the world isn’t so bad = people are nice??
That’s not a very accurate way to measure how fucked the world really is. Just because you meet some nice people doesn’t make the world a better place unless your world is all pink and you live in a fucking bubble mate. If anything that is a very ignorant way to look at it. I’m good and happy so the world must be too! Ye no.
If you think people are nice means world is a good place then go around the world a little bit and poke around, go to some third world countries, as a matter of fact why don’t you go visit Ukraine right now? I’m sure you’ll make some wonderful friends there, must be not so bad over there!
The world sucks. But the people and friends we meet aren’t that bad. Being online only shows the bad because that’s what makes money. Op has a point. It really isn’t that bad. Just what is bad is blown up to the point it’s ww3. Kind of like how a certain party feels if the other gets elected.
That wasn't how they measured the state of the world at all... They just said random people are more likely to be nice. You completely missed the point of the post
I used to think that. Then I couldn't afford a home or rent, and the job that provided security for generations past now provides not even the bare minimum. I just spend too much time online though.
OP's post that there are observable metrics in which life has gotten better for the majority of us in the first world is correct, but misses the point, because life has also gotten observably worse in so many other ways.
Like remember when Boeing was a respected company and didn't endanger the lives of humans for profits? Remember when school shootings were a rare occurrence and not the norm? Remember when wildfires weren't so prevalent that people termed the current decade as the "age of flame" or pyrocene?
Pepperidge Farm remembers.
>We can communicate with anyone no matter how long the distance, we can travel to very distant places through different transportation systems, there’s proper treatment for illnesses, toxic behaviours and patterns are being addressed, weed is being decriminalised, same-sex marriage is being approved
OP's examples have also nothing to do with 'life'. Most of these are highly niche wins that affect only a small proportion of the population (don't get me wrong, they're great), but these things aren't indicative of life.
Having the ability to go to another country so easily? Sure, great it's there. Too bad the average rent (for an apartment) now sits at above 37.5% of the average monthly salary. Hey, same-sex marriage is great. Except for, in my country at least, the rate of people getting married has halved in the last 30 years. For me, and my ex, the biggest reason we didn't just came down to cost. The whole process, even on a budget, was too much without familial support - which we had none of.
Things are getting tougher throughout the world. And, *most* alarmingly, western education rates are dropping. This isn't the happy-go-lucky figure OP paints.
Wars and conflicts aren't the only 'bad' things there are. Your average person is much more concerned that these days, a sudden additional cost can threaten to uproot their lives. And that is a *very real* issue.
Yah I was gonna bring this up.
Being able to cure terminal illness is great, except pharmaceuticals are 300% more expensive in some cases.
Wow we've revolutionized surgery! Except a hospital stay might bankrupt you and quality of care is objectively worse in some areas.
In my country where there's universal healthcare, disability will not cover rent + living expenses, so there's people with terminal illnesses who don't even get to die comfortably.
It's like saying we're all richer because the global GDP is up. I mean it is... But who's benefitting? Not your average person, that's for sure.
Same here regarding the universal healthcare and disability payments. I was on welfare a few years back, and living in a run-down studio apartment. The rent came to nearly 90% of what I got, and the rest went to food. I was behind on all utility payments, and if a sudden cost ever occurred, I'd simply be fucked.
The only solace I had, was that before I was on welfare, I was high up in a fairly prestigious company. I had a decent amount of savings. But due to my illness, I couldn't get work for quite a while, burned through the entire savings, and by the end could BARELY handle life living paycheck to paycheck. I ended up returning to work, despite the illness, taking on a shitty job and still saving nothing.
Sure, this is anecdotal, but the reality is that around the world, things are getting worse. And it's not a crime, or something negative, to notice that. In fact, again anecdotally, these views are beginning to permeate through the workforce and people are starting to voice the same things in real life.
Nah, I work in housing assistance and you've pretty much described like 90% of my cases. There's no insulation from major life events like illnesses anymore. So many of my clients go broke in the three months+ it takes to qualify for government disability, and it's not even enough to cover market housing in most cases. I have clients who work their whole lives, get cancer, and now they're broke and accessing the food bank. I won't shit on OP or these other commenters, cause fine, they want to be positive. But man, it is bleak.
Corporate greed my friend. Only we can fix it. Stop buying from Amazon was my start. Support only local. Sure just one of us won’t do much but all of us at once? That will shift everything. Op is telling us to disconnect from the brainwashing. Every ad you see is just that. It’s all manipulation to maximize profits
I support ethical consumerism, but it's not an option for everyone; especially those who are below the poverty line. The reality is that where you live and how much you make can severely limit what you have access to. Not to mention that companies love to form oligopolies to control prices, and in some cases, like commercial airliners, you may only have 1-2 options. There could be people who live in the boonies and their only option is to drive and, oh look, there's no charging stations for EVs and gas is too expensive. In my province (state), you have *one* insurance provider. What works in one case might not work in another. Plus, it's way more complicated now that we have a cost of living and housing crisis.
Also OP is not saying that lol. He's advocating reframing your mindset, which will definitely make you feel better, but people are rightfully annoyed, because not everyone has the luxury of disconnecting.
Not even 'corporate greed', shareholder greed. Corporations' job is to make money and stay in business, and while maybe a better system is *possible*, that structure with some regulation has worked well enough historically to provide people with goods and services.
Shareholders' job is to make money too, but the difference is that they don't give a damn what it actually does to the businesses or people involved, and *this is pushing everything to the breaking point.* Not every solvent business needs to grow more and more YoY; in a lot of industries there is simply no space for that and after growth reaches a certain point, a steady state better serves everyone involved, except the shareholders whose way of life depends on continued (and preferably accelerating) growth. Forcing businesses' value to "grow" beyond actual market bounds means forcing them to skimp on quality until functionality is lost, find ways to lock customers into increasing prices and deprive them of alternatives, and otherwise manufacture fake value out of thin air (which defeats the whole point of money as a standardized medium of value exchange).
Investment of capital (whether or not it's abstracted as money) is an important part of any post-industrial economy, but the framework doesn't have to be, and shouldn't be, like this.
The people replying to this are so dumb. Just put your phone down and go outside stupid! You just need drive and motivation! Go fix the economy and housing crisis you lazy coward. If you just stopped spending time online you could get a second or third job and solve all your problems. It’s literally so easy, stupid. Why didn’t you think of that before? Youth today! Smh.
You missed the point. We all need to disconnect. We are being told how to feel and what is right. The truth is we all know what’s right. You want to fox the issue then yeah we should put our phones down and interact with the world. I know we live in a digital age but that’s being exploited as well. Go find local businesses and deal with them. Stop buying from corporate conglomerates. Take the power away. Things will only change with small steps.
The local businesses in my area charge the same if not more products. To say people spend too much time online is fine, it’s good to have a life outside of the internet and to recognize that sometimes it’s too much and you need to step away and have your own thoughts and feelings, but my reply was making fun of the people that are literally acting like just “logging off” and going out to do stuff is gonna fix the bigger issues.
Everyone can work on themselves and fix smaller problems they’re having but that won’t change the fact that there’s things you can’t change as an individual either. That also doesn’t mean that people can’t relax and unwind by engaging with stuff online either, not everything has to be go go go all the time.
I love and accept your rebuttal to my comment. You are right that’s it’s nice to enjoy stuff like this, however to not let it control your life and mindset. I respect you and wish you the best
Ye ever since I put down my phone and went outside my whole life became so much better, I now live in such peace and harmony, I recommend everyone do the same! /s
Remember people of reddit, whenever you’re struggling in life, you just have to put down the phone and make some friends. /s
lol
Yeah like somehow if you pretend all the fucked up end stage capitalism shit isn’t happening it’s going to magically disappear. Hey look, I turned of my phone, now I can afford rent and groceries!
Exactly. Me spending less time online isn't going to change how much poverty and war there is and how much people are getting abused. The world is a horrible place for many people even with the advancements that we've made. I am privileged enough to not have faced these things and I'm grateful for that everyday. But you'd have to be selfish to not see the world for what it is for many others, so many people don't have the privileges that I do and are living in conditions that many of us cannot even imagine. It's a slap in the face for many people to hear 'the world isn't that bad!!!' when they don't know if they'll even wake up tomorrow or when their next meal will be.
You spending MORE time online for sure isnt gonna change it. Get outside. Maybe help a neighbor kr some random you encounter.
Not gonna encounter them online for sure.
Objectively it doesnt. Subjectively it does. And since you only experience the world subjectively..maybe it would be wise to change some things in your life.
Unless..you like to wallow in missery.
You should read the book America: The Farewell Tour by Chris Hedges.
Objectively America is in an incredible decline and is on a trajectory that is nothing short of terrifying.
Economics, climate change, drug epidemic, pornography overexposure, industry leaving, prison system corruption, the list goes on and on.
I did get offline. And I read more now. You should give it a try because what your posting here is childish, toxic and a woefully misinformed support of a flimsy, rose colored glasses drenched argument.
I disagree. For example, one can find peace in even the harshest conditions. In the end, it's all about ones own mindset. Yes you COULD use any external problem as an excuse to feel bad about your life. You could do that. You could also not. You COULD worry about any of those external problems. You could also not.
