#8 - Nuance, Discourse…And Why We’ve Lost Them

Various topics and ideas covered in the episode:

• Both “too much empathy” and “not enough empathy” in our views

  • Naturally polarizes sides against each other

• It is completely unnatural to communicate from behind a keyboard

  • Social media commenting, etc.

• We have the same two political parties as we always have--who have more power by size, scope, money, etc. than they ever have before

  • But we live in a world where Facebook groups as finite as “the best movie to come out the week of november 13th, 1987” exist 

• Mental health

  • Part of it may be explained by the dwindling hope

    • Only a few in society win (everyone else loses)

    • Technology is overwhelming and assumed to be overwhelming

    • We all assume everyone else knows more

• Tribalism is a problem

  • People pick teams in a search for connection

• Fake news is rampant

  • People want to believe it

• Lack of purpose & time on our hands to blow steam

  • Many say it can be explained by a lack of “struggle” among Millenials and Gen Z in their lifetimes relative to other generations

    • I disagree

The History of Generational “Struggle”

• HISTORY shows struggles over roughly 20 year periods--including over the last 20 years (which many critics claim was a s”struggle-free” time for Millennials and Gen-Z’s

  • End of 19th century

    • Industrial Revolution, Massive immigration (particularly into crowded urban spaces, post-slavery, pre-electricity, and tougher times for survival

  • 1900-1920

    • Imperialism and World War I

  • 1920-1940

    • Massive rise in crime (organized crime), The stock market crash, and the Great depression

  • 1940-1960

    • WWII, Korea, and the corporate building of America in the 1950’s

  • 1960-1980

    • Cold War, Vietnam, Counter Culture movement, Oil Crisis, Economic downturn

  • 1980-2000

    • Actually (*ironically*) this was the 20 year period with the greatest case for a lack of “struggle”

      • It’s ironic because the people who came of age into adulthood over this time period are many of the same people pointing their fingers at millennials and Gen Z’s

    • Over these years, the Cold War came to an end, the economy boomed, tech began to take off (but it was still pre-modern-day technology that makes everything “easier” and has machine power on a level with humanity)...there was the War on Drugs though, there was also the destruction of Urban communities--and, critically, these decades represented the beginning of the Middle Class’ wage destruction that continues to this day

  • 2000-2020

    • September 11th, the War in Iraq, the Global Financial Crisis--and massive political unrest

      • Not exactly what you would call “no struggle”

Conclusion:

It’s not that we lack a struggle (and therefore fight amongst ourselves all the time). Instead, our discord might be explained by the lack of HOPE many people across our society feel.

We’re nearing a time where machines can match us--and many wonder whether America and the American Dream itself have both peaked.

As we look towards the future, many of us wonder about our future purpose--and many in the younger generations feel they’ve never even had one in the first place. 

It’s a void. And, to fill this void, these generations are looking for battles to fight.

This then leads to tribalism and online battling that builds the polarized, cold-shoulder culture we’ve come to know all too well.

And it’s not healthy.