It feels like no matter where I turn some septuagenarian, or older, is making life miserable for myself and others. Usually these are older white Christian conservatives, obsessed with a delusional sense of reality that no longer has a basis in fact, or perhaps never did.
There is a disproportionate amount of wealth concentrated in the older generation and those who will inherit it will probably be even worse with that money than the last generation. Certainly we see evidence of that already, anyone in their 30’s who has parents who help them out VS those who don’t have that have radically different outcomes. For some reason those lucky enough to come from good families ascribe laziness and bad attitude to those who don’t have the family support, as if they are somehow enjoying “self made success” while mummy does their laundry for them.
No generation previous needed this kind of assistance well into adulthood, but this infantilisation of working adults has happened because of the hoarding of wealth, refusing to pass on the torch in workplaces and just blocking change for the sake of stoking petty politics. Most of us will never own our own home but all the politicians want to talk about is whether it’s OK to dehumanise trans people or not.
I’m 36 this year. For most of my teens I thought there’d be some kind of tipping point where the conservative boomers would fuck off or at least let the next generation step in, but that hasn’t happened. Back in the 1990’s you could be a girl and wear jeans and be empowered, now this is considered some kind of woke statement. As if we recently invented this idea of women and men being equal.
The faces of my two dogs, my cat and my husband are all that keep me going. Knowing they need me gives me just enough to get out of bed in the morning and start moving… but I’m struggling to do even that without having a breakdown. My husband and I have medical expenses we can’t afford and are borrowing money to survive right now. I run my own business and just feel this immense pressure on my shoulders, that again is compounded by how unfair the world is right now.
Anyone got any advice for coping with this late stage capitalist hellscape?
The entire world is going through this right now. Many of us will never own a home - and no I don’t mean just Gen-Z and maybe Millenials, I mean people your age even. Fwiw, you/we still are doing better off than at least 95% of the world, but that is not to diminish the pain that we are losing hope b/c we are not doing as well as we thought we would. Find a way of coping that works for you - I am still searching for mine…:-( I just thought it might help to say that you are not alone:-).
Take a hiatus from social media and from doomscrolling- it can be so incredibly damaging.
Old people squeeze their eyes & ears shut so that they will neither see nor hear the
cries of painscreams of agony as the world burns, and they say: “This is fine”.Ngl, there is some merit to that - maybe that is how they survived as long as they have, as opposed to those that died young (selection bias). I too could become a zombie, numb to the world, and I would then exist even after it ceased to. But I choose to live - and that means to suffer, especially when my brethren and sistren all across the world suffer too.:-( It is not madness to feel pain when things are WRONG - I would argue that it is, in fact, sanity.
All that is the context for why I agree - we NEED to stay connected, but not 24/7; also it helps to balance doomscrolling with positive experiences: as described in what I thought was a super-excellent article on that subject.
I can’t even figure out what “doom scrolling” is supposed to be. I just regular scroll.
don’t mean just Gen-Z and maybe Millenials, I mean people your age even
They said they’re 36. That’s millenial. At 41, I’m what Iliza Schlesinger coined an Elder Millennial (a little under two months older than Iliza herself).
Great comment otherwise, though, and I sincerely hope you find your coping method(s)!
Gen-Z and younger Millenials
The above is what I probably should have said. Interestingly (to me at least:-D), historically “Millenial” used to refer to what is now called “Z”, it once having been the term used to describe the generation that came after “Y”, but has shifted all the way over to now having absorbed Y and then replacing it entirely.:-P But yes, in 2018 (according to Pew) that situation finished switching and the old Z is now the new Y - though if you google search these terms, most results are how to market to these groups, and that likely confuses things further.
What I mean is that imho it is best to take these terms extremely loosely - e.g. an elder Millenial may share more in common with a late-stage Gen-Xer (“righteous dude!”, e.g. having watched similar TV programs even if as re-runs) than with the later half of what is now called “Millenial”, and similarly late Millenials with earlier Gen-Zs (no cap no skibidi, def no Ohio), and so on.
Though whether someone has rich parents or not seems to override all other factors such as generation or responsibility to work hard and save money for the future, when talking about owning a home:-(.
My best advise is to stay away from social media.
Stop reading the news.
I’m serious. Just stop. It’s ALL biased to one side or the other so whether you’re on the left, or the right- you’re going to get hate and negativity thrown at you. Also, know that it has ALWAYS been this way. It’s just that it’s difficult to not see it all happening because of the internet- which brings me back to my original point.
STOP READING THE NEWS. Nothing good comes from it and your mental health isn’t a fair trade for staying up to date with the current dumbassery in politics.
