Quote:
Originally Posted by Fran66
I know this has been done recently, by Ghostly1, I think, on the Retirement board. But it didn't reference this link and it didn't make the connection between the economic turndown and suicide.
What I found even more interesting than the article were the comments at the end of the article -- about 940 comments. They are worth reading -- every single one -- only because I know this recession has been touching everyone, to a greater or lesser extent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/he...ply-in-us.html
Does anyone want to talk about this? Does anyone know someone who is middle-aged and jobless and struggling? What can we do to help at least our relatives and close friends who are desperate? |
The comments section is a highly insightful look into what many Americans are going through.
I've seen the struggles (economically) with friends / family and co workers and have already been downsized twice myself in corporate world. I am very fortunate to have been raised by parents who experienced their formative years during the 'great depression' and who encouraged us to be frugal and also can manage easier since I am single with no dependents.
Let's look at the basic trends (perhaps this is what the book someone mentioned earlier alludes to):
1) Longer life expectancy
2) Compressed viable skill sets (rapidity at which skill sets are rendered obsolete)
3) Labors output being usurped by technological means at accelerating rate. (See Race Against The Machine, McAfee and Brynjolfsson)
4) Mass Socialization tools being used to dumb down and control populace (Watch The Century of Self BBC special from early 1990s on youtube)
5) Business Economic Financial system that measures success (growth) as more units, more transactions, more velocity at greater marginal unit profit as the 'holy grail' to riches. (the Hamster wheel for those who are trying to get somewhere based on 'old ways' of getting ahead.)
One note in context, most Americans who lived / worked between 1946 to 1973 and maybe a decade later do not realize they are an anomaly in world history, whereby, the majority of industrial production capacity was destroyed by WW2 and the USA as the only non impacted major country, benefited immensely as over the next 30-40 years or so rebuilt much of the world. As each subsequent former industrial country came back 'online' the average US worker began to experience stagnating incomes and wages as the global production capacity came back.
What you end up with is bifurcation in population to haves and have-nots. The elites who control the mechanisms of the system, continue to syphon the wealth of the dwindling (due to technology efficiency) productive working class to enhance themselves, while the majority's wealth and labor is eroded due to financial (devaluing a 'petrodollar' based fiat currency) and business (global labor arbitrage- courtesy of the corporatocracy and their elected puppets) and military rapaciousness (controlling resources to control markets and provide managed 'scarcity' to derive the greatest gain with a hegemonic control of the financial monetary units of commercial trade " petrodollar").
Hypothetically, the continued efficiencies in the economic system should lead to less work hours by labor with maintained 'real incomes' and subsequent higher quality of life. The biggest problems with a so called capitalist system with the afore mentioned values of how success is measured, basically is like a grindstone to people which is amplified by the five points mentioned. The whole issue of poverty amidst plenty was first noted by Henry George in mid 19th century.
I think economist Steve Keen (Debt Jubilee- a concept as old as written history 3000-4000 years ago) has a part of the solution, Alexander Sacks concept of 'Odious Debt' (check it out) and some form of Sir Clifford Douglas' concept of Social Credit from a philosophical view, and I'm paraphrasing, "the economic system should be designed to serve the people and not the people to serve the system."
Philosophically, the root of the 'leadership' problem is highlighted very well in Leo Tolstoy's famous 'How Much Land Does One Man Need' and Mark Twain's prescient short story "Carnival of Crime In Connecticut".
Certain members of society in control of the resources and mechanisms of control have no concern for others, but will willingly use them to further their position. Been reading a collection of short sketches on Roman History to prepare myself for the ongoing rollercoaster ride that is 'the digital age'.