ThisIsIt wrote:
tri_kid wrote:
ThisIsIt wrote:
scorpio516 wrote:
https://www.bloomberg.com/...men-from-labor-force Dude from Princeton studies labour force participation rate over this century. He concludes that yes, most of the low rate is that boomers are old and kids are able to choose school over jobs, but 20% of men out of the labour force are there due to drug abuse. We're at 63% participation rate right now.
If you want to drill down deep, 35-44 year olds. In 2000, 85% participation rate. 2017? 82.5% ish.
Men, 16+. 2000: 75%. 2017: 69%
I'd like to compare men, 25-54, but the BLS is hard to work with.
It's almost enough to ask what it is it about modern U.S. society that drives people to drugs?
I watched a Jordan Peterson lecture last week or so and he brought this up. I'll try and find it and post the link to the video. Anyways, he blamed it on the Western male's loss of responsibility in society. In other words, the traditional role for men has deteriorated, resulting in men turning to drugs.
Interesting, but large scale drug abuse would seem to predate that by a good bit. I wish I could remember where I saw the information, but it was something that indicated that drug abuse levels have been fairly consistent for awhile, it's just the drug of choice that changes.
Prohibition was in response to widespread alcoholism which at least from a modern perspective would seem to have been well before the traditional role of males changed (although I guess you could argue that that really began with the industrial revolution, which I've heard said is when alcoholism became widespread in the west).
You could also argue that alcoholism took off during the industrial revolution for two reasons:
- Cheap, mass produced beer. Now that we had factories, we naturally could have factory produced beer. But it's not like beer was ever really expensive and not for the masses.
- Free time. No longer were you working the fields for 18 hours a day to make sure you eat, you now work 12 hours a day in a factory. Suddenly you have 6 free hours every day! Some people took up team sports, some people took up pints.