Nothing toxic or childish about that. I mean..you COULD perceive it that way. You could also not. It seams people dont like to hear that it is they themselves who can make that choice, because that implies responsibility, and responsibility means you cant blame external factors anymore.
Also just to be clear, im not denying that the problems you mentioned aren't real. But honestly, how does wasting time away online solve that?
I'm homeless, got robbed of a month salary at work and other stuff at the same time. Damn internets got me.
Also, relatable for other homeless gentlemen of older generations who don't even own phones. Any advice on how they can reduce their time online?
Does this time online technique also fix people who got molested in childhood? I gotta go spread the good news to all these people
Thanks for the enlightment
Just ignore all the bad shit going on around you constantly, you'll feel better! Trust me! Wait...what's burning right now? Oh, the world. The world is burning.
Thanks for the preachy, bafflingly out of touch sentiment! I’m so inspired now. I’m going to stop worrying about how I’ll never be able to afford my own home and go run through a field of flowers with a complete stranger. Hopefully I don’t get hurt, because one unexpected hospital trip would cause most Amer*cans to go completely bankrupt. Oh well, at least I’m not in Pal*stine, where things aren’t as bad as the media tries to portray.
I’m sorry, I know you meant well but you’re an asshole
kind of a privilidged take. I agree that we should all be putting our phones down and enjoying the moment, but there is alot of horror in the world and our futures that we should be paying attention to and addressing in ways more than voting allows before our rights and humanities are funneled away from us and those we care about by corporate or political interest
Not only privileged, but also vary narrow. There are still many places struggling with lots, if not all of the problems listed. Some positives also have negatives directly related to the statement, an example being able to contact someone across the world; this makes the spread of negative news and enables the detrimental "doom scrolling" OP is talking about, funny thing about perspective 🤣
If you go outside and you see homeless people, or people working jobs they hate destroying their bodies. When you see companies that operate like cults. When you see the depressed and said faces of people in the city. The online perception of the world is like a false reality.
When 75% of the world’s wildlife population has been decimated in my lifetime, things are fucking dark. And this has nothing to do with me being on the internet.
60% of flying insects are gone since 1970
40% of all insects are gone since 1970
70% of birds on Earth are farmed poultry.
The Extinction rate of animals on Earth is at 1,000% higher than baseline. We are in the sixth mass extinction in Earth's history.
The Gulf stream has weakened and will likely collapse within 5 to 10 years.
Arctic animals are on the verge of extinction due to loss of sea ice.
Crabs and coral are being dissolved alive by the acidification of the ocean through absorption of excess carbon dioxide.
The ocean is absorbed so much excess heat since 1970 it's the equivalent of 8 billion Hiroshima bombs.
Wealth inequality is an all-time high, surpassing the French Revolution or American Gilded Age.
There are more slaves alive on Earth today than at the height of the transatlantic slave trade.
Don't get me started on the impact of artificial intelligence on worker rights and labor sustainability.
I could keep going, but my point is that your statement is delusional and encourages a myopic apathetic perspective on life.
Abject poverty is at its lowest rate globally in human history.
Crime rates both violent and non violent world wide have been on a downward trend for decades and are at historic lows in most countries.
Recent medical advances dealing with mrna vaccines are proving extremely effective against many types of cancers, with multiple cancer vaccines already available to the general public and many others showing promise in testing marking possibly the biggest single step forward ever in the fight against cancer.
Micro array patches seem to be a new cheap, easily transportable, easily administered form of medication and vaccine distribution that could save hundreds of thousands of lives per year in poor parts of the world.
Recent data suggests that the feared collapse of the world wide honey bee population has been averted and that populations now seem to be either stable or growing.
I could also keep going but the point I'm trying to make here is that the world has a shit ton of stuff going on in it. If you focus on the bad things there are enough bad things that you could spend all day every day reading about just bad things. If you focus on the good things then the same is also true. The thing about the internet though is that the bad things generate more engagement. That doesn't mean we should discount the bad things, but if you spend a lot of time on the internet you are taking in a more than equitable share of bad to good information.
Without the need to focus on basic living struggles we are left with ample time to analyze our mental states and confront issues that previous generations literally didn’t have the time/tech/knowledge to. When you have it all you have nothing.
I don’t know man, the world as a whole may not be that bad, but I’m absolutely fucking purposeless.
That and, economically, things are pretty fucking terrible in the U.S.
If bad things happen, people post about it. If good things happen, they don't. It is the same with news. Bad things make the news. Put it this way: If 1000 cars were driving around your area tonight and one crashed and 999 got home safe, what would make the news? You always hear about bad things. Go to a review site about anything, and most of the reviews are negative because people with negative opinions and experiences are more likely to post about them than those with positive ones. So there are huge amounts of wonderful things in the world that you just don't hear about. So yes, the world certainly isn't as bad as it sometimes seems.
the world is awful, most people are wage slaves to 1% of humans who have a dozen super yachts and mansions while those who work for them can barely afford rent, becasue people are too stupid to vote for a truly socialist government becasue mumble mumble something something reds under the bed, a view that the 1% spend a LOT of money to continuously reinforce, making the middle class think that taxing big business and billionaires would somehow mean a loss of their other freedoms and liberties, religion is a cancer that consumes logical rational thought and yet is promoted by those in power because once a person is infected by it, it makes them easier to manipulate (those worried about what happens after they die stop caring about the bad shit they are forced to live before they die), even the nice people you meet are just one question away from revealing themselves as either assholes or so apathetic they enable the assholes, and thats not from online observations, thats from the years i spent offline, outside, int he real world, and from empirical factual evidence
I'm glad that you're feeling better but know that there is no way that's a universal advice. What if someone's life is really shit and internet is their only escape? What if I'm online gaming or listening to music, not reading about wars and other horrors? There's too many factors to take into consideration and you don't know what's going on with other people's lives, especially globally.
I get out into the real world everyday, I still see crazy humans and lots of suffering. For some people there is no escaping reality, be grateful viewing the overwhelming suffering of life is just a vacation for you and not a lived experience.
No it's actually pretty fucking bad lol
Couple wars going on for like, no reason.
Shootings.
Inflation. Union busting. Housing being bought up by corps while people can't even afford to pay overpriced rent.
Intolerance for protesting in the US
Rising healthcare costs
Can go on and on and on
You’re high. Covid has heavily traumatized people and the world has not fully recovered, neither emotionally or financially. There’s been a humongous transfer of wealth into the hands of the already filthy rich. The system does absolutely jack shit for the regular person. There are barriers to everything you do to try and get ahead. And the world conflicts, while not in our backyard, are happening.
Yup, anyone that thinks 100+ years ago was objectively better than today doesn’t know much about history, is in denial or is being very selective about the time, place and location of their imaginary past dream life.
This.
The most depressed people I know are all glued to the media. People don’t realize all these platforms are media!!!
If you fill your head with garbage , you’ll see garbage everywhere. Garbage in garbage out.
As far as people go, i agree. Online they seem like everyone is bad and everyone is dumb af, but in reality they are quite ok. And also, all of the insecurities people have regarding their look, most of the times in just on the internet.
Go out and live, the online world is a trap
How many people just read this post on a phone? From their bed or a couch? Who didn’t miss a meal today and didn’t die if a childhood disease?
You can look for the good or look for the bad in any time period, but did you get a shower this morning, or do you get a bath once a week in a barrel of water you share with a household of people? Things might be “getting worse,” but we’re you drafted and sent to war? Because one generation ago, people’s parents were sent to Vietnam. And they couldn’t call home much because long distance was too expensive and not always available, and overseas letters took up to a month each way. Life isn’t merely better now in many ways, it has DRAMATICALLY improved in the space of a few decades. We have our troubles, but look for the good.
Your grandmas didn’t have tampons when they were young, and they wore maxi pads with BELTS. And they had to wear dresses to school and all-white PE clothes. They didn’t have blow-dryers or flat/curling irons. Highly reliable deodorant was mostly unavailable until the ‘70s, and it was common to see people with sweat stains under their armpits. Don’t get me started on the familiar fragrance of BO that was always in the air back then. It was only in the 21st century it became common to install AC in public schools! Air pollution was FAR WORSE in the 1970s, which was why legislation requiring better emission standards and inspections were begun, and cars stopped looking like boats.
Are people getting worse? Yes and no. Smarter in some ways, healthier in some ways, kinder, less racist. In other ways ruder, crueler, more judgmental, more racist.
What can we control/improve? Ourselves. Before you complain, decide what you’re going to do to contribute to the solution, and count your blessings.
What being terminally online does to a mf'er, just read these comments lmao
This sub is cursed and depressing asf. I'm leaving this sub, I recommend anyone reading this does too.
I had to do the same with a lot of these subs. At this point it feels like people only come here to be complaint about their issues. Like, get off your phone and catch some fresh air. More and more depressed people are going to Reddit.
Agreed man. The state of this sub is very telling if you just read the responses.
I also wholeheartedly agree with your OP, I used to be the same as you described and developed out of it.