Sticking your head in the sand is a great strategy for never helping to enact change. Knowledge is power, learn what you can.
Willingly turning from bullshit and negativity is not sticking one’s head in the sand.
Or do you feel Buddhists are sticking their heads in the sand?
One needs not gorge themselves on the negativity happening around them in order to get along.
There’s a reasonable compromise to be had here.
To OP:
Take a temporary break from reading the news, for as long as you need. Your mental health is what’s most important.
When starting the news again, choose your sources carefully. Skip stories that will only serve to make you angry or sad. You’re not obligated to finish a story (or even a paragraph) if you sense it’s only contributing to your feelings of hopelessness. Remember that most publications are deliberately trying to cause a strong emotional response. Read stories that will provide useful information, and relate to things you can act on.
If you want to hear your worries repeated again and again, hang around Lemmy
Can confirmydoodleydoo. My comment history is erratic as fuck. One post sends me into a rage and the next is so sweet and then Jesus fucking Christ look at these idiots then omg a cat.
There is a disproportionate amount of wealth concentrated in the older generation and those who will inherit it will probably be even worse with that money than the last generation.
Don’t worry, this isn’t going to happen. Inheritance, I mean. Almost all of that generations wealth is going to be eaten by elder care. At $10k per month, and zero of that being covered by Medicare until you’re basically destitute, nursing homes are going to demolish that store of wealth and their descendants will be left with nothing.
I feel the same but what help me is living in my reality, living with my gf, my apartment, set goal that I want to achieve (getting cast iron pan, dog in 2025, etc) and just focus on my own personal thing, and do my hobb(ies) without fail. Do not skip on your hobby.
Disconnect from news and social media as much as you can. And I don’t mean deactivate your account, just ignore and turn the notifications off.
I think this is the right answer. A lot of people say disconnect, but that’s only part of it. It’s more about refocusing on what you can control. We tend to focus on problems, so we can solve them. But current technology encourages us to focus on problems we can’t solve. Leaving most to feel doomed, trapped, anxious, and depressed.
Owning your own business and self employment are kind of not specifically designed to thrive in this kind of economy. Unless you and/or your business have a prospect being bought out by a competitor you might be burdening yourself with an unnecessary degree of stress.
It can be stressful to run your own business if your livelihood depends on it.
Now this depends heavily on what kind of business you run too and how much you enjoy it.
We’re a home studio that makes websites, software and digital media. I’ve thought about temporarily accepting a job but I fear that would just compromise my mental health to the point where I can’t work at all.
In Australia we IT people get paid about half what our USA colleagues make, our expertise is treated with revulsion, even though it’s critical, and people act like our neurodivergent/introvert personality types are a hindrance to a successful and productive work environment.
I love what I do, but I’d sooner stack supermarket shelves than go back to being some corrupt conservative dickheads golden ticket, again.
What is the public service sector like is AUS? In the US there is kind of a large void left from boomers retiring and gen X not working public sector. It is leaving a lot of vacancies in local governments across the country which are all traditionally pretty low pace, decently compensated, with pensions and benefits.
Where I am these jobs are promoting up to 90% teleworking capabilities as well. There is a whole generation of vacancies pretty much in the US and I wonder if AUS is similar at all.
Consider getting a job even if you don’t like it. You can always quit if it’s unbearable. The increase in income will help your financial struggles.
All IT people in Australia are defective?
Stop paying attention to the media and do something rewarding. Build stuff, draw, read books, learn to cook, play an instrument, raise chickens, start camping. Do anything other than dwell in your misery. The world will continue regardless of you watching it. If you think everything is terrible, you already know which side of politics is evil, so just vote against them when the the me comes and don’t bother following what’s happening. You can’t effect it and it will only drive you crazy. It’s all just a distraction feeding a dopamine addiction you’ll never be ready to let go of. Social media especially. Play some slick jams and do the dishes, it’s very therapeutic.
I’m almost exactly the same age as you. If I’ve learned anything up to this point, it’s that people would start to have better and richer lives as soon as they cancel their cable TV subscriptions, delete all social media accounts*, and delete all news apps from their mobile devices. I really believe smartphones are a huge culprit in making people miserable, and it’s because we’ve let these things get totally out of hand instead of consciously making them as boring and utilitarian as possible.
The issue of being ‘informed’ or not can be covered by reading Wikipedia’s current events page for a few minutes each week. That should also free up plenty of time for people to focus more on what really matters day-to-day, which is their local community, friends, family and neighbors. Useful information is actionable, and actionable information can be found when you’re laser-focused on your local area and the ways you can help improve it.
- Lemmy / kbin isn’t social media, IMO. ; )
Lemmy is objectively social media
I think they mean social media with algorithmicly generated content feeds.
