this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2026
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Today I Learned

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[–] lastlybutfirstly@lemmy.world 8 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (2 children)

I blame commercials and PSAs. I stopped watching TV in the mid-2000s and have ad blocker online. Watching TV today is like stepping back into Plato's Cave. You don't realize how psychologically damaging commercials are.

As an example, a few years ago I watched a live stream of the local news during a weather event with ads that couldn't be blocked. Four hours later, I had seen the same commercial for an HIV drug at least 8 times. I had the thing memorized and I was very, very aware of HIV all day as it replayed in my brain. I don't ever think about HIV. But I was forced to. I'm usually happy go lucky but after that ad, and other ads for a myriad of other drugs for diseases, plus PSAs reminding me how my life is a vicious jungle with death just a step away, I felt pretty bummed. Some of those PSAs are down right mean spirited.

Without ads, I can control my exposure to the horrors of the world. With ads, you're at the mercy of the station or website drowning you in human misery. There probably needs to be a law to limit those kind of commercials. Like one PSA a week and one pharmaceutical commercial a day.

[–] TaeKwonDoh@lemmy.world 1 points 12 minutes ago

Frankly, I'm just glad that there may be a tax on advertisin (and other things) to try and shore up health care costs in Michigan.

Source: https://www.mlive.com/politics/2026/02/whitmer-wants-new-taxes-on-tobacco-sports-betting-to-keep-health-spending-stable.html

[–] yabbadabaddon@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Blame social media. We have studies that show direct correlation between suicide rate and instagram, for example. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1461444819850106

[–] lastlybutfirstly@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Do they take into account the ads that are run on those sites?

I mean, everybody talks about how YT is killing everyone but I don't get it. Unless... There was one day I sat down for breakfast, feeling great and started to play a light hearted review of a movie from Red Letter Media, about to eat a spoon full of Cheerios when an ad snuck past my ad blocker. It started off with "Cancer is different when it happens to a child." I immediately closed my browser and sat there in stunned silence for five minutes with my chin on my lap. That ad just shat all over my day before it even began. When I got back to watching RLM, I was still thinking about kids with cancer for five minutes while Mike and Jay made jokes.

If people are bombarded by that kind of bipolar stream of videos while watching YT, I can see how it can ruin your life.

[–] yabbadabaddon@lemmy.zip 1 points 33 minutes ago

No, this specifically is about how seeing content in which teens explain how to kill yourself has an impact on the probability that you try to kill yourself.

[–] unphazed@lemmy.world 35 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (1 children)

My daughter is 15. She hates guns. Hates being around them, the sound, the idea of harm, etc. 4 weeks ago she came crying afraid for her friends and ICE. Last week she told me she wanted to learn to shoot. (I inherited a lot of guns. I bought a few myself. I come from a conservative family and I am the black sheep, the one that "changed".) Still trying to get ahold of someone from Blazing Sword as an instructor. I want her to learn from someone with actual teaching instruction, rather than backwoods learning that I got.

Kids are terrified. Schools are scary, the law is scary, the dungeon dwelling creeps are now villified. I can see why suicide is increasing.

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 11 points 7 hours ago

Dude my wife has been wanting to get a gun. I'd talked about it in the past, almost in a hyperbolic way...always to be shot down by her fear of the guns.

But now that I'm thinking about it, I'm scared of having guns in the house.

My youngest is incredibly impulsive. My oldest has high anxiety. I don't want them in my home, but I'm starting to think we may need one.

Anyway, she went to the range tonight with her brother. She hasn't shot a gun since she was like 8 (.22 LR). She did alright.

But like you, I'd want to learn (and buy) from professionals. Particularly ones I'm politically aligned with. How the hell can you even tell?

[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world 104 points 11 hours ago (17 children)

Can you blame them?

The US is a fucking hellscape

I spend quite a bit of time there. I'm over several times a year and I genuinely don't know how people can live like that

There's a constant thin thread of fear, wrapped around everything, running through everything

People are afraid of the people around them. They're afraid of their government, they're afraid of the people who are supposed to be there to protect them, they're afraid of their employers, they're afraid of the unknown

I'm very careful not to take my charmed life for granted

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 7 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

the most thing i noticed that both parties are afraid of is giving free or extremely cheap healthcare to everyone, mainly because keeping it private helps keep the parties into gop/dem.

[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world 6 points 2 hours ago

For-profit healthcare is beyond disgusting

Slavery never went away in the US. It was rebranded, encompassing all but the ruling classes, with people's health tied to their employment

All so some people who were already rich could get richer, and the cost to the American public is a fucking disgrace

Long live Luigi!

[–] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 33 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (3 children)

Having Trump as President is how I imagine it's like living with an abuser. A constant state of anxiety — never knowing when or where the next blow will come, but knowing it's coming. You stop planning for the future or enjoying the now and just focus on keeping your head above water one more day. The constant stress actually creates knots in my back that sometimes put me down for days.

And when he's finally out of office you didn't notice you've been holding your breath for four years and you just want to weep with relief at surviving and escaping.

