Thread: What is wrong with Western Society?

Originally Posted by Mad_Michael

Originally Posted by JSMILL

I read a study linking happiness to one's wealth relative to one's neighbor's wealth.

It doesn't matter how much we have, if we do not have more than the average Joe we are not happy.

If this is true, than I'd suspect that television is to blame for this negativity then - since it is television that spreads knowledge of one's 'neighbors' for comparison in an ever wider net.

It's feasible that the source of our woes lie in this direction. I would expand on these theories, though, and suggest that it's a general case of information overload, and not just from television. Our knowledge of what's going on in the world is more expansive and more immediate than at any previous point in history. We're constantly bombarded with news, promotions, and other forms of information that give us more points for comparison (of wealth, attitudes, values, achievements, etc.), and consequently, more potential points for dissatisfaction and disagreement.

In my opinion, if everybody would just turn off the noise, chill out, and smoke a big fat doobie, everything would be right in the world. That's my position, and I'm sticking to it!

I will add this about money and happiness. It is misrable to be poor...to be beyond poor. If your living in poverty I can see how you would be unhappy. It is a misrable life when you can't afford food or utilities.

"In my opinion, if everybody would just turn off the noise, chill out, and smoke a big fat doobie, everything would be right in the world. That's my position, and I'm sticking to it!"

Sure, until you discover that your neighbor has the really good stuff, while you can only afford the rag weed sold by the scraggly looking kid behind the local strip joint.

PS And when you ask for a hit he tells you to f'off

Originally Posted by JDD

"In my opinion, if everybody would just turn off the noise, chill out, and smoke a big fat doobie, everything would be right in the world. That's my position, and I'm sticking to it!"

Sure, until you discover that your neighbor has the really good stuff, while you can only afford the rag weed sold by the scraggly looking kid behind the local strip joint.

PS And when you ask for a hit he tells you to f'off

Damned bogarts! They're bringin' us all down!

I've just had a thought... if perhaps people are less happy amongst material plenty, maybe that capitalism itself might be part of the problem?

That is to say that perhaps the entire corporate world has a vested interest in convincing us that we are lacking something - something that can only be alieviated by purchasing their product? As we all know, buying any given commodity doesn't actually make anyone ultimately happy except the seller. But all that advertising telling us that we are lacking something certainly might make some people unhappy.

Just idle speculation here... I'm curious what people think about the issue.

Originally Posted by partofme

I think a great portion of the population has always been unhappy and always will be. That is just part of being humans.

This is the fundamental premise of conservativism as a political idea.

Originally Posted by Mad_Michael

This is the fundamental premise of conservativism as a political idea.

Would you please elaborate on this statement?

Originally Posted by Mad_Michael

I've just had a thought... if perhaps people are less happy amongst material plenty, maybe that capitalism itself might be part of the problem?

That is to say that perhaps the entire corporate world has a vested interest in convincing us that we are lacking something - something that can only be alieviated by purchasing their product? As we all know, buying any given commodity doesn't actually make anyone ultimately happy except the seller. But all that advertising telling us that we are lacking something certainly might make some people unhappy.

Just idle speculation here... I'm curious what people think about the issue.

Marketing techniques are mostly independent of the economic system--it is the product that is different.

If any one philosophy should be blamed for the masses feeling as if they are lacking something it should be neophilia. The desire for something new and different is not restricted to material goods and can create a general disatisfaction with society. Change for the sake of change has been sold to us by more than just the capitalists.

Originally Posted by Mad_Michael

I've just had a thought... if perhaps people are less happy amongst material plenty, maybe that capitalism itself might be part of the problem?

That is to say that perhaps the entire corporate world has a vested interest in convincing us that we are lacking something - something that can only be alieviated by purchasing their product? As we all know, buying any given commodity doesn't actually make anyone ultimately happy except the seller. But all that advertising telling us that we are lacking something certainly might make some people unhappy.

Just idle speculation here... I'm curious what people think about the issue.

Sniff, sniff...I smell an Illuminati conspiracy! Where's PaulPaul when you need him?

In all seriousness, I'm not sure the corporate world is coordinated enough to sustain an agenda like this intentionally. But it could be an unintentional side effect of the drive for profit.

Originally Posted by SonofaHun

Sniff, sniff...I smell an Illuminati conspiracy! Where's PaulPaul when you need him?

In all seriousness, I'm not sure the corporate world is coordinated enough to sustain an agenda like this intentionally. But it could be an unintentional side effect of the drive for profit.

I think they are. There is a really good article by NPR about movie studio's advertising promotion tactics.

They highlighted one instance where the studio producing Jurassic Park also produced a PBS documentary about dinosaurs to coincide with the release of the next Jurassic Park episode (not a big deal right), but that isn't all... they paid an archeologist to promote the biggest dinosaur skeleton yet discovered! but that isn't all... they had him fudge the discovery date to coincide with the latest release. Apparently the discovery wasn't a big deal in science but the archeologist played it up to help promote the film. Nothing technically illegal but hell, that's some coordination. When NPR interviewed the archeologist, he laughed and said he could pretty much 'discover' a dinosaur on any given day.