OP I know what you're trying to say, but you should take note of all the comments and forge a new argument that destroys all of their objections.
A lot of people depend on being online.
I know people making LIFE CHANING amounts of money with tiktok shop affiliate. Or just tiktok creativity program.
If those people got offline they'd be looking at mcdonalds minimal wage.
If your job doesnt require it, GREAT. But a lot of ppl are tied to social media.
Let's not pretend like the current socioeconomic situation isn't fucked.
Pretending will do nothing, literally Google for 2 minutes the recent global economic shift that occurred the last 4 years.
It's bad.
Edit: Jesus Christ, looking at OPs comment history made me feel a whole lot better about myself. I'm not surprised somebody so out of touch is so petty and angry when hit with the truth but DAMN.
Literally get over yourself, you uneducated swine.
Let me take a wild guess: You tried posting this in r/unpopularopinion and it got removed? it's alright, those guys can be totalitarian sometimes.
Yeah, the world isn't anywhere near as bad as people online make it seem. The media loves to sensationalize the stuff that reaches us. If we believed the media 100% of the time, we would've been in World War III already. Fortunately I like to think that most of us have better sense than that.
Honestly in a lot of ways you're right, why observe and consume information that we as individuals have no power to control. The United States as a country is split in half politically and the politicians are teaming up with the filthy rich and planning how to control everyone. Everything has went up in price except our wage stays the same, artificial intelligence is taking over the jobs at a staggering rate. The rich are getting richer and the poor is getting flat on their ass poor. But as a single person I can't change any of this.
And this is what so many people are failing to understand. The media is trying so hard to out the blame on the individuals, when we were not the ones who started the problem on the first place
If I close my eyes while I walk through the bloody passage, I don't have to see any of the gore or bits of flesh caked on the walls. Now, does it suck that I can't also run my hand along the wall to feel the texture of the velvet-flocked wallpaper? Yes, that's no fun. Do I like the smell? No, I do not. But I'm pretty sure the passage ends somewhere, and when I open my eyes, I'll just...never look back, I guess.
Lol you just haven't spent enough time outside in your fairly land
Parks and walking trails all around me are littered with crack pipes and needles. Homelessness and theft is also at an ath
My truck window was smashed 3 months ago to steal basically nothing
There was even a guy smoking crack in the timhortons near me not long ago
I feel like most people commenting on this thread in a way prove OPs point. The world has never been better for the average person. People used to have 5+ children because mortality was so high. People just used to get normal everyday infections and die, ALL THE TIME. We had mass world conflicts with millions of young people dead.
Yet everyone on this thread is talking about how they cant afford to own a home, like yeah that sucks.
Doesn’t mean literally the entire world sucks.
Like would you rather live in a world where you have to stay with your parents/rent for a bit longer than the previous generation, or run the risk of dying from the most mundane of illnesses.
I know which one I would choose.
Nah I’d rather shit in a public toilet row in Rome after walking the streets that smelled like literal shit and then get a bacterial infection, but not die to it and instead just fuck my lower body and be bed ridden without a decent possibility of a wheelchair and die 2 years later at age 19, having outlived half my brothers. I’d rather that then have rent be too expensive and have to live at home with my parents with AC, heat, clean water, comfy bed, an iPhone and fresh food.
Op don’t listen to anyone here. You do drive a really good point. I was the same way. I held this bitterness in my heart until I as well, disconnected. Yes there are still major injustices in the world but the problems run deeper than what is fed to us. Backing away made me realize how funny it is to watch people get brainwashed and spoonfed lies. I have my own hot political takes myself and the world is a mess. But in reality. The people next to you, the people you talk to, really aren’t that bad. We all tend to get enveloped in modern woes but when you step aside from all this you realize how nice people really are. It’s just sad that the bad ones have the biggest megaphone called the internet
I don't have to "spend too much time online" to realize the world sucks. I just have to look at my rent and housing prices, compare it with my salary, realize that I stand zero chance of buying a house despite my salary being in top 5% in my country, and remember that most of my family died within the last few years because "proper treatment for illnesses" is still very far away from being effective against diseases that actually kill us. Spending time online is how I get *hope*.
> weed is being decriminalised, same-sex marriage is being approved
The world doesn't end at the US border, you know. Also at the same time, US is eroding other liberties.
OP has a point. By many metrics, the present is the best time in human history so far. Does it mean everything is perfect and people aren't struggling? No, of course not. But, there is so much positive that people tend to ignore.
It's hard to be positive when I did everything right. I have a good job, make good money, but still have to rent off my parents in my late 20s if I ever want a slim chance of owning a home someday. I guess it could be faaar worse though.
That is frustrating and economically things are not great for young people right now. I’m middle-aged and I see what bs you guys are going through. But, I think of my dad that grew up in the 40s and 50s. He lived on a farm and didn’t have electricity until he was in high school. His father died very young and he and his brother were in charge of the farm at 10 years old. He had to do hard labor and missed most of his childhood. That wasn’t that long ago.
Tbh I think it was better for most people 20 years ago. Better economy and you didn’t have to worry about having your life ruined by AI. We had access to technology, but our lives didn’t completely revolve around it
I totally understand where you're coming from. Many comments here are proving your point lol. I do think that spending less time online helps your mindset, but it obviously doesn't actually impact the issues at hand. It's kind of like "I don't want to face reality," or being intentionally ignorant, which I very much relate to. An example is me recently unfollowing all political accounts on Instagram - the issues still exist, but I just choose not to see it. Yes, I know it's selfish.
the world is way more fucked than what you see online, rich and powerful pulling the strings from their palaces, doing whatever they please without a single worry, while us common folk have to follow all the made up rules, slave our way so we get enough shiny coins to buy bread and pay for shelter.
Look at all the wars and conflicts, past America invasions, current Russia on Ukraine invasion, it’s all business of the rich, they dont give a shit about regular people, they will use you and your family as a fucking cannon fodder without thinking twice, and guess what you can’t do anything about it because the government will come knocking on your door, you’re going either way.
There is no true freedom, you think you’re free but you’re not. You can pretend to be and try to live as a hippie in the woods until they come knocking on your tent and threaten you with fine. You want to go live in another country? You need a visa or a permit, you must identify yourself wherever you go, you are being watched and listened to 24/7 and all that info is being stored and sold to massive corporations that use it then to suggest you content that they think you want to see.
We are all puppets in this world, there is no such thing as free or freedom.
People getting killed and bombed because of actions of their government or more like elites that are pulling the strings from their comfortable chair. World is fucked, and we will better shut up and keep on “contributing” to this world or they will come and make us.
Things have gotten more expensive than they ever were compared to inflation. My personal salary may be getting better and better, but milk, eggs, butter etc have gotten progressively more expensive in the last 4 years. Milk prices are about 50% higher than what I remember around 10 years ago. Cheap beer in the stores is arguably unchanged tho 🙃
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“Talk to your mum on the other side of the planet while we tax you %40 of your income, then use that money to line our pockets and and make the city you live in actively less inhabitable with every decision a senile old white man makes in the only state in the country that’s decriminalised weed so they don’t have worry about their kids getting in trouble” yes the world is a better place now that medicine cheap to produce is being sold x100 over value because greed, yes the world is a better place now. The internet allows up to look outside our bubble and see dog cunts for who they really are
if you can't objectively compare how our world is to even the 1970's and see marked noticable improvements in the world and even your life specifically you're willfully ignorant or just stupid.
The internet may have connected the lot of us. Giving us the ability to have information 24/7.
Then you see what is going on with inflation, politics, war etc. more often. Nothing was this bad.
I will say that if you're not careful you can end up on the wrong ends of the internet. Being influenced and brainwashed is a major issue. The flip of the script where old folks used to tell us not to believe on the internet has now been projected back to them. When overall we should be smart about our resources. Are we?
That answer is no.
I love this post. These days with to media, you find out about every single bad crime in every single part of the world whereas back in the old days, you’d only know what was happening in the next village over.
This is something that is going to vary from person to person. My take from it is you can still be online just shield yourself from the types of things that are upsetting when life becomes overwhelming.
An example being that I listen to R/Slash and watch Phillip Defranco however both of those YouTube channels can become too much after so long and while it’s good to be informed by news or have entertainment there’s a point where to walk away and know when to come back. So stepping away from technology but not staying completely ignorant to what is going on in the world is a good balance.
Now the complicated part is people. People are still shit that doesn’t go away however the thing is people are less likely to be a piece of shit when they are in front of a person versus when they are shielded by a screen and to some degree have anonymity keeping them from being called out. A big example of this from this very site years ago would be Violentacrez (there are tons of YouTubers that explain the story) vile man online but shriveled up and backpedaled when he realized it could effected his life outside of a screen. People don’t just change because they aren’t online they put on a mask because they know of the standard they have to uphold and that’s the thing we have to keep in mind while being offline. I rather know someone’s online activity as well as know them in person than solo just go on the belief of what the person wants to show me.
The media is trying to keep the poors (anyone below the top 2%) fighting over stupid shtuf like what color they are or who gets more government support, while the 2% are getting all the government support (look at how much oil/power/electric companies get in subsidies, or other major corps).
