It’s a system that benefits only those at the top of industry and finance. And it wasn’t an accident. They intentionally designed the system to benefit themselves.

One of these days I’ll stop being the historian in these discussions. But this is not that day.

1931 Dracula, Frankenstein, Public Enemy, and Little Caesar

1932: Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Grand Hotel (“People come, people go, nothing ever happens”)

1933: The Invisible Man, King Kong

Etc., Etc.,

1939: Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, multiple Sherlock Holmes films, etc.

Add in all the silly, nearly-plotless “Follies of Hollywood on Broadway Melody of 193X”

Point is: People turn to fantasy and escapism when reality doesn’t or can’t cut it. On the one hand, we’re suffering from affluenza at the same time that there will be more foreclosures than any year since the Great Depression. Not everyone is suffering from more, even though, as a society we may be.

I really have no idea what it’ll all look like when the changes are complete – it’s (almost?) impossible to predict the outcome of a paradigm shift while the shift is taking place. But it’ll look a hell of a lot different than how today looks.

I just hope we don’t have another major war as a result. I wouldn’t be surprised, unfortunately. History suggests that people tend to react violently to major change.

Barn door, horse gone….

2. There’s a concept in the animal behavior literature called displacement behavior. It occurs when two animals (usually, but not always, males) are competing for something–a mate, territory, whatever, and the displays are escalating to the point that the nest step is actual combat–and then one breaks off and starts doing something completely irrelevant, like pecking the ground or something. It’s a behavior evolved for avoiding that ultimate confrontation. I’ve always found it a good metaphor in society as well–and if there’s been a culture on the point of confrontation about something, it’s this one right now. But taking that next step, which in this case is recognizing the deep problems that currently are affecting American society, is something that people can’t take, because the consequences are so unsettling. It’s not denial, as such–with denial, you just pretend reality is what it’s always been, This is different, as you say. Affluenza is a symptom of the inability of American culture to move to the next step–which would involve a radical transformation of how Americans live and work. Facing that reality is the last thing Americans want to do these days. American has always been a political concept, at times a great one–but right now, it’s unravelling, and any sort of fantasy is preferable to dealing with that fact.

3. Stop drinking all sodas! And anything else with High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is in most processed food.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looker

What I do see is people insulating themselves from what’s going on in their nation and the world. Minimal engagement or interest.

Funny thing is, scratch them and they might have interesting opinions. But that doesn’t mean they want to learn more. Health care too expensive (not to mention whimsical in its spotty coverage)? Never occurs to them to do anything about it.

Meanwhile, after work, most people head straight to the TV, movies, videogames, or escapist fiction.

Oh, wait. You say I’m SICK with a social malady? Okay. I’ll that looks-like-all-other hybrids, then.

Exceptional post, Sam.

I just got the book ‘Affluenza’ some time back and now I can’t wait to read it…

Back when i traveled, my returns to the States always provoked the same sensation: that this nation is hollow. To some degree, i always assumed that it was me…that life here was real but i couldn’t see it or it wasn’t raw enough. Maybe it wasn’t me, maybe it was like a visit to the affluenza ward.

Jung, and his followers, often argued that modern man absolutely needs psycho-spirituality (the archetypes, et. al. of his theories are mythic. That is, dreams are private myths and myths are public dreams.) Perhaps the fantasy you’ve noted is an unconscious searching for what we’re missing.

Or maybe it’s just escapism…