[–] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 1 points 12 minutes ago

when he’s finally out of office

Thats the problem; that was the reaction after Bush, meanwhile Obama continues and expands all of Bush's policies. Under Biden, the libs go back to brunch while concentration camps are expanded and ICE agents start showing up at immigration court hearings.

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 5 points 4 hours ago

I'm totally enraged, and actively compilling a list of people on the Epstein list, and the billionaires. What's keeping me out of "trouble" is my family getting itself into debt. Once I'm done with debt however...

I will try the pacifist build a community approach first, but I'm already ready to throw down rhuthlessly.

[–] Blackfeathr@lemmy.world 15 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

As someone who lived with an abuser for almost 30 years, can confirm, this is very accurate.

[–] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 12 points 8 hours ago

I'm glad you made it, mate.

[–] pipi1234@lemmy.world 9 points 8 hours ago

Right?!

Now that the 2° admentment reason for having guns is totally debunked, the only reason for everyone to have guns is to live in constant fear of being shot or having to shot someone else.

Having to chose between feeding your children and getting life saving medical treatment is a very real choice most Americans can be confronted with.

Etc etc etc...

Turns out USA is only the best country in the world for rich people and paedophiles...

[–] fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 12 points 9 hours ago

You're exactly right. I don't really have a sense of security about anything

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[–] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 53 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (13 children)

Among 10-14 year-olds?

At that age, your biggest problem should be losing a video game save file, or at worst losing your first pet. All while still surrounded by loving and supportive adults.

What the hell are we doing?

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 2 hours ago

teens are extra depressed, because of all th hormones raging too, and the inability of the parents to control or know what to do with such situations/.

[–] PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S 4 points 5 hours ago
[–] TheHotze@lemmy.world 21 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

The future in America doesn't look too bright right now. Especially if you aren't white, are Trans, or need to live on the planet earth.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 7 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

It doesn't look to great if you are white either (particular white with low/medium income)

Some minority groups have major struggles but it is important to acknowledge everyone. Favoring certain minorities breads resentment that make racism and discrimination worse.

[–] TheHotze@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

My point isn't meant to be exclusionary, but to use a few examples to point out that young people have a lot of things that could be be making them feel hopeless about the future. That sadly ends up with them more likely to take their own life.

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 7 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Sounds like some All Lives Matter BS.

Some groups, as a whole, are having a way tougher time right now. Yes that includes the white working poor. But LGBTs and PoC's are literally in fear of an eminent end of their life by violent means. And some of them are also working poor.

Nobody is banging on your door, taking you at gunpoint to a concentration camp god-knows-where, and separate you from your kids. Some of them are even citizens or at least here lawfully. I fear a lot of the undocumented probably have already disappeared forever.

Nobody is actively challenging your right to live because of who you love, or whether or not you sit to pee.

Yeah, all lives matter. Some lives just need a little more attention at the moment.

[–] admin@lemmy.today 1 points 2 hours ago

This exact bullshit is why the elite class can keep dividing and ruling, those minorities you mentioned are still in heaven in comparison to others or some specific part of the world, does that mean that other folks around the world should not care about discourse in the USA?

The difference between working classes pale in comparison when it comes to differences in class hierarchy and power structure.

We can always appreciate extra helping hands.

Personally I am not from the USA, but best of luck and well wishes to everybody who is holding the frontline dispite the difference, always remember

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

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[–] FerretyFever0@fedia.io 11 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

It says 10-24, but I agree. It's fucked up.

[–] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 24 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

The tripled rate is specifically for 10-14.

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[–] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 12 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

Absolutely zero doubt Trump is largely responsible. Fuck this country.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

hes just the latest symptom of a larger systemic problem.

[–] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

And yet has personally increased mental health problems by a lot

[–] PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S 8 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Of course Trump made it worse faster, but the graph is clearly increasing over the entire time axis, in particular during the Obama and Biden administrations.

This is a symptom of the capitalist class continuously waging class warfare against the working class. Simply changing the figurehead will never be good enough to reverse this trend or any of the 69 bajillion other graphs that show us that for the working class, our world is falling apart!

[–] BreakerSwitch@lemmy.world 4 points 5 hours ago

The Epstein class, who shapes the law but is not beholden to it

[–] chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world 26 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

My roommate [content warning]

spoilerjust took his own life a few weeks ago. I had no idea what he was going through because we lived very separate lives. He always seemed like he was doing OK, but in the note he left he spoke of hiding mental health issues from me because he didn't want to stress me out while I was dealing with my own shit. I wish I could go back and tell him to bother me.

This shit is really happening, and it's hitting all age brackets. Even if you think someone is doing OK, it's fine just to check on them. "Hey, how are you?" Be sincere. Don't hit them with the "What's up?" Everyone has a preprogrammed response. But give them eye contact and a genuine tone. It's not something you'll ever regret.

[–] Pratai@piefed.ca 2 points 3 hours ago

This is heartbreaking. I’m so sorry.

[–] Cantaloupe@lemmy.fedioasis.cc 4 points 7 hours ago
[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 14 points 11 hours ago (5 children)
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[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 5 points 9 hours ago

This feels weirdly sensational which is crazy since it is a article about a heavy topic

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