My daughter is 15. She hates guns. Hates being around them, the sound, the idea of harm, etc. 4 weeks ago she came crying afraid for her friends and ICE. Last week she told me she wanted to learn to shoot. (I inherited a lot of guns. I bought a few myself. I come from a conservative family and I am the black sheep, the one that “changed”.) Still trying to get ahold of someone from Blazing Sword as an instructor. I want her to learn from someone with actual teaching instruction, rather than backwoods learning that I got.
Kids are terrified. Schools are scary, the law is scary, the dungeon dwelling creeps are now villified. I can see why suicide is increasing.
I blame commercials and PSAs. I stopped watching TV in the mid-2000s and have ad blocker online. Watching TV today is like stepping back into Plato’s Cave. You don’t realize how psychologically damaging commercials are.
As an example, a few years ago I watched a live stream of the local news during a weather event with ads that couldn’t be blocked. Four hours later, I had seen the same commercial for an HIV drug at least 8 times. I had the thing memorized and I was very, very aware of HIV all day as it replayed in my brain. I don’t ever think about HIV. But I was forced to. I’m usually happy go lucky but after that ad, and other ads for a myriad of other drugs for diseases, plus PSAs reminding me how my life is a vicious jungle with death just a step away, I felt pretty bummed. Some of those PSAs are down right mean spirited.
Without ads, I can control my exposure to the horrors of the world. With ads, you’re at the mercy of the station or website drowning you in human misery. There probably needs to be a law to limit those kind of commercials. Like one PSA a week and one pharmaceutical commercial a day.
Can you blame them?
The US is a fucking hellscape
I spend quite a bit of time there. I’m over several times a year and I genuinely don’t know how people can live like that
There’s a constant thin thread of fear, wrapped around everything, running through everything
People are afraid of the people around them. They’re afraid of their government, they’re afraid of the people who are supposed to be there to protect them, they’re afraid of their employers, they’re afraid of the unknown
I’m very careful not to take my charmed life for granted
Right?!
Now that the 2° admentment reason for having guns is totally debunked, the only reason for everyone to have guns is to live in constant fear of being shot or having to shot someone else.
Having to chose between feeding your children and getting life saving medical treatment is a very real choice most Americans can be confronted with.
Etc etc etc…
Turns out USA is only the best country in the world for rich people and paedophiles…
There’s less fear when you aren’t staring at screens with content designed to instill fear in you all day.
F that. Blaming everything on smartphones and social media is a copout and just wrong. If anything, the smartphone and social media is showing more people that they’re not going to be able to escape the capitalist rat race, and will never be able to make it big as an entertainer, influencer, or whatever else has a luxurious easy way of life.
I was afraid of the system before it was cool. Afraid of getting laid off. Afraid my landlord was going to raise rent on an already overpriced POS rental. Afraid I won’t have enough to retire. Afraid of getting asked to work overtime and afraid I’d get fired if I refused.
This crony capitalism sucks ass by design. Social media has a lot of beautiful people living lives most of us can only dream about, while many of us toil at 9to5’s we hate. Everythings more expensive. No rule of law for the most elite and powerful people in this country. They rape children and steal all our tax money and get away with it.
It ain’t social medias fault. Social media is helping to show many how much their life sucks and there’s no hope. The people supposed to be fighting for us aren’t doing shit. The checks and balances don’t work. People are seeing that this whole USA freedom nonsense was a complete fucking lie.
There’s a growing body of scientific evidence that social media use contributes to depression, anxiety, and suicide in various ways. People here are playing touting their armchair psychology but this stuff has been studied by actual psychologists and sociologists. You can easily look it up.
I’m not blaming smartphones solely. I said screens. I’m blaming news media for fear-mongering. It’s a constant barrage of either pro-trump or things you should be afraid of trump doing.
Go outside and take care of your community.
“Ignorant people are less fearful” is such a nonsensical shit take.
Hey guys! Look at the witty thing I said online!
deleted by creator
What, television?
My roommate [content warning]
spoiler
just took his own life a few weeks ago. I had no idea what he was going through because we lived very separate lives. He always seemed like he was doing OK, but in the note he left he spoke of hiding mental health issues from me because he didn’t want to stress me out while I was dealing with my own shit. I wish I could go back and tell him to bother me.
This shit is really happening, and it’s hitting all age brackets. Even if you think someone is doing OK, it’s fine just to check on them. “Hey, how are you?” Be sincere. Don’t hit them with the “What’s up?” Everyone has a preprogrammed response. But give them eye contact and a genuine tone. It’s not something you’ll ever regret.
Absolutely zero doubt Trump is largely responsible. Fuck this country.
Thanks Trump
This is obviously a Biden residual /s
It’s lame that I have to put /s but people are stupid
