Why Are Liberals More Depressed? | Hacker News Reader

Why Are Liberals More Depressed?

derekthompson.org

9 pointsgamechangr8 comments

One possible answer is stigma. Change to asking about mood and the gap disappears.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12043138/

It’s interesting conservative men are so low when the cultural narrative is that conservative men are doing the worst.

Papers published on PubMed are often pretty wild:

"Conservatism is a system-justifying ideology that seeks to rationalize the existing political, economic, and social order"

I'd bet most conservatives would describe themselves a bit differently?

Most conservatives have not a single clue what their ideology is (i guess these days for American conservatives only two things count: 'Trump is our God-King' and 'owning the libs', but thats not a proper ideology). Its why we have social scientists studying these groups and making theories and all that.

Conversely, I'd imagine that conservatives are more likely to "experience a crisis of faith" than their counterparts. And remote jungle tribes are more likely to be hexed by a witch doctor than either cohort. You have to buy into the system for it to affect you.

I'd like to engage more directly with the body of this piece, but since it's paid, I have to extrapolate from the headline. Sorry.

It goes very deep. Quite simply, the act of taking (money, land, benefits, lives) comes quickly, like the second law of thermodynamics on steroids. Advance planning, collusion, and deception ("You'll own the liberals if you cut our taxes") are the external force that speeds the entropy blast.

Building, creating means to help others, is an uphill battle, and is too often a response to the above. Think "Move fast and break peoples' lives". We haven't even begun to undo the demolition of society and even the "western culture" that tech gurus crave, after they demolished it. We want Plato and got Pluto. [0]

Destruction and rapacity come quickly. Construction and repair of values and lives (when possible) are an eternal struggle. "Warrior ethos" does not make lives better. It just makes wars. And history shows how long it takes for them to end, and the irreparable damage they bring.

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto_(mythology)

> In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Pluto ... also known as Dis Pater or Orcus, was the god of the dead and the king of the underworld.

Dare I say it's both religion and the sense of purpose that comes from raising children?

Religion is an interesting one. I acknowledge that religion may make people happier, but I also just can’t believe in it, it’s just not the way I’m wired. So be it I suppose?

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