Go to the ‘Lifestyle’ section of a broadsheet and they paint a picture that we are all struggling to deal with stress and overwhelm. This is portrayed as an unavoidable feature of modern life.
A few things make it hard to believe –
- Firstly, it just doesn’t square with my daily experiences. I’m not stressed out and overwhelmed, while living a pretty normal lifestyle with full-time work plus childcare and sports etc.
- The stats don’t bear it out. Working time has gone way down – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_time#Average_annual_hours_per_worker – it’s below 35 hours a week most places, 46.25 in the highest in that table. Yes when I worked 80 hours a week I was exhausted, but that’s not the norm, and the papers talk about it like it’s some inescapable trend.
- Then there’s the stats on TV-watching. How can it be true that modern life is hectic AND people watch telly for three hours a day?
I know this is coming across as a rant diguised as an AskLemmy question, but I have real curiosity about it… am I the exception for not feeling busy? Is there some explanation I am missing for why people in a society with 35-hour workweeks feel busy? Do you find the ‘hectic modern life’ narrative relatable? Do you think people are lying about being busy for some reason, e.g. to avoid being asked to do things?
Geez, your story is heartbreaking. I wish you and your sister all the best. Also, have you ever thought about emmigrating? I know that many countries do currently experience similar shifts, but I guess the US is leading the polls right now when it comes to living a toxic life under constant pressure. I really wonder why there arent more US americans grabbing all their stuff and their loved ones and leave for a better life. The biggest struggle would be the language barrier, but NZ, AU or CA should still be possible.
Thank you! I really don’t mean to complain. We really have it very good. I think it’s a common sort of story here. We are extremely lucky to not be lower SES, a targeted racial minority, etc.
We’ve considered it, but my wife really doesn’t want to move far from her family, and especially not out of country. I have some friends who moved to Canada, though, and have found it to be very welcoming & they have had a lot of success with the process. My sister has definitely thought about emmigrating if things get worse - I believe she has a plan to get out. Luckily she seems to have a great group of friends who are able to support each other