Okay, so depression has increased according to some study. And was there a similar study each decade for the last few hundred years using the same criteria? That’s the problem with trying to measure something quantitatively when the measuring stick keeps changing.
I call bullshit on the whole societal decay thing again, especially the argument that because we aren’t affected, we can’t see it happening.
I still didn’t see anyone pick a decade so we can see it’s gone downhill since then. Nobody will, because I will pick apart that decade and bring up all of it’s flaws. We all know that society was worse last year, last decade, last century and so on, picking a date in time is walking into a buzz saw. Sure there are bits and pieces that might be better, but overall, society moves forward and gets better, if you look at the big picture and the individual experience.
Pick a group or a person, throw some labels on them and then plot their experience on a timeline, you tell me when in time their life was better if it is not today. And I’m also convinced that next year and the year after that, it will be even better. Here, I’ll do the first few for you:
Black people-Let’s see the 1700’s and 1800’s sucked pretty hard with that whole slavery thing. The early 1900’s was no picnic but did get better. Segregation went away over time, education began catching up, professional jobs (doctors,lawyers, etc.) starting showing up. They allowed them to play in the professional sports leagues about 60 years ago, they could marry out of their race eventually. Now look at today, the president is black, half of the most powerful and popular media figures are black, most people under 30 cannot even fathom what things were like in the 50’s and earlier. Is it perfect? No. Is it better every day? Yes.
American Indians-similar to the above situation but with some variations, the 1800’s were pretty crappy, with that whole genocide thing. Today many of them have some money, power and influence. Education is starting to happen and they are once again walking around proud of who they are. Has money been the doenfall of some, are some stll living in poverty? Yes. Was being rounded up, having their food supply destroyed and being slaughtered worse? Yes.
Gays-This one is pretty easy, I doubt anyone would rather be gay and live during another decade.
I’ll stop there, but I could detail every racial group, women of those groups and white women. Poor people never really need to worry about dying of starvation anymore.
Do you really think that a black woman in 2011 who takes zoloft for depression would be happier as a slave in 1820 working in a field, or sitting int the back of a bus in 1945. You can exchange the black woman for a gay teenager or whatever you want. Just because people seek treatment for mild depression does not mean we are going to hell in a hand basket. They are merely taking care of minor issues that in previous decades during history they did not have the time or the means to seek treatment. When everything else is so shitty, you don’t notice the little things. If you had four bullet wounds to your chest, you wouldn’t care about needing some stitches for a cut on your arm. Just because more people are getting stitches now doesnt mean they are getting hurt more, it means that they don’t have bullet wounds and they can deal with the minor issues.
It’s still not perfect, but more people today feel that they matter, that they are important, that they are beautiful and they have something to offer than at any other time in history. Chasing ones dreams is no longer something reserved for the elite, reaching your goals is more possible than ever before, for everyone. There is still failure and disapointment, but there less glass cielings, less judgement and less societal pressure to be something you are not and I know that will continue. I’m not being optimistic, I’m being realistic, the evidence is everywhere if you just look.
One group has been getting screwed, smokers. I’m one of those drinker smokers who does it maybe once a month. In social setting or casinos when I’m drinking, I’m smoking cigars or cigarettes. 99% of the time I’m in the non smoking group and 1% I’m with the smokers, it’s like being black for a day and seeing what their experience is like. The last two times this happened I almost beat someone and I got pretty mean both times. A smoking card table in the smoking section of a casino or the smoking patio at a bar are about the only places left you can drink and smoke in public, the other 99.9% of the planet is yours so if you choose to go to that particular spot, I do not give a s^&* if it bothers you. I don’t follow you into the stall in the restroom, put my head next to the bowl while are sitting and ask you if you could please not do anything that smells bad. I can see the smokers starting riots, non smokers are so freaking annoying.