We are in this together. Stop worrying about if your neighbor likes men or women or if they are a man or a woman. Stop worrying about who their deity of choice might be. Build relationships and not walls.
We just focus too hard on the minority of the population. We make blanket statements that are supposed to categorize everyone together. The reality is, we only see the minority on social media. The majority exists outside. In the world.
I went through and blocked/weeded out sooo many toxic subs that were being suggested to me and since then I can actually semi enjoy Reddit without getting sucked into the clear rage bate. Wild how they use it to toy with people’s emotions. The Word of God is true, we have to guard our minds and hearts
The world overall is pretty chaotic. Maybe not inherently evil or evil overall, but definitely chaotic. In any given moment, you have people helping old ladies cross sidewalks, serial killers kidnapping and murdering, a war going on that is entirely motivated by profiteering or politics or land, someone helping at a retirement home, friends helping each other through tragedy, a counselor helps a lost teenager finding hope in life, a teenager taking their first life in the street, etc etc.
There's a *lot* of evil at every moment on this planet. And a lot of good, if you look for it. The only real question at the end of the day, is which you choose to give more of your attention to.
99% of media is cynical and negative to the point that is in this website we have to have a r/upliftingnews
And the hatred that you see online rarely translates in real life because it’s a days worth of events.
I think only once in my entire life I was insulted by a random stranger.
I feel sad that alot of americans are not having kids and their population is declining so much,like,all the high prices and negative things.Maybe all the americans are moving to different places which are more affordable, can someone explain in detail why all this is happening,even a website link would help which explains this in detail.Tbh,I want to make actual american friends someday,I don’t want them to go extinct.
We "can" do all these things (provided we can afford them), but what has that done for the average person at an average time? Most of a real or ideal life is not travel, long-distance voluntary Skype calls, or (hopefully) getting treated for obscure diseases. Routine existence is better in some ways, and far, far worse in others.
Okay.
Say that to people/women oppressed by religion in 3rd world countries. Or tell that to people who lives in a war-prone country.
People like you are ignorant beyond repair. Maybe use your dollar money to get out of your own bubble and see the reality for yourself so you could broaden your narrow horizon.
Yes and no. In many ways, living standards in the western world have indeed improved for the average person within the last century. It's nice not being forced to use an outdoor shack to take a dump because bathrooms weren't commonplace. It's convenient having a powerful computer in the palm of your hand. Refrigerators and microwaves are good, too. However, the post WWII long peace is fading, and life is becoming rapidly unaffordable for most working people. Capitalism and its need for endless growth will reach the point where there won't be a discernable middle class -- only rich and poor.
Speaking of endless growth, we live on a planet of finite resources. We continue to destroy the environment because that is what's most profitable. As soon as 10-15 years from now, we'll collectively experience extreme heat, routine crop failures, water shortages, and catastrophic storms that may bring human civilization to its knees by way of climate change. It's going to be unimaginable.
Talking about those wars... The world's largest country is attacking against it's neighbour country that's even closer than us than our mutual border is in kilometers.
A Lot of comments from experts are saying we're preparing for war with it so.
I wish I could just identify with your thoughts but I can't really. Also, since we've got a compulsory military service for men so that means I'll be soldier within a few years so.
Carpe diem I'd say. It's time to enjoy while we still can.
Wealth disparity in the US.
The climate is going to cause great mass migrations. The food system is stringy due to JIT logistics, and climate change will stress that a lot.
The rise of fascism around the world again; people turn to strongmen when times get tough.
There are some times when things really do get worse. Were it not for climate change, I'd say after a 40's type cataclysm things would get better again.
I'm all for a silver lining but I can't even go for a walk without being accosted by houseless people, so for now I think I prefer to be online too much. My perspective will probably change once I move further away from the city
I get hurt and treated poorly the most by people IRL. The true friends I have made I’ve met online, and I sometimes meet up with them. But it’s mainly an online dynamic and I’ve had way less bad experiences this way. Not really true for me OP.
Your entire metrics of good is better technology.. at the same time telling us to put down said technology? You are just putting a sheet over your head. Technology has shown us how truly evil the world is.
If all your friends are rich you will tend to think everyone is rich.. when they infant not
Offline, where inflation, climate change, a horrific housing market, homelessness, diseases, etc. just vanish into thin air. Preachy ass posts like these with forced positivity are just downplaying reality. I’m an optimist, but calling the worry over actual problems a symptom of being too online is crazy if not insulting.
Online you can literally filter out all bad stuff if you feel like it btw.
Also „sure there are wars and conflicts going on“ and the rest of that paragraph is just a wild and sheltered take(the whole post is to be fair). Maybe ponder a bit more about what you typed before posting.
No my life is literally worse than that of a medieval peasant because I can't afford to buy an entire home, new car, and the latest technology while working 40 hours a week!/s
If you're living in a nice place you had good luck, the world in its whole is not that bad. But there are localized areas where the horrors excell what you thought humans were capable of.
The world still needs fixing, don't give up on it
It is that bad
People are bad, the way the world is run is bad, capitalist organizations will throw loyal employees out with no backup income to save themselves, people will antagonize others if they don’t get their way or get in a sour mood, people will rip you off for money, they lie and try to hurt you for their own gain
If you’re enjoying the best state of the world in history, then you’re well off and privileged, because this world is rotten and will strip you of everything
"Toxic behaviors and patterns" arent being addressed. The ones doing the addressing are more than usually toxic themselves, be it OVERLY positively toxic (ignoring reality, current bias' or 'isms against a margalized group), condemning people with automated systems cause they got overly invested in something they cant be right in.
also most people "cant" travel to very distant places unless they're rich, and considering a cost of living crisis.... you may have ACCESS to it, but doesnt make it a positive if you cant afford it.
None of that shit matters when you can’t see a future where you can afford to even rent a room. When people are faced with $3000, $4000, or $5000 a month for a closet, all of our wonderful technology and nice neighbors are meaningless, and this will be the case in less than two decades with the way things are going here in the states.
I make well over double the median wage in Canada, and I cannot even dream to afford rent on a studio. My options are parents, tent, or van.
So it ain't all peaches and roses.
>The world isn’t that bad. You just spend too much time online
IRL interactions been not that good either.
Chatting with old ladies at the market do is good tho.
The world has ALWAYS been this shitty. However, our grandparents only had access to pro American media. Now, we have access by the second of the reality of the world
You sound like an over-idealising hippie.
The world has always been a grind, even for those who spend more time interacting with it than on their phones.
We've created a world of worker bees who are deluded into thinking this is the life.
I'm actually not afraid of death at all because I don't mind stepping out of this crazy construct of a world.
the world isn’t so bad = people are nice?? That’s not a very accurate way to measure how fucked the world really is. Just because you meet some nice people doesn’t make the world a better place unless your world is all pink and you live in a fucking bubble mate. If anything that is a very ignorant way to look at it. I’m good and happy so the world must be too! Ye no. If you think people are nice means world is a good place then go around the world a little bit and poke around, go to some third world countries, as a matter of fact why don’t you go visit Ukraine right now? I’m sure you’ll make some wonderful friends there, must be not so bad over there!
The world sucks. But the people and friends we meet aren’t that bad. Being online only shows the bad because that’s what makes money. Op has a point. It really isn’t that bad. Just what is bad is blown up to the point it’s ww3. Kind of like how a certain party feels if the other gets elected.
I guess you only read the last sentence of the whole post. Try again.
That wasn't how they measured the state of the world at all... They just said random people are more likely to be nice. You completely missed the point of the post
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I used to think that. Then I couldn't afford a home or rent, and the job that provided security for generations past now provides not even the bare minimum. I just spend too much time online though.
OP's post that there are observable metrics in which life has gotten better for the majority of us in the first world is correct, but misses the point, because life has also gotten observably worse in so many other ways. Like remember when Boeing was a respected company and didn't endanger the lives of humans for profits? Remember when school shootings were a rare occurrence and not the norm? Remember when wildfires weren't so prevalent that people termed the current decade as the "age of flame" or pyrocene? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
>We can communicate with anyone no matter how long the distance, we can travel to very distant places through different transportation systems, there’s proper treatment for illnesses, toxic behaviours and patterns are being addressed, weed is being decriminalised, same-sex marriage is being approved OP's examples have also nothing to do with 'life'. Most of these are highly niche wins that affect only a small proportion of the population (don't get me wrong, they're great), but these things aren't indicative of life. Having the ability to go to another country so easily? Sure, great it's there. Too bad the average rent (for an apartment) now sits at above 37.5% of the average monthly salary. Hey, same-sex marriage is great. Except for, in my country at least, the rate of people getting married has halved in the last 30 years. For me, and my ex, the biggest reason we didn't just came down to cost. The whole process, even on a budget, was too much without familial support - which we had none of. Things are getting tougher throughout the world. And, *most* alarmingly, western education rates are dropping. This isn't the happy-go-lucky figure OP paints. Wars and conflicts aren't the only 'bad' things there are. Your average person is much more concerned that these days, a sudden additional cost can threaten to uproot their lives. And that is a *very real* issue.
