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Trump is a Symptom of a Sick Society
“Shit Life Syndrome” brings on authoritarianism
I was struck by many things in this story by Benjamin David Steele that we published on Fourth Wave on Jan. 1. In it, he compares life in Rome to life in Alexandria back in the day (around 100 A.D.). Rome at its peak was filthy, stinky, and rife with crime and disease — but contemporary city Alexandria was not. Part of that was due to geography. Alexandria was a port city with broad avenues that allowed fresh air from the sea to waft throughout. It also had a smaller population, which was easier to manage— perhaps 750,000 to Rome’s 1.4 million. And of course it makes sense that better living conditions produce happier people.
But I hadn’t really considered what happier people produce, besides more happiness, before reading Steele’s piece.
According to sociologists, psychologists, and others who study people and society, happy people produce liberal politics and open-minded world views. “An expression of such a healthy society is tolerance, acceptance, and inclusivity; as part of the broader…
