I’m really worried about the state of the US despite being a white male who was I’ll coast right through it. I’ll also accept “I don’t” and “very poorly” as answers

    • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca
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      11 months ago

      Yes, the average American is doing worse than 50 years ago, but the average person worldwide is doing better than 50 years ago, and the average American is doing better than 100 years ago. This is why it’s important to remember 2 things. First, be vigilant, or the improvements we’ve made can be lost. Second, keep perspective with the big picture, and remember there will be setbacks.

  • Telodzrum@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I realize that it is materially better than it has ever been and it continues to improve, despite very obvious issues and inequalities.

    • blazeknave@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      This is 11 years old. There has been an objective uptick in white nationalism, going beyond trajectory to repair climate, consolidation of wealth, “inflation” inflated prices for less goods through record profits, irrelevant and biased unemployment data from gig economy and partial employment without healthcare, debt, renters, etc There’s data on every one of those. Don’t gaslight people, these aren’t feelings or biased perceptions. The industrialized West has the (massively significant and impactful) benefits of creature comforts from bread and circuses. But as those dwindle, a population losing their mind from the current level of discomfort (and snowflakedom) is going to full on implode. They’re electing autocrats around the globe bc they’re scared of getting injections, wearing masks, and the feelings in their pants when they look at sexy members of their own gender.

  • Lorindól@sopuli.xyz
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    11 months ago

    It’s getting harder every year.

    I remember well the constant fear of nuclear war in the 1980’s.

    I remember the wonder we felt when the Berlin Wall fell and Soviet Union collapsed. A hope of a tomorrow free of fear.

    I remember the dreadful recession of the early 1990’s and the steep economical rise that followed it.

    I remember the amazing advancements in technology and the standard of living in the late 1990’s. And at the same time, it felt like the world was coming to it’s senses.

    I was 21 in the year 2000. The world was full of promise, technological advancements were just pouring in, old mortal enemies were finding common ground and it seemed that we were slowly heading towards a Star Trek - like post scarcity utopia.

    This age of hope eneded by the finance crisis of 2007-2008. Russia tried the waters with the war in Georgia. The general atmosphere of the world turned towards gloom again. And the downward spiral just seems to keeps going and going…

    Yet I continue the work I started when I chose teaching as my profession in those golden years of hope. The kids are very different today, any class from 20 years ago would be a piece of cake compared with the problems they have now. But if a change for the better is to come, it will come from the kids. My generation is hopelessly lost in consumer greed and watching mindless “reality” shows that they somehow feel more important than real life.

    I alone cannot be the change we need, but I CAN educate a few hundred kids and with good luck, maybe a dozen or few of them will have a some effect for a better future.

    • ChewTiger@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Idk sounds to me like you are the change we need. You’re investing your energy into the future without asking for selfish repayment. You’re good people. From my perspective you are still keeping that hope of a better future alive and burning, nurturing it in the hearts and minds of the young, allowing it to grow strong in a protected environment. You are EXACTLY what the world needs right now. So thank you Internet friend.

  • تحريرها كلها ممكن@lemmy.ml
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    11 months ago

    That’s a very relative and personal question. Because for me the world is getting better. Not everyone lives in the US, here we graduate university with money saved instead of being in debt

    • socsa@lemmy.ml
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      11 months ago

      Even in the US, there are tons of people who can openly live their lives who could not even 20 years ago. OP’s conjecture reeks of privilege.

  • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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    11 months ago

    Can’t change it, don’t care about it.

    You are tuning in to the Tragedy of the Week Show. Next week they’ll have another to show you.

    • socsa@lemmy.ml
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      11 months ago

      And this has been happening for as long as human history has been written down. If you study anthropology, literally the first thing they teach you is that every generation of humans has said the same thing, to the point where some of the earliest written history we have is basically some version of this exact post.

      Yet now I shit in a climate controlled box with no predators around.

  • Reddfugee42@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    There’s tons of evidence that the world is getting better. Life expectancies are the highest they’ve ever been, disease is the lowest it’s ever been, globalization is distributing opportunities for relative prosperity to previously ignored or neglected regions. The only thing that’s not getting better right now is climate change but the youth care about that more than ever so it seems like we’ll make headway on that once the old guard ends their watch. The youth are aldo much more progressive so with their ascent to power, I expect more power to return to the people and more scrutiny to befall the rich and powerful as it once was.

    What sort of critical life and death issues are getting worse in your perspective?

  • zacher_glachl@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I just don’t expose myself to the 24h news cycle very much. My life is good, the life of the people around me is good, and nobody is helped by worrying about things I can’t change.

  • Zippy@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    There is less poverty and less major wars than anytime pretty much in recent history. On a local level, individual crime is generally also at its lowest levels. It varies a bit year to year but we are living in one of the safest and prosperous times ever.

  • JoYo@lemmy.ml
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    11 months ago

    It’s always been like this for consciousness.

    That’s why any sufficiently advanced intelligence will never voluntarily become conscious.

    Everyone that has come before us has recognized this and still managed to keep going for as long as they can.

  • socsa@lemmy.ml
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    11 months ago

    I think about how things actually were 50 years ago, and how every generation since the dawn of written history has the same exact end times mythology and then correctly conclude that I am merely suffering from the same delusion as nearly every human prior to me.

    Also I own a glock and three bullets.