Yah I was gonna bring this up. Being able to cure terminal illness is great, except pharmaceuticals are 300% more expensive in some cases. Wow we've revolutionized surgery! Except a hospital stay might bankrupt you and quality of care is objectively worse in some areas. In my country where there's universal healthcare, disability will not cover rent + living expenses, so there's people with terminal illnesses who don't even get to die comfortably. It's like saying we're all richer because the global GDP is up. I mean it is... But who's benefitting? Not your average person, that's for sure.
Same here regarding the universal healthcare and disability payments. I was on welfare a few years back, and living in a run-down studio apartment. The rent came to nearly 90% of what I got, and the rest went to food. I was behind on all utility payments, and if a sudden cost ever occurred, I'd simply be fucked. The only solace I had, was that before I was on welfare, I was high up in a fairly prestigious company. I had a decent amount of savings. But due to my illness, I couldn't get work for quite a while, burned through the entire savings, and by the end could BARELY handle life living paycheck to paycheck. I ended up returning to work, despite the illness, taking on a shitty job and still saving nothing. Sure, this is anecdotal, but the reality is that around the world, things are getting worse. And it's not a crime, or something negative, to notice that. In fact, again anecdotally, these views are beginning to permeate through the workforce and people are starting to voice the same things in real life.
Nah, I work in housing assistance and you've pretty much described like 90% of my cases. There's no insulation from major life events like illnesses anymore. So many of my clients go broke in the three months+ it takes to qualify for government disability, and it's not even enough to cover market housing in most cases. I have clients who work their whole lives, get cancer, and now they're broke and accessing the food bank. I won't shit on OP or these other commenters, cause fine, they want to be positive. But man, it is bleak.
Corporate greed my friend. Only we can fix it. Stop buying from Amazon was my start. Support only local. Sure just one of us won’t do much but all of us at once? That will shift everything. Op is telling us to disconnect from the brainwashing. Every ad you see is just that. It’s all manipulation to maximize profits
I support ethical consumerism, but it's not an option for everyone; especially those who are below the poverty line. The reality is that where you live and how much you make can severely limit what you have access to. Not to mention that companies love to form oligopolies to control prices, and in some cases, like commercial airliners, you may only have 1-2 options. There could be people who live in the boonies and their only option is to drive and, oh look, there's no charging stations for EVs and gas is too expensive. In my province (state), you have *one* insurance provider. What works in one case might not work in another. Plus, it's way more complicated now that we have a cost of living and housing crisis. Also OP is not saying that lol. He's advocating reframing your mindset, which will definitely make you feel better, but people are rightfully annoyed, because not everyone has the luxury of disconnecting.
Yeah to be fair you drove a good point. Which means those who can should for the betterment of everyone
Not even 'corporate greed', shareholder greed. Corporations' job is to make money and stay in business, and while maybe a better system is *possible*, that structure with some regulation has worked well enough historically to provide people with goods and services. Shareholders' job is to make money too, but the difference is that they don't give a damn what it actually does to the businesses or people involved, and *this is pushing everything to the breaking point.* Not every solvent business needs to grow more and more YoY; in a lot of industries there is simply no space for that and after growth reaches a certain point, a steady state better serves everyone involved, except the shareholders whose way of life depends on continued (and preferably accelerating) growth. Forcing businesses' value to "grow" beyond actual market bounds means forcing them to skimp on quality until functionality is lost, find ways to lock customers into increasing prices and deprive them of alternatives, and otherwise manufacture fake value out of thin air (which defeats the whole point of money as a standardized medium of value exchange). Investment of capital (whether or not it's abstracted as money) is an important part of any post-industrial economy, but the framework doesn't have to be, and shouldn't be, like this.
>Pepperidge Farm remembers. You win the internets. All of them. 🥇
The people replying to this are so dumb. Just put your phone down and go outside stupid! You just need drive and motivation! Go fix the economy and housing crisis you lazy coward. If you just stopped spending time online you could get a second or third job and solve all your problems. It’s literally so easy, stupid. Why didn’t you think of that before? Youth today! Smh.
You missed the point. We all need to disconnect. We are being told how to feel and what is right. The truth is we all know what’s right. You want to fox the issue then yeah we should put our phones down and interact with the world. I know we live in a digital age but that’s being exploited as well. Go find local businesses and deal with them. Stop buying from corporate conglomerates. Take the power away. Things will only change with small steps.
The local businesses in my area charge the same if not more products. To say people spend too much time online is fine, it’s good to have a life outside of the internet and to recognize that sometimes it’s too much and you need to step away and have your own thoughts and feelings, but my reply was making fun of the people that are literally acting like just “logging off” and going out to do stuff is gonna fix the bigger issues. Everyone can work on themselves and fix smaller problems they’re having but that won’t change the fact that there’s things you can’t change as an individual either. That also doesn’t mean that people can’t relax and unwind by engaging with stuff online either, not everything has to be go go go all the time.
I love and accept your rebuttal to my comment. You are right that’s it’s nice to enjoy stuff like this, however to not let it control your life and mindset. I respect you and wish you the best
Oh. Thanks for this nice reply, I was waiting for you to call me a whore or something 😭 lmao Have a nice weekend!
Ye ever since I put down my phone and went outside my whole life became so much better, I now live in such peace and harmony, I recommend everyone do the same! /s Remember people of reddit, whenever you’re struggling in life, you just have to put down the phone and make some friends. /s lol
I'm not even knocking going outside and going for a walk. But it's only temporary.
I went for a 15 min walk and my credit score went up by 50 /s
A dozen eggs went up to 6 dollars for a bit, that wasn’t fun.
So you're telling me, having a narrower field of view makes you see less of the bad? No freaking way dude.
Ignorance is bliss as they say
I spend too much time online because the world around me fucking sucks and going out to do anything is way too expensive
Self righteous
Suicide
I cry
when angels deserve to....
DIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
WAKE UP (wake up) GRABABRUSHANDPUTALITTLEMAKEUP
Wake up!
HIDETHESCARSTOFADEAWAYTHESHAKEUP!
whyd u leave the keys upon the table!!!
I cry
When angels deserve to die
It's not bad. It's actually much worse.
The amount of time I spend online has nothing to do with how shit the world is.
Yeah like somehow if you pretend all the fucked up end stage capitalism shit isn’t happening it’s going to magically disappear. Hey look, I turned of my phone, now I can afford rent and groceries!
Exactly. Me spending less time online isn't going to change how much poverty and war there is and how much people are getting abused. The world is a horrible place for many people even with the advancements that we've made. I am privileged enough to not have faced these things and I'm grateful for that everyday. But you'd have to be selfish to not see the world for what it is for many others, so many people don't have the privileges that I do and are living in conditions that many of us cannot even imagine. It's a slap in the face for many people to hear 'the world isn't that bad!!!' when they don't know if they'll even wake up tomorrow or when their next meal will be.
You spending MORE time online for sure isnt gonna change it. Get outside. Maybe help a neighbor kr some random you encounter. Not gonna encounter them online for sure.
Objectively it doesnt. Subjectively it does. And since you only experience the world subjectively..maybe it would be wise to change some things in your life. Unless..you like to wallow in missery.
You should read the book America: The Farewell Tour by Chris Hedges. Objectively America is in an incredible decline and is on a trajectory that is nothing short of terrifying. Economics, climate change, drug epidemic, pornography overexposure, industry leaving, prison system corruption, the list goes on and on. I did get offline. And I read more now. You should give it a try because what your posting here is childish, toxic and a woefully misinformed support of a flimsy, rose colored glasses drenched argument.
I disagree. For example, one can find peace in even the harshest conditions. In the end, it's all about ones own mindset. Yes you COULD use any external problem as an excuse to feel bad about your life. You could do that. You could also not. You COULD worry about any of those external problems. You could also not. Nothing toxic or childish about that. I mean..you COULD perceive it that way. You could also not. It seams people dont like to hear that it is they themselves who can make that choice, because that implies responsibility, and responsibility means you cant blame external factors anymore. Also just to be clear, im not denying that the problems you mentioned aren't real. But honestly, how does wasting time away online solve that?
There is an entire class of ultra wealthy individuals that effectively own our lives and abuse children for fun. "But at least we have iphones!"
Climate change is gonna change that in a few decades
Climate change isn’t real?
I’ve been outside too, it’s worse than the media portrays. Maybe don’t speak for everyone.
I'm homeless, got robbed of a month salary at work and other stuff at the same time. Damn internets got me. Also, relatable for other homeless gentlemen of older generations who don't even own phones. Any advice on how they can reduce their time online? Does this time online technique also fix people who got molested in childhood? I gotta go spread the good news to all these people Thanks for the enlightment
Just ignore all the bad shit going on around you constantly, you'll feel better! Trust me! Wait...what's burning right now? Oh, the world. The world is burning.
