Jones Alley
valley of the dollars
I just discovered that ten percent of the American populace is on anti-depressant drugs. Thirty million of my fellow Americans are so stressed out that they are willing to completely mess up their brain chemistry to hide from their own lives. We don't just live in the world of Orwell, we live in the world of Huxley as well, 1984 meets Brave New World. With the fact that antidepressants are incredibly profitable for the pharmaceutical companies and that the vast majority of these prescriptions are paid for by insurance companies, it's no wonder that so many Americans lack health coverage.
If we truly live in the greatest country in the world, how come every tenth American finds their life unendurable without powerful chemicals that permanently alter their brains?
If we truly live in the greatest country in the world, how come every tenth American finds their life unendurable without powerful chemicals that permanently alter their brains?
posted by Milo Johnson at 4:19 AM
6 Comments:
No wonder there's so much apathy!
Yeah, but who cares?
And I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not sure.
This does remind me of the "Swedish paradox" (although I have to confess I've never researched it so for all I know it's a myth).
While I think the individual pill-takers ultimately have to take responsibility, though, I think it's fair to ask why these and other drugs are so heavily marketed. When a guy stands on a corner and offers you something to make you feel better it's illegal. When a guy with exactly the same motives appears on television it's okay.
One of my first thoughts after 9/11 was that I'd wish I had money to invest in whatever pharm co's make the most popular anti-depressants because there was going to be enough burn, turn and churn to spike demand for a very long time.
Personally, I think a lot of the people who are so apathetic are the ones who don't need anti- depressants 'cause they could care less about anything but themselves anyway. It's those who care too much....
BTW...the guy on the corner has scraggly hair and wrinkled clothes, the guy on TV has a crisp white collar and is well-groomed and smiling. Which one is more appealing to the general populace?
The people with the crisp white collars are the ones I trust the least.
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