Replies to post #529977 on Tornado Alley (PROG)

[blackhawks]

It's a fair question and every bit as complicated an answer as one would expect. For Trump supporters no confusion, much less nuance; the U.S. and the world were 'on fire' under Biden. Now, not so much despite daily evidence to the contrary under a president who IS an arsonist.

Are things worse now than they were in the past, or do we simply have access to a lot more info about how bad things are now?

Are Things Actually Worse Now, or Do We Just Know More?

Overview

Many people feel that the world is getting worse, but the reality is more nuanced. While some aspects of modern life have deteriorated, many others have improved dramatically. The perception that things are worse now is often amplified by increased access to information and the way media emphasizes negative events.

Objective Trends: What Has Improved

Global Health and Poverty

Infant mortality rates have dropped by 60% over the past 50 years.

Average life expectancy worldwide has risen by 30% since the 1960s.

The number of people living in poverty has dropped by 20% in the past 40 years.

Access to sanitation has increased by 50% since the 1990s.

Deaths from armed conflict per million people have fallen drastically since 1950.

Other Positive Trends

Many diseases are close to eradication.

Renewable energy use is rising.

Rates of new HIV/AIDS cases and some cancers are declining in developed countries.

Areas That Have Gotten Worse

Economic and Social Issues

The middle class is shrinking in some countries, and the gap between rich and poor is widening.

Cost of living has increased, and some people feel financially worse off than in previous years.

The number of people living in autocracies is rising, and non-human animals suffer in greater numbers due to factory farming.

Environmental Concerns

Climate change is causing more extreme weather and disasters.

Why Do Things Seem Worse?

1. Information Overload and Media Bias

The internet and 24/7 news cycle expose us to a constant stream of negative news from around the world, making problems feel more immediate and widespread.

News media tends to focus on negative stories because they attract more attention—a phenomenon known as "negativity bias".

Social media amplifies extreme and alarming content, which can distort our perception of reality.

2. Cognitive Biases

Humans are wired to pay more attention to bad news than good news, a trait that once helped us survive but now makes us more anxious in the digital age.

Surveys show that people consistently overestimate negative trends, such as rates of violent crime or teen pregnancy, compared to actual data.

3. Psychological Impact

Constant exposure to negative news can lead to stress, anxiety, and a sense of doom, even if objective conditions are improving for many people.

Public Perception vs. Reality

Surveys reveal that many people believe life is worse now than in the past, even in countries where objective indicators show improvement.

This disconnect is largely driven by how information is presented and consumed in today's media landscape.

Conclusion

While some challenges have become more acute, especially regarding inequality and environmental issues, many key indicators of global well-being have improved over time. The feeling that things are worse now is often a result of increased access to information, media negativity bias, and human psychological tendencies to focus on bad news. Recognizing these factors can help us maintain a more balanced perspective on the state of the world.

perplexity.ai

[newmedman]

I positively think things are way worse now. Say what you want to about Biden but we were shoring up all the shit that Trump left in his wake and if it wasn't for a bad debate appearance, he'd be at the podium right now.

Kamala was more than qualified and say what you want to about her campaign but our country, for whatever reason, can't stand to have a woman in charge. A lot of that came from those immigrant communities and now they are regretting their decision.

All this finger pointing and in fighting only makes us worse. We are strong when we stand together and I think Americans are coming out and prepared to show it. The thing that mostly unnerves me is that jackass trying to start a war so he can cancel elections. He's practically begging for it with everything he does and that's not him, he's a fucking moron. There's other people pulling the strings and that's the scary part of it all.

I don't know where this all goes, but where it stops, nobody knows.

[zab]

You actually think life was better in America during the 1930s, most Americans scrounging for food, having unemployment around, 25 % of the workforce unemployed, 15 million looking for jobs.

Gee let is talk about the 1940s, that was a
fine time unless you were in uniform serving in World War II.

The 1950s was reasonable, Americans discovered a zest for living again now that the war was over, but then came the 1960s

Remember the 1960s, civil rights, cities burning, assassination of a President, and many others. The young people revolting at the Vietnam War.

How about the 1970s, those were fun times, the stock market crashing, high unemployment, really high inflation and escalating gas prices.

Let's look at the 1980s, oops more high unemployment under Raegen almost 12 %, market crashing, savings and loans going bankrupt.

Tired of hearing you always state it was much better, life was not that better in the past, you just enjoy complaining about everything.

Meanwhile America has moved forward, you might not think so, but there is always opportunity everywhere, you just have to create it for yourself.

By the way do you see how many Cancer survivors there are nowadays. Millions upon millions.

There are always issues, but life was never better in the past.