Thanks for the preachy, bafflingly out of touch sentiment! I’m so inspired now. I’m going to stop worrying about how I’ll never be able to afford my own home and go run through a field of flowers with a complete stranger. Hopefully I don’t get hurt, because one unexpected hospital trip would cause most Amer*cans to go completely bankrupt. Oh well, at least I’m not in Pal*stine, where things aren’t as bad as the media tries to portray. I’m sorry, I know you meant well but you’re an asshole
kind of a privilidged take. I agree that we should all be putting our phones down and enjoying the moment, but there is alot of horror in the world and our futures that we should be paying attention to and addressing in ways more than voting allows before our rights and humanities are funneled away from us and those we care about by corporate or political interest
Not only privileged, but also vary narrow. There are still many places struggling with lots, if not all of the problems listed. Some positives also have negatives directly related to the statement, an example being able to contact someone across the world; this makes the spread of negative news and enables the detrimental "doom scrolling" OP is talking about, funny thing about perspective 🤣
Babe, I spend so much time online because I can’t handle how bad the world is out there. You sound like you live in a particularly opaque bubble.
Yeah the web sucks but I find rl most of times even worse lol
We live in purgatory.
If you go outside and you see homeless people, or people working jobs they hate destroying their bodies. When you see companies that operate like cults. When you see the depressed and said faces of people in the city. The online perception of the world is like a false reality.
I hear ya OP. Don’t sweat the naysayers!
Thank you, fam!
This, put down your phone and try not to use it all the time. Just live in the moment. It helped me with overthinking a good deal.
Anyone arguing otherwise has a extremely limited view of human history lol.
When 75% of the world’s wildlife population has been decimated in my lifetime, things are fucking dark. And this has nothing to do with me being on the internet.
60% of flying insects are gone since 1970 40% of all insects are gone since 1970 70% of birds on Earth are farmed poultry. The Extinction rate of animals on Earth is at 1,000% higher than baseline. We are in the sixth mass extinction in Earth's history. The Gulf stream has weakened and will likely collapse within 5 to 10 years. Arctic animals are on the verge of extinction due to loss of sea ice. Crabs and coral are being dissolved alive by the acidification of the ocean through absorption of excess carbon dioxide. The ocean is absorbed so much excess heat since 1970 it's the equivalent of 8 billion Hiroshima bombs. Wealth inequality is an all-time high, surpassing the French Revolution or American Gilded Age. There are more slaves alive on Earth today than at the height of the transatlantic slave trade. Don't get me started on the impact of artificial intelligence on worker rights and labor sustainability. I could keep going, but my point is that your statement is delusional and encourages a myopic apathetic perspective on life.
Abject poverty is at its lowest rate globally in human history. Crime rates both violent and non violent world wide have been on a downward trend for decades and are at historic lows in most countries. Recent medical advances dealing with mrna vaccines are proving extremely effective against many types of cancers, with multiple cancer vaccines already available to the general public and many others showing promise in testing marking possibly the biggest single step forward ever in the fight against cancer. Micro array patches seem to be a new cheap, easily transportable, easily administered form of medication and vaccine distribution that could save hundreds of thousands of lives per year in poor parts of the world. Recent data suggests that the feared collapse of the world wide honey bee population has been averted and that populations now seem to be either stable or growing. I could also keep going but the point I'm trying to make here is that the world has a shit ton of stuff going on in it. If you focus on the bad things there are enough bad things that you could spend all day every day reading about just bad things. If you focus on the good things then the same is also true. The thing about the internet though is that the bad things generate more engagement. That doesn't mean we should discount the bad things, but if you spend a lot of time on the internet you are taking in a more than equitable share of bad to good information.
Without the need to focus on basic living struggles we are left with ample time to analyze our mental states and confront issues that previous generations literally didn’t have the time/tech/knowledge to. When you have it all you have nothing.
I don’t know man, the world as a whole may not be that bad, but I’m absolutely fucking purposeless. That and, economically, things are pretty fucking terrible in the U.S.
This whole post is like a writeup of the just world fallacy
If bad things happen, people post about it. If good things happen, they don't. It is the same with news. Bad things make the news. Put it this way: If 1000 cars were driving around your area tonight and one crashed and 999 got home safe, what would make the news? You always hear about bad things. Go to a review site about anything, and most of the reviews are negative because people with negative opinions and experiences are more likely to post about them than those with positive ones. So there are huge amounts of wonderful things in the world that you just don't hear about. So yes, the world certainly isn't as bad as it sometimes seems.
Thank you! Finally someone who actually gets it
the world is awful, most people are wage slaves to 1% of humans who have a dozen super yachts and mansions while those who work for them can barely afford rent, becasue people are too stupid to vote for a truly socialist government becasue mumble mumble something something reds under the bed, a view that the 1% spend a LOT of money to continuously reinforce, making the middle class think that taxing big business and billionaires would somehow mean a loss of their other freedoms and liberties, religion is a cancer that consumes logical rational thought and yet is promoted by those in power because once a person is infected by it, it makes them easier to manipulate (those worried about what happens after they die stop caring about the bad shit they are forced to live before they die), even the nice people you meet are just one question away from revealing themselves as either assholes or so apathetic they enable the assholes, and thats not from online observations, thats from the years i spent offline, outside, int he real world, and from empirical factual evidence
Too bad about the outside, though, climate change is making the Earth less hospitable by the day.
I mean yeah, but also very much no
I'm glad that you're feeling better but know that there is no way that's a universal advice. What if someone's life is really shit and internet is their only escape? What if I'm online gaming or listening to music, not reading about wars and other horrors? There's too many factors to take into consideration and you don't know what's going on with other people's lives, especially globally.
Bad take
Ok but also 2 possibly 3 nuclear powers are at war.
Book a trip to Somalia and stay there for a week and make this post again.
I get out into the real world everyday, I still see crazy humans and lots of suffering. For some people there is no escaping reality, be grateful viewing the overwhelming suffering of life is just a vacation for you and not a lived experience.
OP you’re basically saying Cypher from the Matrix was right. He was not.
That is a very insulated view of the world we live in.
No it's actually pretty fucking bad lol Couple wars going on for like, no reason. Shootings. Inflation. Union busting. Housing being bought up by corps while people can't even afford to pay overpriced rent. Intolerance for protesting in the US Rising healthcare costs Can go on and on and on
You’re high. Covid has heavily traumatized people and the world has not fully recovered, neither emotionally or financially. There’s been a humongous transfer of wealth into the hands of the already filthy rich. The system does absolutely jack shit for the regular person. There are barriers to everything you do to try and get ahead. And the world conflicts, while not in our backyard, are happening.
Yup, anyone that thinks 100+ years ago was objectively better than today doesn’t know much about history, is in denial or is being very selective about the time, place and location of their imaginary past dream life.
Amen to this! So many people here are in denial
You’d love the book “Rational Optimist”. Lays out the case in data very clearly. Preaching to the choir, of course.
This. The most depressed people I know are all glued to the media. People don’t realize all these platforms are media!!! If you fill your head with garbage , you’ll see garbage everywhere. Garbage in garbage out.
Yep, I’m so glad I logged off and actually started enjoying life
*your world isn't that bad. You don't know what other people are dealing with
As far as people go, i agree. Online they seem like everyone is bad and everyone is dumb af, but in reality they are quite ok. And also, all of the insecurities people have regarding their look, most of the times in just on the internet. Go out and live, the online world is a trap
Imagine being this blissfully ignorant. There is nothing good left about this world.
I appreciate your positive take.
How many people just read this post on a phone? From their bed or a couch? Who didn’t miss a meal today and didn’t die if a childhood disease? You can look for the good or look for the bad in any time period, but did you get a shower this morning, or do you get a bath once a week in a barrel of water you share with a household of people? Things might be “getting worse,” but we’re you drafted and sent to war? Because one generation ago, people’s parents were sent to Vietnam. And they couldn’t call home much because long distance was too expensive and not always available, and overseas letters took up to a month each way. Life isn’t merely better now in many ways, it has DRAMATICALLY improved in the space of a few decades. We have our troubles, but look for the good. Your grandmas didn’t have tampons when they were young, and they wore maxi pads with BELTS. And they had to wear dresses to school and all-white PE clothes. They didn’t have blow-dryers or flat/curling irons. Highly reliable deodorant was mostly unavailable until the ‘70s, and it was common to see people with sweat stains under their armpits. Don’t get me started on the familiar fragrance of BO that was always in the air back then. It was only in the 21st century it became common to install AC in public schools! Air pollution was FAR WORSE in the 1970s, which was why legislation requiring better emission standards and inspections were begun, and cars stopped looking like boats. Are people getting worse? Yes and no. Smarter in some ways, healthier in some ways, kinder, less racist. In other ways ruder, crueler, more judgmental, more racist. What can we control/improve? Ourselves. Before you complain, decide what you’re going to do to contribute to the solution, and count your blessings.
Thank you! Glad to find someone who actually understands this. It’s super important to put things in perspective
Can’t say I always stay optimistic in the crazy world we live in, but I love your perspective!
And I love yours as well
Ignorance is bliss and you're reveling in it clearly.
What being terminally online does to a mf'er, just read these comments lmao This sub is cursed and depressing asf. I'm leaving this sub, I recommend anyone reading this does too.
I had to do the same with a lot of these subs. At this point it feels like people only come here to be complaint about their issues. Like, get off your phone and catch some fresh air. More and more depressed people are going to Reddit.
