hear about gruesome murders from every spot in the world now at the touch of a button. You can be connected to horrible events all over the globe like never before.
We notice negative things more - We want to solve problems. We want to live in safety. We notice and find and focus on negative stories rather than positive ones because that's just how our minds work.
There are statistics showing the world is improving massively on almost all counts. Less death, disease, longer lives, more wealth. But where's the story, or the imperative to act or focus on such a thing?
Hudson Wood
Whites are being snuffed out Men are being feminized Women are being masculinized The family unit is dead A great amount of modern thought is illogical We are becoming more hedonistic We are spied on in our homes The recession is destroying hope War is always in sight
Sure, we don't have the plague to deal with but the future of humanity as we know it is really up in the air
Levi Howard
So you choose to shitpost on a Cantonese Painting Forum instead of going out to help the world?
Cameron Allen
I've got some things i'm working on to help the cause without commiting social suicide.
Also improving myself and setting an example
Hudson Lee
On a planetary level, climate is changing, though not nearly fast enough for our generation to worry.
The temperatures of the ocean are steadily rising, and large portions of reef and marine life will be seriously affected within a hundred years.
Deforestation and desertification are becoming more severe.
I'm not really an environmentalist, but you can't deny that that sort of stuff isn't going to affect people, especially poorer populations who rely more heavily on agriculture.
Xavier Myers
I was trying to explain that to /vr/. We see the good old days as good only because when we go back, we've already culled all the shit from it and are left only with the good.
Wyatt Ramirez
Because young people who grew up without clues (because young people don't know shit) gradually discover there's a lot of shit going on in the world (in their opinion) and mistakenly assume that things are getting worse, rather than that they're learning more.
Robert Smith
>poorer populations who rely more heavily on agriculture Everyone has to eat. I think the obesity epidemic in the west is partly foreshadowing the coming famines. 7 gorillian eating breeding shitting monkeys, not enough bananas, this is not rocket science, but if we don't grow the economy then our entire system takes a giant shit. Looks like a grim future, obese monkeys are preparing for it me thinks. I can only get skinny fat tho.
