> a century of war, trauma, and technological change at a rapid pace has startled and messed people up. bullshit. most placed that have gone through way more of all of those things, (see s. korea, all of post-communist europe, etc.) have much lower levels of mental illness than the us. i grew up in a post-commie land, been to other places too and it's nowhere near as bad. what's fucking the majority of people here, especially young adults, is the the extremely unhealthy lifestyle and culture that they now live in. people never learn how to develop close friendships. they're not allowed to have critical experiences to allow them to mature, or even feel mature. the school system, is simultaneously overbearing, poisonous, and incompetent. perception of sex fluctuates between extremes of ungodly sin and figurative rape, with the sweet in the middle being one night stands and near-kafkaesque pornography. art, pop culture, and aesthetics are completely fucked up. there is no stable traditions, no philosophies to discus, and no physical environment to discuss them in. even if there was, people wouldn't care, because the average american can't seem to care about or even be able to discuss anything not directly affecting his own life.  i could go on for a while if wanted to.
United States