Half a century ago, John Clarke pinioned our unflappable self-assurance in Fred Dagg’s cheery refrain, We Don’t Know How Lucky We Are. It was funny, singalongable and, as always with the master satirist, honed to a razorsharp precision.
Nearly 50 years later, the refrain has changed. We have become a nation of doom merchants and worrywarts. Our houses are generally warmer and dryer; we live longer than our parents; we have better food choices and travel options; access to information is off the charts – but still we tell ourselves life is far worse than it was the day Fred Dagg kicked off his gumboots and left for Australia in 1977.
We are not alone. In a 2015 survey, 70% of Britons agreed with the statement that “things are worse than they used to be”, even though at the time they were richer, healthier and longer-living than ever. And a Pew Research survey of 38 countries in 2017 found lots of people in the “middle billion” – those living in relatively rich democratic countries not including the top and bottom 10% of income earners – thought things were worse than 50 years ago.
With climate change and unaffordable housing looming large in the lives of millennials, many believe they are worse off than the generation before them. But the gloomy view of many conventional economic models, writes Banks Peninsula tech developer and inventor Grant Ryan, “is brutally inappropriate”, and possibly causing us to focus on the wrong problems.
Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin March 5 - 11, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin March 5 - 11, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.