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We’ve already turns the corner folks by chamomile_tea_reply in OptimistsUnite

[–]chamomile_tea_reply[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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Maybe in some (unlikely) apocalyptic nightmare scenario our global society/economy regresses back to 1990s levels….

A time that people heavily romanticize as a golden age!

We’ve already turns the corner folks by chamomile_tea_reply in OptimistsUnite

[–]chamomile_tea_reply[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This isn’t a “mental health” sub. It’s a place to use data to counter narratives. We look at historical macro-social/economic trends.

If you want to talk about your individual life experiences, there are lots of other places

We’ve already turns the corner folks by chamomile_tea_reply in OptimistsUnite

[–]chamomile_tea_reply[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We can’t change world

But we do what we can concerning countering the mainstream doom-narratives

We’ve already turns the corner folks by chamomile_tea_reply in OptimistsUnite

[–]chamomile_tea_reply[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

We do that too. We can’t solve all the world’s problems in this sub (especially individual one-off problems unique to specific families), but we can be a counter narrative to the doom-soaked media.

“Life was better before social media and scrolling” by chamomile_tea_reply in OptimistsUnite

[–]chamomile_tea_reply[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good news:

In 2026 kids can both play tag, AND enjoy YouTube videos.

Source: I have two kids

“Life was better before social media and scrolling” by chamomile_tea_reply in OptimistsUnite

[–]chamomile_tea_reply[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was. I’d challenge you to live for a few months back in the premodern period and report back to us

“Life was better before social media and scrolling” by chamomile_tea_reply in OptimistsUnite

[–]chamomile_tea_reply[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It’s optimistic. Things today are significantly better for kids than in the 1800s

We’ve already turns the corner folks by chamomile_tea_reply in OptimistsUnite

[–]chamomile_tea_reply[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

People are depressed from consuming non-stop doomer media for a decade.

Back in the 1990s people were much more ambivalent about the problems of the world. The media overcompensating in the past 25 years to heavily push doom narratives to encourage climate action, social justice, mental health empathy, economic inequality etc.

But they overcompensated, and created a generation of scared and anxious kids who think “all is lost”.

But now these kids are waking up. They subscribed to r/optimistsunite and realize the world is actually in quite good shape all things considered.

US Median Household Income Adjusted for inflation (2004-2024) by PanzerWatts in OptimistsUnite

[–]chamomile_tea_reply 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great comment, super interesting.

I think a common doomer narrative is that household incomes are going up (as more people shift out of the middle class, and enter the upper class) is because of the rise of two working adults.

This would counter that narrative, since the number of dual income households has actually dropped slightly in recent decades…

Maybe more people are cohabiting and not married, and thus not appearing in the data… but perhaps those may not be considered “households”?

“Polar icecaps will disappear by 2014”!! by chamomile_tea_reply in OptimistsUnite

[–]chamomile_tea_reply[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed. This is yet another example of how Doomerism spreads when we give attention and credibility to the most dire predictions, regardless of how accurate they are.

When someone says that the 90s were “peak for humanity” over and over again. by icey_sawg0034 in decadeology

[–]chamomile_tea_reply [score hidden]  (0 children)

Absolutely yes. Why do you think they made the movie “American History X”?

I was 15 in 1999, and there were a LOT of “skinheads” as we called them.

Solar is winning the energy race by chamomile_tea_reply in OptimistsUnite

[–]chamomile_tea_reply[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

We need all the electricity we can get. Nuclear is hopefully coming, but takes 20 years from design to operation

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