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from the reports-of-my-death-are-not-exaggerated dept.
The U.S. Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) released a new Vital Signs report on Thursday, 7 June, 2018.
In the press release about the new report, the CDC states that:
Suicide rates have been rising in nearly every state, according to the latest Vital Signs report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2016, nearly 45,000 Americans age 10 or older died by suicide. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death and is one of just three leading causes that are on the rise.
[...]
Researchers found that more than half of people who died by suicide did not have a known diagnosed mental health condition at the time of death. Relationship problems or loss, substance misuse; physical health problems; and job, money, legal or housing stress often contributed to risk for suicide. Firearms were the most common method of suicide used by those with and without a known diagnosed mental health condition.
Are any Soylentils contemplating suicide? Do you know anyone who has attempted or succeeded in taking their own life? Why do you think suicide rates are on the rise?
(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 08 2018, @07:54PM (19 children)
Oh gee I don't know why the youngest generation would want to kill themselves. Just look at 1990 vs today and tell me its worth trying.
Since 1990 the cost of a college degree has more than doubled (adjusted for inflation)
Since 1990 the average income for someone with a college degree (adjusted for inflation) has decreased by 2k/year
Since 1990 the average income for a high school grad is down significantly, after adjustment
Since 1990 the average expenditures of a family per year are up 27k, after adjustment
Since 1990 children in poverty in the US has gone up
Since 1990 rent has gone up by 60%, after adjustment
- https://www.statista.com [statista.com]
Can't buy a good used car because of cash for clunkers, so either buy new or use public transport. Want an entry level job with a degree? Hope you have that magical 5 years experience so you can start at 15/hour.
Thanks boomers for your NAFTA and your GATT and your wars and your endless entitlements that won't be there for anyone else. Boomers are the generation of "Fuck you! Got Mine!" as they wring every little bit of wealth they can out of their parents and grandparents and throw the remaining dry rag at the feet of those that come after. The cause of the suicides, nihilism, fascism, and marxism is boomers taking the great thing we had and pissing it away on hookers and blow.
Either the new generations will kill themselves off or survive to live on and put down in the history books what a shitty and worthless generation the boomers were.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by LVDOVICVS on Friday June 08 2018, @08:12PM (1 child)
Since 1990?
I came of age a decade earlier, during the Reagan administration. I remember a local news show talking about a new restaurant opening that was hiring 15 waiters and having 500 people show up to apply.
The problem is that somewhere along the line America became the land of greed. Why it should be acceptable for a small percentage of the population to own a vast proportion of the assets infuriates me. I can tolerate someone being a little better off, but the gross disparity between the wealthy and the poor is an obscenity.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by VLM on Friday June 08 2018, @08:18PM
If, as a relatively poor dude, I could live a Star Trek standard of living, eh, don't care how much some rich dude has...
Thats the problem with economic decline. Increase the ratio by ten, as long as poor people double, who cares, that was the USA in 1890. Increase the ratio by ten while the economy halves at the bottom, welcome to the French Revolution...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 08 2018, @08:14PM
Idiot!
(Score: 4, Interesting) by VLM on Friday June 08 2018, @08:22PM (8 children)
The boomers do suck, but most of your list is merely a result of too many people too few jobs means redefinition of the basic standard.
My grannie (Think WWII gen not boomer) worked in payroll, and the work isn't any harder now but magically you need a CPA and BS in accounting because of competition for too few jobs.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 08 2018, @08:29PM (3 children)
This is the rise of credentialism over competence and the credentials are expensive. There's currently more jobs than employees to fill them, many will be in the "gig economy" which is fine for would-be entrepreneurs or even those going the credentialed route.
(Score: 5, Informative) by VLM on Friday June 08 2018, @08:39PM (1 child)
Whenever I see propaganda along those lines, research indicates they're offering pay thats half whats required to live and do the job, half the going rate at competitors or similar jobs, or often both.
