December 02, 2009

Is It Because Americans Are Resilient?

Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood to write about the latest ginned-up justification for medicating small children (a study I'll get to later today) or maybe I was just reflecting on something a friend and I were discussing the other day, but it strikes me as remarkable in a very good way that American society hasn't melted into social unrest this year. The economy is terrible, the unemployment/underemployment rate is at about 20 percent of the workforce and there are millions of more Americans who've had their pay cut to do the same work (in some cases to do more work, as some of my pay-cutee friends tell me) and the stimulus package has had negligible results so far. Those are usually the conditions that have people marching in the streets and so on. But that's not happening and I don't even see a hint that it will (aside from the intermittent political protest).

Is it because we are fairly resilient as a people and are sucking it up and pressing ahead, hoping for things to get better? Is it because folks are so beaten down they can't express their discontent? Are we all zonked on Zoloft? (I'm joking there.) I see loads of discontent on peoples' faces every day and yet it's not taking things anywhere bad in a broad cultural sense. I really cannot account for that.

I'm curious what you all think.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at December 2, 2009 12:03 AM
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Comments

we won't march in the streets for revolution and overthrowing the govt. we are doing it by other means, like electing a marxist for president, and accepting his many appointments of marxists to all the czar positions, and socialing major industries including auto and health care. the prez is on record that the constitution is incomplete and needs rewriting, and his regulation czar has made a career out of this very topic. we are about to put our businesses under global productivity governance to make things fair. also, all schoolyard bullying will be a thing of the past. journalists will only report pleasing, inspirational stories of the successes of our hope and change, after we put the news media into "nonprofit" status, under govt tutelage, and make sure we have all views presented equally - that is why you have not been hired anywhere yet.

these things you note are just growing pains on the paths to a superior, worldwide government of comradeship, where no one will lack health care or get their feelings hurt by off-color jokes.

get with the program. and take your meds. or i will report you to whitehouse.gov

Posted by: medsvstherapy at December 2, 2009 05:58 AM

Peace be with you Philip

Revolution has historically had very little rhyme or reason. The thing that makes one society revolt doesn't necessarily make another (compare 1770's US with 2000's US). It seems that one thing that does help people transform their society is truthful education. When you think the person you give your money to will do the right thing your more likely to part with your cash, but if you know that person is not going to do the right thing you withhold your cash.

Also I wouldn't play down that Zoloft thing quite yet. Between the chlorine and fluoride water supply (note the two main ingredients in Prozac), the large amount of excitotoxins in our food supply, the constant use of heavy metals in food containers and/or cooking utensils (especially aluminum), the near 100% of the population that consumes at least one pharmaceutical, and the ready availability of drugs like booze, is it any wonder we can even think?

I always wondered why no one ever coined the term "apathism." It seems an "ism" to me.

Good luck on this pursuit.

love eternal
tad

Posted by: tad at December 2, 2009 09:10 AM

I've noticed that too... people look really tired and overburdened these days... I don't know what it will take to "revolt".

Posted by: kimbriel at December 2, 2009 09:13 AM

I will never understand why.
I have no idea and I ask myself the same, my city has the same problems and others and I never, never in my life witnessed this passivity.
People don't even complain, they hide their problem instead.
They don't say there is no money at the last week of the month and it has been like this long before the world economical crisis.
I'm appalled, amazed and scared.
I don't understand why people in America, in the world is silent and sometimes when I try to raise this issues it seems that I am a troublemaker "No politics here."
Okay! Keep on leaving politics for politicians!
People don't realize that this is a political choice: leave it this way.
HELP!

Posted by: Ana at December 2, 2009 12:03 PM

1. Barack Obama is a "Marxist"?! Hahaha. Someone
needs a dictionary.

2. The well-documented opiate-like effects of
sugar and fat, along with the opioid peptides
in glutinous grain products, may combine to set
the stage, biologically, for mass apathy and
docility. That would not be to disparage other
contributing factors, such as television, public
schooling, etc.

Posted by: Alan at December 3, 2009 03:22 AM

medsvstherapy. That was the best post I have read in months.Brilliant! Thanks

Posted by: Dr John at December 3, 2009 09:55 AM
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