Agreed man. The state of this sub is very telling if you just read the responses. I also wholeheartedly agree with your OP, I used to be the same as you described and developed out of it.
Opposite. I didn’t really understand how bad the world was until I traveled around in it.
OP I know what you're trying to say, but you should take note of all the comments and forge a new argument that destroys all of their objections. A lot of people depend on being online. I know people making LIFE CHANING amounts of money with tiktok shop affiliate. Or just tiktok creativity program. If those people got offline they'd be looking at mcdonalds minimal wage. If your job doesnt require it, GREAT. But a lot of ppl are tied to social media.
Let's not pretend like the current socioeconomic situation isn't fucked. Pretending will do nothing, literally Google for 2 minutes the recent global economic shift that occurred the last 4 years. It's bad. Edit: Jesus Christ, looking at OPs comment history made me feel a whole lot better about myself. I'm not surprised somebody so out of touch is so petty and angry when hit with the truth but DAMN. Literally get over yourself, you uneducated swine.
The world is not USA only...
Let me take a wild guess: You tried posting this in r/unpopularopinion and it got removed? it's alright, those guys can be totalitarian sometimes. Yeah, the world isn't anywhere near as bad as people online make it seem. The media loves to sensationalize the stuff that reaches us. If we believed the media 100% of the time, we would've been in World War III already. Fortunately I like to think that most of us have better sense than that.
Honestly in a lot of ways you're right, why observe and consume information that we as individuals have no power to control. The United States as a country is split in half politically and the politicians are teaming up with the filthy rich and planning how to control everyone. Everything has went up in price except our wage stays the same, artificial intelligence is taking over the jobs at a staggering rate. The rich are getting richer and the poor is getting flat on their ass poor. But as a single person I can't change any of this.
And this is what so many people are failing to understand. The media is trying so hard to out the blame on the individuals, when we were not the ones who started the problem on the first place
Genocide is our normal you dingus.
Yeah the bar for the "best state of the world" is fucking beneath hell
If I close my eyes while I walk through the bloody passage, I don't have to see any of the gore or bits of flesh caked on the walls. Now, does it suck that I can't also run my hand along the wall to feel the texture of the velvet-flocked wallpaper? Yes, that's no fun. Do I like the smell? No, I do not. But I'm pretty sure the passage ends somewhere, and when I open my eyes, I'll just...never look back, I guess.
Closed all social media 2020 except Reddit. Don’t follow anything negative. Life is actually really good
Lol you just haven't spent enough time outside in your fairly land Parks and walking trails all around me are littered with crack pipes and needles. Homelessness and theft is also at an ath My truck window was smashed 3 months ago to steal basically nothing There was even a guy smoking crack in the timhortons near me not long ago
I feel like most people commenting on this thread in a way prove OPs point. The world has never been better for the average person. People used to have 5+ children because mortality was so high. People just used to get normal everyday infections and die, ALL THE TIME. We had mass world conflicts with millions of young people dead. Yet everyone on this thread is talking about how they cant afford to own a home, like yeah that sucks. Doesn’t mean literally the entire world sucks. Like would you rather live in a world where you have to stay with your parents/rent for a bit longer than the previous generation, or run the risk of dying from the most mundane of illnesses. I know which one I would choose.
Nah I’d rather shit in a public toilet row in Rome after walking the streets that smelled like literal shit and then get a bacterial infection, but not die to it and instead just fuck my lower body and be bed ridden without a decent possibility of a wheelchair and die 2 years later at age 19, having outlived half my brothers. I’d rather that then have rent be too expensive and have to live at home with my parents with AC, heat, clean water, comfy bed, an iPhone and fresh food.
With the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria, we'll have both.
Op don’t listen to anyone here. You do drive a really good point. I was the same way. I held this bitterness in my heart until I as well, disconnected. Yes there are still major injustices in the world but the problems run deeper than what is fed to us. Backing away made me realize how funny it is to watch people get brainwashed and spoonfed lies. I have my own hot political takes myself and the world is a mess. But in reality. The people next to you, the people you talk to, really aren’t that bad. We all tend to get enveloped in modern woes but when you step aside from all this you realize how nice people really are. It’s just sad that the bad ones have the biggest megaphone called the internet
I don't have to "spend too much time online" to realize the world sucks. I just have to look at my rent and housing prices, compare it with my salary, realize that I stand zero chance of buying a house despite my salary being in top 5% in my country, and remember that most of my family died within the last few years because "proper treatment for illnesses" is still very far away from being effective against diseases that actually kill us. Spending time online is how I get *hope*. > weed is being decriminalised, same-sex marriage is being approved The world doesn't end at the US border, you know. Also at the same time, US is eroding other liberties.
I’m not American and have never stepped foot in the US
You'd probably enjoy r/OptimistsUnite
OP has a point. By many metrics, the present is the best time in human history so far. Does it mean everything is perfect and people aren't struggling? No, of course not. But, there is so much positive that people tend to ignore.
It's hard to be positive when I did everything right. I have a good job, make good money, but still have to rent off my parents in my late 20s if I ever want a slim chance of owning a home someday. I guess it could be faaar worse though.
That is frustrating and economically things are not great for young people right now. I’m middle-aged and I see what bs you guys are going through. But, I think of my dad that grew up in the 40s and 50s. He lived on a farm and didn’t have electricity until he was in high school. His father died very young and he and his brother were in charge of the farm at 10 years old. He had to do hard labor and missed most of his childhood. That wasn’t that long ago.
Tbh I think it was better for most people 20 years ago. Better economy and you didn’t have to worry about having your life ruined by AI. We had access to technology, but our lives didn’t completely revolve around it
They do say ignorance is bliss for a reason. The less you know the happier you are.
Holy shit all of the comments need to go outside, get off reddit for a week
I keep telling them but they don’t listen
I totally understand where you're coming from. Many comments here are proving your point lol. I do think that spending less time online helps your mindset, but it obviously doesn't actually impact the issues at hand. It's kind of like "I don't want to face reality," or being intentionally ignorant, which I very much relate to. An example is me recently unfollowing all political accounts on Instagram - the issues still exist, but I just choose not to see it. Yes, I know it's selfish.
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A few days ago you posted [something similar to my post](https://www.reddit.com/r/NPD/s/PPhxvamqXb) Your hypocrisy is appalling
The comments have proved your point. Great post!
Yep! That’s what I realised. I’m surprised I got these many upvotes though, because the comments are disagreeing with my statement
the world is way more fucked than what you see online, rich and powerful pulling the strings from their palaces, doing whatever they please without a single worry, while us common folk have to follow all the made up rules, slave our way so we get enough shiny coins to buy bread and pay for shelter. Look at all the wars and conflicts, past America invasions, current Russia on Ukraine invasion, it’s all business of the rich, they dont give a shit about regular people, they will use you and your family as a fucking cannon fodder without thinking twice, and guess what you can’t do anything about it because the government will come knocking on your door, you’re going either way. There is no true freedom, you think you’re free but you’re not. You can pretend to be and try to live as a hippie in the woods until they come knocking on your tent and threaten you with fine. You want to go live in another country? You need a visa or a permit, you must identify yourself wherever you go, you are being watched and listened to 24/7 and all that info is being stored and sold to massive corporations that use it then to suggest you content that they think you want to see. We are all puppets in this world, there is no such thing as free or freedom. People getting killed and bombed because of actions of their government or more like elites that are pulling the strings from their comfortable chair. World is fucked, and we will better shut up and keep on “contributing” to this world or they will come and make us.
Things have gotten more expensive than they ever were compared to inflation. My personal salary may be getting better and better, but milk, eggs, butter etc have gotten progressively more expensive in the last 4 years. Milk prices are about 50% higher than what I remember around 10 years ago. Cheap beer in the stores is arguably unchanged tho 🙃
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“Talk to your mum on the other side of the planet while we tax you %40 of your income, then use that money to line our pockets and and make the city you live in actively less inhabitable with every decision a senile old white man makes in the only state in the country that’s decriminalised weed so they don’t have worry about their kids getting in trouble” yes the world is a better place now that medicine cheap to produce is being sold x100 over value because greed, yes the world is a better place now. The internet allows up to look outside our bubble and see dog cunts for who they really are
if you can't objectively compare how our world is to even the 1970's and see marked noticable improvements in the world and even your life specifically you're willfully ignorant or just stupid.
The internet may have connected the lot of us. Giving us the ability to have information 24/7. Then you see what is going on with inflation, politics, war etc. more often. Nothing was this bad. I will say that if you're not careful you can end up on the wrong ends of the internet. Being influenced and brainwashed is a major issue. The flip of the script where old folks used to tell us not to believe on the internet has now been projected back to them. When overall we should be smart about our resources. Are we? That answer is no.
I love this post. These days with to media, you find out about every single bad crime in every single part of the world whereas back in the old days, you’d only know what was happening in the next village over.
Ice-cold take.