All the feeds are algorithms in leemmy - hot, top, new, etc. They’re just simpler algorithms and they’re open source.
Technically any feed at all is an algorithm, even one as simple as just “show whatever’s newest in your subs”
It’s still an algorithm that determines what content you see
IMO Lemmy’s a new version of old-school web forums and link aggregators (which have been around since the beginning- kind of like Fark, Slashdot, etc). Using this site feels the same as using those sites.
Think social media’s a very specific thing that started off in the early-to-mid 00s- i.e., a site / app where you keep a profile that’s tied to your real-life identity and real-life social circles (myspace, friendster, linkedin, facebook). And that’s where the harm kicks in, since suddenly you have to worry about having some kind of curated digital persona, which has some kind of real-life impact. So if we can’t talk about the harms of social media in a specific way (i.e., the harm of constantly comparing your life to these idealized representations of other people’s lives), then ‘social media’ isn’t a meaningful term anymore.
lemmy and kbin are social media
Is there an rss feed for the current events page?
But I want to carry the full weight of the world on my shoulders and get upset about things I can’t change…
/s
I saw this 70 year old guy waiting at the hospital today, with his 70 year old wife in a wheelchair, produce wearing by his brand new TRUMP hat (along with a chain wallet, like he was 20 and it was 1996). My thought was: why the fuck does this loser have to fuck up society before he dies of old age?
He needs something to focus on other than dying and his sick wife. Don’t worry about it, just negate his vote, he’ll die first.
Why is it always ok to shit on chain wallets, long hair on a man, or any other non-political style choice?
I sponsor and attend protests - have done so since the '90s. I help out at shelters and food banks and soup kitchens. I champion the causes of all people who are oppressed or otherwise neglected by society.
But my fucking chain wallet and ponytail make me less of a person?
Why?
The chain wallet looked goofy on this 70 year old guy, that’s all.
Sorry if I came off as attacking you.
I have been seeing a lot of posts that call out simple things like how I dress as indicative of being some MAGAt or bigot and I was just venting that out here. Like jeans and a plaid shirt with sunglasses are now the uniform of the standard racist asshole - But I don’t think it is fair to lump everyone in those clothes together. And if someone posted the same thing about a distinctly 2000s fashion, or dyed hair, they would get corrected quickly, but since my style is ‘old’ more people feel open to judging the book by its cover.
I did not mean to offend, or call you out personally, and I will try to be better about how I express these things going forward.
For reference - I am in my mid-40s, but I need my chain wallet since I bounce around the forest/homestead on tractors or dirt bikes a lot while building or doing chores, and would certainly lose it without some tether. I don’t have any excuse for my ponytail other than i have just always had it :p I’m sure baldness will end that soon too!
jeans and a plaid shirt with sunglasses are now the uniform of the standard racist asshole
Right? Like, you could just as easily be a cholo asshole. /j
Exactly!
I like to be informed, so, that “cut the news” thing, while it works for some people, it’s not for everyone.
Mindfulness was the thing that helped me to cope with current times. I believe our brains aren’t ready for this stream of information about the world, because our world used to be way smaller when it evolved, and its plasticity can only get so far. Be aware of your present, that’s your life, thinking about the past and the future only brings pain and anxiety. Learn to detach your self from your mind, or the part of your brain that lives thinking about the future. Know how to let go from the illusion that you have control of your life.
Just pay attention to what makes you happy in life and don’t sweat the rest so much
Reclaim your labor. learn a skill that saves you money. use that to barter outside the system. remove yourself from the system as much as is practical. learn how to make a molotov. Just enjoy the simple things and don’t get too caught up in who threw what at whom.
One of the reasons that older people have money is because society was sane when they were young. It was even possible for only one parent to work and the other to stay at home and take care of kids and the house.
Every decade since then, things get worse because capitalism wants everyone to work, everyone to buy things, and as few people as possible having enough money to not work. Because money is power and if you are living thanks to a monthly check, you have no power.
The main strategy from the top has always been to divide people as much as possible and distract them from the fact that they can’t get out of the hamster wheel. So there are public discussions about gender politics, environmental issues and other things that divide people into groups, so they argue with eachother and stay distracted from the big picture.
Big picture, we are kind of like slaves but much more comfortable. As long as we can’t stop working, we are slaves in a way, because we don’t have freedom to spend our lives doing what we want in most cases. So we waste our days trying to care about company problems that are all about increasing their profits while paying everyone as little as they can.
Yeah this is not a encouraging post, sorry. I just say what I think here.
i recommend to read “Hope in the Dark” by Rebecca Solnit
