Odd, I seem to remember reading the exact same headline in 2020. Perhaps Americans just hate life in America because of 60 years of nonstop existential bullshit.

The downward spiral of education, the constant fight or flight news cycle, and the rise of the unfettered oligarchy have vastly contributed to the current state of America.

I’m reminded nearly every day of Carl Sagan’s “foreboding” quote from “The Demon-Haunted World”.

Majority of Americans don’t remember struggling to find toilet paper.

Democrats (72%) are much more likely than independents (35%) or Republicans (7%) to view themselves as “better off.”

So, it’s basically all political. I bet if exactly the same economic scenario played out over the past four years,but with Trump as the president, the numbers would be reversed with 72 percent of Republicans and 7 percent of Democrats viewing themselves as better off.

Is this specific to the US? I could see this worldwide.

Funny, because four years ago I was afraid of dying if I got too close to a stranger. And I was massively depressed (I’m on an antidepressant now). There was no timeline on things getting better.

I’m now vaxxed, boosted, in treatment. I’m cooly watching to see what develops and if the wrong one wins, I’m leaving. I badly hope that I get to stay where I am because I love the area, but I’m not sticking around if fascism wins.

I’ll admit that I was one of the privileged few who were comfortable and secure during the pandemic: i had a job that could be remote without issue and i lived in a city that took precautions seriously

But

• remote employment was a 100% improvement to being stuck in my office and in a toxic environment
• because I was remote, there was no pressure to work extra hours when my projects didn’t require it, which meant my work-life balance was much better
• the student loan moratorium helped me and my wife finally save up for a house down-payment and get ahead on our debt
• with the extra financial and work security, I finally reached a healthy weight and was the most fit i had been since college

Now, my weight is back up, my job is much less secure, my finances are strained again, and I feel like our future financial security is in question because the economy is dominated by two or three companies that may come crashing back down if AI turns out to be a bubble

This question is so subjective and incredibly personal, so i question the utility of it. But there’s no question for me about how precarious my personal situation feels now vs back in 2020. Back then, our primaries and much of the Campaign revolved around questions that had significant impacts on my life, but this cycle none of what is being discussed in the campaigns have much to do with my personal security. I don’t know if my remote job will last, I don’t know how long my house (that I bought in 2021 thanks to covid stimulus efforts) will be worth more than my mortgage, I don’t know if the items I rely on will continue inflating in cost or not, ect.

Again, I’m incredibly privileged. But democrats have switched focus to what happens if Trump wins, instead of focusing on what happens if they win. Seems like nothing significant is on the table for my family’s security, and that doesn’t comfort me at all. There’s just no hope in this election, all there seems to be is fear.

But every year I read that the rich are getting ever richer…

Makes sense, things have been on a downward trend for decades.

Humans believe things they hear constantly repeated to them, and somehow every right-wing party on earth has money to run constant ads telling people things are shitty.

People assume that covid was super miserable for everyone… But a global plague is preferable to pointless forced attendance at “employment” for many many people. I know lots of people who miss it. And much of that progress has been completely reversed.