Originally Posted by
ScoutHikerDad
True-And suicides have gone up dramatically across several demographics in recent years, partially as a result of feelings of economic powerlessness; of course the opioid crisis and other factors play into the statistics too. (And yes, each one of those "statistics" was a living, breathing human being who left behind a lot of hurting people). And working-class people without marketable skills in the gig economy have been struggling since the post '08 recovery. Half this country lives paycheck to paycheck-I can't imagine the desperation of millions of people right now who were circling the drain even before the virus shut everything down. This is starting to remind me of Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, which I taught this year. Desperate people will do desperate things to feed their families-I would, and probably so would you. I guess after they've exhausted all options, and maybe their medical, college or farm debt seems hopeless to ever pay off, or their addiction or mental issues become too much to bear, they turn to that terrible final solution.
I don't say this much around friends or family because too much truth scares people (and makes them think you're just another old crank), but I sense that we are only in the beginning of chaos for years to come that will make this seem tame by comparison. I really hope I'm wrong. Take care, friends.