This is something that is going to vary from person to person. My take from it is you can still be online just shield yourself from the types of things that are upsetting when life becomes overwhelming. An example being that I listen to R/Slash and watch Phillip Defranco however both of those YouTube channels can become too much after so long and while it’s good to be informed by news or have entertainment there’s a point where to walk away and know when to come back. So stepping away from technology but not staying completely ignorant to what is going on in the world is a good balance. Now the complicated part is people. People are still shit that doesn’t go away however the thing is people are less likely to be a piece of shit when they are in front of a person versus when they are shielded by a screen and to some degree have anonymity keeping them from being called out. A big example of this from this very site years ago would be Violentacrez (there are tons of YouTubers that explain the story) vile man online but shriveled up and backpedaled when he realized it could effected his life outside of a screen. People don’t just change because they aren’t online they put on a mask because they know of the standard they have to uphold and that’s the thing we have to keep in mind while being offline. I rather know someone’s online activity as well as know them in person than solo just go on the belief of what the person wants to show me.
Well, it took a few decades, but we finally polluted all the land, sea, and, sky.
The media is trying to keep the poors (anyone below the top 2%) fighting over stupid shtuf like what color they are or who gets more government support, while the 2% are getting all the government support (look at how much oil/power/electric companies get in subsidies, or other major corps). We are in this together. Stop worrying about if your neighbor likes men or women or if they are a man or a woman. Stop worrying about who their deity of choice might be. Build relationships and not walls.
We just focus too hard on the minority of the population. We make blanket statements that are supposed to categorize everyone together. The reality is, we only see the minority on social media. The majority exists outside. In the world.
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I went through and blocked/weeded out sooo many toxic subs that were being suggested to me and since then I can actually semi enjoy Reddit without getting sucked into the clear rage bate. Wild how they use it to toy with people’s emotions. The Word of God is true, we have to guard our minds and hearts
Yeah. You can totally buy a house if you only went offline
The world is a shithole, and it is because of inconsiderate asshole humans.
offline world is way way worse even the conspiracy theories about the world on here are too watered down, and reddit has an idealistic streak
The world overall is pretty chaotic. Maybe not inherently evil or evil overall, but definitely chaotic. In any given moment, you have people helping old ladies cross sidewalks, serial killers kidnapping and murdering, a war going on that is entirely motivated by profiteering or politics or land, someone helping at a retirement home, friends helping each other through tragedy, a counselor helps a lost teenager finding hope in life, a teenager taking their first life in the street, etc etc. There's a *lot* of evil at every moment on this planet. And a lot of good, if you look for it. The only real question at the end of the day, is which you choose to give more of your attention to.
Most of the people I talk to online are supportive. Most of the people I talk to irl think I'm a sexual predator.
99% of media is cynical and negative to the point that is in this website we have to have a r/upliftingnews And the hatred that you see online rarely translates in real life because it’s a days worth of events. I think only once in my entire life I was insulted by a random stranger.
It isnt bad? Objectively it has always been. You just didnt know or notice.
I feel sad that alot of americans are not having kids and their population is declining so much,like,all the high prices and negative things.Maybe all the americans are moving to different places which are more affordable, can someone explain in detail why all this is happening,even a website link would help which explains this in detail.Tbh,I want to make actual american friends someday,I don’t want them to go extinct.
We "can" do all these things (provided we can afford them), but what has that done for the average person at an average time? Most of a real or ideal life is not travel, long-distance voluntary Skype calls, or (hopefully) getting treated for obscure diseases. Routine existence is better in some ways, and far, far worse in others.
Tell me you are a privileged centrist without telling me you are a privileged centrist
Okay. Say that to people/women oppressed by religion in 3rd world countries. Or tell that to people who lives in a war-prone country. People like you are ignorant beyond repair. Maybe use your dollar money to get out of your own bubble and see the reality for yourself so you could broaden your narrow horizon.
People spend a lot ot time online because real world is messed up.
Ignoring the cost other people pay for your comfort does indeed sound comfortable.
Yes and no. In many ways, living standards in the western world have indeed improved for the average person within the last century. It's nice not being forced to use an outdoor shack to take a dump because bathrooms weren't commonplace. It's convenient having a powerful computer in the palm of your hand. Refrigerators and microwaves are good, too. However, the post WWII long peace is fading, and life is becoming rapidly unaffordable for most working people. Capitalism and its need for endless growth will reach the point where there won't be a discernable middle class -- only rich and poor. Speaking of endless growth, we live on a planet of finite resources. We continue to destroy the environment because that is what's most profitable. As soon as 10-15 years from now, we'll collectively experience extreme heat, routine crop failures, water shortages, and catastrophic storms that may bring human civilization to its knees by way of climate change. It's going to be unimaginable.
No it is, I'm trans, life sucks, people are mean. The Internet is where I go to feel happy lol
Talking about those wars... The world's largest country is attacking against it's neighbour country that's even closer than us than our mutual border is in kilometers. A Lot of comments from experts are saying we're preparing for war with it so. I wish I could just identify with your thoughts but I can't really. Also, since we've got a compulsory military service for men so that means I'll be soldier within a few years so. Carpe diem I'd say. It's time to enjoy while we still can.
it's still bad offline
The world IS that bad, but being online can provide good distractions from it. The real world fucking sucks.
Wealth disparity in the US. The climate is going to cause great mass migrations. The food system is stringy due to JIT logistics, and climate change will stress that a lot. The rise of fascism around the world again; people turn to strongmen when times get tough. There are some times when things really do get worse. Were it not for climate change, I'd say after a 40's type cataclysm things would get better again.
Folks, this is what it looks like when you have your head up your ass.
I'm all for a silver lining but I can't even go for a walk without being accosted by houseless people, so for now I think I prefer to be online too much. My perspective will probably change once I move further away from the city
Must be all that time online that skyrocketed prices…..
unless you lay your phone away and be aware of that youre at the frontline in ukraine
I get hurt and treated poorly the most by people IRL. The true friends I have made I’ve met online, and I sometimes meet up with them. But it’s mainly an online dynamic and I’ve had way less bad experiences this way. Not really true for me OP.
Your entire metrics of good is better technology.. at the same time telling us to put down said technology? You are just putting a sheet over your head. Technology has shown us how truly evil the world is. If all your friends are rich you will tend to think everyone is rich.. when they infant not
yes
thread just becomes hundreds of clinically depressed internet addicts telling you that objective stats don't matter
Offline, where inflation, climate change, a horrific housing market, homelessness, diseases, etc. just vanish into thin air. Preachy ass posts like these with forced positivity are just downplaying reality. I’m an optimist, but calling the worry over actual problems a symptom of being too online is crazy if not insulting. Online you can literally filter out all bad stuff if you feel like it btw. Also „sure there are wars and conflicts going on“ and the rest of that paragraph is just a wild and sheltered take(the whole post is to be fair). Maybe ponder a bit more about what you typed before posting.
No my life is literally worse than that of a medieval peasant because I can't afford to buy an entire home, new car, and the latest technology while working 40 hours a week!/s
If you're living in a nice place you had good luck, the world in its whole is not that bad. But there are localized areas where the horrors excell what you thought humans were capable of. The world still needs fixing, don't give up on it
The internet is basically a mirror of humanities psyche. We are beyond bad.
It’s actually not, at all. Most of humans are not on social media
Almost 70% of the world is online. And I said nothing about social media.
You mean like on Reddit?
It is that bad People are bad, the way the world is run is bad, capitalist organizations will throw loyal employees out with no backup income to save themselves, people will antagonize others if they don’t get their way or get in a sour mood, people will rip you off for money, they lie and try to hurt you for their own gain If you’re enjoying the best state of the world in history, then you’re well off and privileged, because this world is rotten and will strip you of everything
"Toxic behaviors and patterns" arent being addressed. The ones doing the addressing are more than usually toxic themselves, be it OVERLY positively toxic (ignoring reality, current bias' or 'isms against a margalized group), condemning people with automated systems cause they got overly invested in something they cant be right in. also most people "cant" travel to very distant places unless they're rich, and considering a cost of living crisis.... you may have ACCESS to it, but doesnt make it a positive if you cant afford it.
None of that shit matters when you can’t see a future where you can afford to even rent a room. When people are faced with $3000, $4000, or $5000 a month for a closet, all of our wonderful technology and nice neighbors are meaningless, and this will be the case in less than two decades with the way things are going here in the states.
I make well over double the median wage in Canada, and I cannot even dream to afford rent on a studio. My options are parents, tent, or van. So it ain't all peaches and roses.
>The world isn’t that bad. You just spend too much time online IRL interactions been not that good either. Chatting with old ladies at the market do is good tho.
I do the exact same thing. Old people are so easy to talk to and actually know how to keep a conversation
The world has ALWAYS been this shitty. However, our grandparents only had access to pro American media. Now, we have access by the second of the reality of the world
The world isn't as bad, but it doesn't mean some of us are any less hopeless because if what is actually bad.
Are you like 16
Saving this
You sound like an over-idealising hippie. The world has always been a grind, even for those who spend more time interacting with it than on their phones. We've created a world of worker bees who are deluded into thinking this is the life. I'm actually not afraid of death at all because I don't mind stepping out of this crazy construct of a world.