Might it not also be that this penchant for interest in negativity also tends to be married to an attraction to novelty ? If I look at the graph with the sub-categories displayed and four were pointing negatively while one was sharply positive, it is likely that my eyes will first be drawn to the outlier. And in much of our lives, no matter how bad and anxious we feel, what is novel are the markedly negative developments or events.
I keep coming back to how everyone now looks at the nineties as a golden age of peace and prosperity. It sure didn't feel that way while Rwanda and the Balkans were on fire, extremists bombed a federal building in OKC in response to the deadly standoff in Waco, and grunge music and gangsta rap dominated the charts. (Though in the latter case, music took a massive turn toward upbeat pop by the end of the decade.)
Might it not also be that this penchant for interest in negativity also tends to be married to an attraction to novelty ? If I look at the graph with the sub-categories displayed and four were pointing negatively while one was sharply positive, it is likely that my eyes will first be drawn to the outlier. And in much of our lives, no matter how bad and anxious we feel, what is novel are the markedly negative developments or events.
I keep coming back to how everyone now looks at the nineties as a golden age of peace and prosperity. It sure didn't feel that way while Rwanda and the Balkans were on fire, extremists bombed a federal building in OKC in response to the deadly standoff in Waco, and grunge music and gangsta rap dominated the charts. (Though in the latter case, music took a massive turn toward upbeat pop by the end of the decade.)
What’s your view of the work of the late Hans Rosling?
Great article.
So, natural pessimism could bring us down?
Global interests lead to global control. Nothing positive will come through totalitarianism.