There's an incredible shortage of IT professionals... if you're willing to accept half what it costs to live (for example, in SV) or accept $10/hr in flyover land when McDonalds is paying $15. Now you want a fair days pay for a fair days work, thats simply not available anymore because medical insurance costs $30K/yr and every productive employee has to pay the salary of someone in the diversity department or whatever.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 08 2018, @09:03PM
So work gigs to fund setting up a company that isn't going to do that. It was normal in the 70s and 80s for people who went on to be successful to sleep on their friends couches, exactly because they couldn't afford living expenses while scratching an income and investing in their future. Both Apple and Google began in garages while Allen and Gates used university computers.
Diversity officers are part of a parasitic rent-seeking class, they create no wealth and detract value. A company that hires based on merit will out-compete those that do not and the gender and diversity studies credentialed assholes can go fuck themselves.
(Score: 2) by rcamera on Saturday June 09 2018, @02:14AM
3.8% unemployment (thanks for the early heads-up, realDonaldTrump). and that's real news. unlike the fake news of 4% that hussein obama's labor department published. of course, then there's the u6 [wikipedia.org] measurement [stlouisfed.org], which is probably a more meaningful measure of economic health than the u3 number the masses see in the headlines
and as for more jobs than (presumably "prospective") employees to fill them, it would help all parties if companies trying to hire were willing to train on the job, like a few decades ago. instead, we end up with unrealistic expectations and prerequisites before an application will even be viewed by a person, like the old "20+ years experience in S3", despite the fact it's only been around for 12 years
and thanks to the WWII-era holdover of employee-sponsored medical insurance, the gig-economy isn't really a viable option for anyone 26 or older or not living in mom's basement. i imagine that a good amount of difference between u5 and u6 can be accounted for by the "gig economy"
/* no comment */
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 08 2018, @10:31PM (3 children)
Your grannie was very likely literate. Now you can graduate high school without being able to read. Crap, a friend was showing me some resumes for a job opening she had. I think you can now graduate college without being able to write a coherent sentence.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @03:51PM
Maybe they are on unemployment and really don't want the job? Deliberate sabotage unless they actually want the job?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @04:10PM (1 child)
So what's the point of the credentialism? It certainly has nothing to do with the quality of one's education. If you have to many applicants, just toss out some randomly.
Also, the US education system was always abysmal and designed to create rote memorization drones.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @11:54PM
Interesting. I have a friend from the soviet union telling me last week that the US education system is bad because it does not emphasize rote memorization like he had growing up. When I was young, I remember watching news shows on Japan and Korea and how their students would do hours of memorization of math tables every night. Including weekends.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 08 2018, @08:40PM
Wha, wha! Grumpy guy that is unmotivated or missed the boat, drunk at a frat party, is crying. Look around. You sure do have it hard. Look at the people this generation has made their heroes - it explains a lot.
(Score: 2) by Weasley on Friday June 08 2018, @10:27PM (2 children)
You're blaming the idiot masses? Why not blame the leaders who orchestrated the whole thing? The politicians and super rich.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 08 2018, @10:38PM (1 child)
Good point. Can't blame the 18.9% that voted for Perot. The people voted for the politicians who killed the unions. The people voted for the politicians that put in the trade deals that aided job exportation. The people voted for the politicians that provide H1Bs. The people voted for the politicians that accepted money from big business.
(Score: 2) by Weasley on Saturday June 09 2018, @04:09AM
All politicians do this stuff. The super rich own them. What are "the people" to do? Vote for nobody?
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Runaway1956 on Saturday June 09 2018, @03:36PM (2 children)
I'm not saying that you should kill yourself - but if you're going to do it, would you do it before you spend another decade whining? People get tired of that shit.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 09 2018, @03:55PM (1 child)
Spoken like a true asshole. You realize people get sick of your shit as well right? Self righteous egotisyical bullcrap gets very tiresome.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday June 09 2018, @04:19PM
The difference between you, and me, is that I don't give a damn if you get sick of my shit. And, I thank you for your respectful recognition. Yes, I'm a true asshole, not some fake asshole, like you see on television, or runs for public office. Thank you.
And, now, I'll get back to sifting the news for fake news and real news . . .