Posted on 05/06/2023 8:16:22 AM PDT by DoodleBob
We know America is experiencing a mental health crisis, but the Youth Risk Behavior Survey recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) illustrates just how serious the problem has become for America’s young people. In 2021, almost three in five teenage girls felt persistent sadness. Girls are twice as likely to be depressed as boys, and one in three girls said they seriously considered suicide. This is a real crisis, and several factors are relevant.
Social media had negatively impacted mental health long before the response to COVID-19 made the problem worse. But a new, perhaps surprising factor, has emerged. It seems a teenager’s political views impact their levels of depression as well.
The study, released in December of 2022, found that liberal teens are more likely to be depressed than their conservative peers. In fact, liberal boys are more likely to be depressed than conservative girls, which suggests that political beliefs are more predictive of depression than gender.
The authors attempted to explain the depression of liberal teenagers in two ways. First, they suggest liberal teens are depressed because they live in a world dominated by conservative values. “[L]iberal adolescents may have therefore experienced alienation with a growing conservative political climate such that their mental health suffered in comparison to that of their conservative peers whose hegemonic views were flourishing.” Few conservatives would agree with the suggestion that conservative political attitudes have achieved cultural dominance.
Alternatively, the authors of the study suggest that progressive kids might be more depressed because they are being targeted — directly or indirectly — by conservatives. “[H]eightened awareness and experience of conservative actions to restrict their rights may have compounded emotional distress.” Is the world simply kinder to conservative teenagers? They offered no evidence of that.
Absent proof that liberal teenagers are a new category of oppressed minority, we should pause to consider whether the modern, liberal worldview might cause depression. There are reasons it could.
In the recent past, the gap between conservatives and liberals was much smaller. Partisan differences were defined by prudential disagreements over the size of government, foreign policy, marginal tax rates, the scope of appropriate regulation, or the most effective way to help the poor. Today, political tribes argue about the ability of men to get pregnant, which is really a disagreement about whether humanity is supposed to make the rules or follow the rules. What we once thought of as political differences have functionally become religious differences and the data confirms the connection. Atheists and agnostics are almost always on the political Left, and the more religiously observant you are, the more likely you are to be on the political Right.
As a result, the thing that makes young people liberals is not so much their belief in a social safety net, but their belief that we are in charge of ourselves — my body my choice. While it’s nice to be in charge, for liberals the situation is complicated by the fact that everything is going terribly: the American dream is a sham, climate change will kill us all, and systemic racism is eternal, they would argue.
Not only does modern liberalism require awareness of problems, it demands a fixation on them and a conviction that they can all be fixed through political action. The Prayer of Serenity has been replaced by “If you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention.” It’s not enough to simply treat people well because, “If you’re not anti-racist, you’re racist.” Simply doing your part to make the world better is insufficient because “injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.” It’s exhausting, but the exhaustion is proof that you’re doing it right.
The Left’s perpetual outrage has turned anger and depression into a form of virtue. As Yglesias notes, “[A]dult progressives … valorize depressive affect as a sign of political commitment.” As a result, a good liberal knows only the ignorant and apathetic can afford the luxury of gratitude or contentment. Therein lies the problem. Since the world’s crises will never end, the moment for contentment, rest, and gratitude will never come.
Christians have a way to understand a broken world that leads to joy despite the pain. Jesus promised us that we would have trouble, but He told us to take heart because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Our worldview demands joy despite the circumstances because our hope transcends the circumstances. Today’s secular progressive has no such hope. Their joy will come once they’ve worked hard enough to fix all the problems. No wonder they’re depressed.
Originally published at The Washington Stand.
Today, it’s magnified via social media by a factor of 10X - and on a daily basis!
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Their only friend is a cell phone.
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You are both spot on.
I have despised the dam pocket entertainment device since its inception. It destroys lives in many ways. Just think about how many vehicular deaths have been brought upon by this scourge. There is no doubt it is destroying the psyche of impressionable youths. I know this first hand as a parent who has (and had) kids growing up in this toxic generation.
They are unhappy because they don’t know Christ as their Lord and Savior; therefore they have no hope.
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You nailed it.
No Jesus, no peace.
Know Jesus, know peace.
Our schools and media tell young people they can only live for others - they are guilty of Original Sin for being born white, or male, or straight - and must spend their entire lives paying for those crimes. Many believe it and try to live as they are told - but of course become desperately unhappy in the futile attempt to redeem themselves in the eyes of their collectivist judges.
‘Dead End’ is correct.
And the list goes on.
Because they are so full of hate.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
More where that came from.
“Why are young progressives so unhappy?”
Who cares? As long as they remain so it’s stunningly good news!😀
Because they have no hope.
Because they have no hope.
“I was pretty happy but remember the insecurities, envy, anxiety, and rejection that most kids faced.”
Graduated high school in 1957. Witnessed absolutely zero “insecurities, envy, anxiety and rejection”. Probably 1/3 of males went into military, another 1/3 into gainful trades...welding, carpentry, auto mechanics etc for which high school had pre-trained them, and the rest for a variety of careers. Young ladies at the time were big on nursing, teaching and starting families. I think many of the various educational systems have subsequently criminally failed, mis-led and abused their charges over the years.
They have absolutely no joy in their hearts whatsoever.
Mark.
If they truly believed in my body KY choice they’d stop telling others what to do.
Miserable being must find more miserable being, then is happy.
Pure, unadulterated Darwinism. We’re witnessing a mass extinction event.
Gen Z plans to kill themselves.
I don’t care what Dr. Seuss says...there is NOTHING beyond ‘Z’.
Let them embrace the suck.
I hope it hurts and results in long term, persistent physical pain.
But they do not believe it.
They do not believe you are in control of your body and so they will tell you what to do with it.
It is why they support abortion after all. If they do not want you to have a live body they want the right to just kill you.
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