Posted: Jul 25, 2016 2:30 pm
Oldskeptic wrote:Teague wrote:
The US is so fucked right now that it's worth a try.
Well yeah, the US is oh so fucked and a terrible place to live, or at least that's what those on the far left and the far right keep telling everyone. Interesting that as of January 2016 Gallup has 85% of the US population generally satisfied with their lives. If you want to add somewhat dissatisfied and no opinion to satisfied that leaves only 6% very dissatisfied. Not quite enough to imply that the US is so fucked anything is worth a try. Or that what is needed is a social or political revolution.
And before someone pops off with some black vs white satisfaction dichotomy there is this from Gallup.
Eighty-eight percent of blacks satisfied with their lives, 87% of whites satisfied with their lives.
Do we really need a revolution in order to try to make 6% of the population less than very dissatisfied with their lives? Being something of a student of human nature I don't think there is anything that would make all of them or even some of them happier.
Hell, out of the people I know, those doing the most and loudest grumbling about their lives are those with the most.
Teague wrote:You have the least 2 favoured politicians in history and one is going to become president so fuck it, why not. I really can't think of anything worse that could happen no matter what people try.
Who fucking cares? How much a person is liked or disliked personally has little or nothing to do with whether someone can get elected or do the job. We're not electing a prom queen; more like the most likely to succeed. Seven of the last ten elections were won by the least liked candidate. And through it all 'mericans have been fairly happy with their lives; bouncing up and down from 77% to 87%.
Yeah, right, none of that psychology about how humans adjust their 'happiness' level matters. We see how this can lead to serious problems, when what is 'normal' can shift dramatically. Pessimists should be highly valued for their inability to see the 'bright side' of every occasion. for really serious issues, seeing reality is far more important to society at large even if it makes their lives less pleasant.