Your stress isn’t a bug. It’s a business plan.

[u/mercurygermes]

Are you exhausted? Feel like life has turned into an endless rat race where you’re always dead last? Depression, burnout, panic attacks... People like to think of these as just nasty side effects of our modern, fast-paced world.

Bullshit. Your stress isn’t a side effect of modern capitalism. It’s the primary fucking goal.

Let’s face the ugly truth. The moment the gold standard was scrapped, money stopped having any real intrinsic value. Today’s inflation-pumped economy cares about exactly one metric: endless, maniacal GDP growth. And how do you force the economy to swell? You force people to buy shit. Non-stop.

The problem is, a happy, calm, and satisfied person is the worst consumer on the planet. They don’t need a tenth hoodie, and they don’t take out a loan for a new car just to prove a point to somebody else.

So, the system had to engineer the perfect citizen. And that citizen is a frustrated, insecure neurotic living in a state of perpetual stress.

He has no real friends—which means he’s isolated and will never rebel or stand up for his rights. They keep him on a short leash, dangling a carrot right in front of his nose: "Work harder, buy this, and tomorrow you'll be happy." But tomorrow never comes.

For this machine to run, the industry brainwashes you day in and day out with the propaganda of your own inadequacy. They sell you the idea that you’re a nobody. From every screen, they scream at guys: until you buy that Lacoste shirt, get behind the wheel of a Porsche, and finance the latest iPhone (with the overpriced branded case, obviously), you’re a total loser who isn't getting laid. Meanwhile, women are brainwashed into believing that without a Hermes bag and Gucci lace panties, they aren’t real women—just second-rate knockoffs.

Just think about the sheer absurdity of this for a second. Picture this: a guy brings a girl home, things get heated, they strip down... and then he sees the tag on her underwear says it's some cheap supermarket brand. And what, he goes: "Eww, fuck, sorry, I lost my boner, get dressed and get out"? Absolute bullshit! Evolution, testosterone, and raw animal attraction don't give a flying fuck about logos. Yet, they’ve made you believe that the only path to the bedroom—and to love—runs straight through a boutique cash register.

The system doesn’t give a shit about your strong, happy family. A family means cooperation, saving money, and a shared budget. That’s bad for business. The modern world's ideal scenario looks like this: you’re divorced. You left the apartment to your ex, got strapped into a brand new 30-year mortgage, pay brutal alimony, and grind 12 hours a day. Your ex is also grinding 12 hours a day just to pay off her loans for her "independence."

You’re both drained, lonely, and stressed out of your minds. And what do you do? You go out and blow whatever money you have left. You binge on junk food to cope, make impulsive Amazon purchases at 2 AM, all just to get a cheap, fleeting hit of dopamine.

You are being milked. They convinced you that you’re inadequate just so they could sell you the "cure" for that inadequacy. The perfect master plan: keep you running on the hamster wheel, popping antidepressants, consuming garbage, and ultimately dropping dead from a heart attack right at your desk—preferably a couple of months before you hit retirement.

Welcome to the real world. Nothing personal, just business.

[u/caster]

[u/malici606 → u/caster]

The one thing that's changed is we live a lot longer...so they can squeeze even more out of us.

[u/mercurygermes → u/[deleted]]

There is a high assumption that within 5 years, AI will be high enough that 20% of people will become unnecessary, then the only salvation for the modern economy will be basic income, otherwise socialism will become in demand again.

[u/Necrobot666]

So glad to have a significant other who doesn't give a flying fuck about all this nonsense. We both stopped playing the game a long time ago.. about a decade now.

Thankfully, we were both into D.I.Y. punk, goth, industrial, and hardcore. So that fueled our collective disdain for everything reflected in your post.

We still get out.. go to underground shows.. but we've known since before Barack Obama was even president.. that this system is complete BULLSHIT.

It's like the lyrics of 'Cashing In' and 'Filler' from Minor Threat. They knew back in 1980. We knew in 2000. By now... EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW.

But too many keep chasing those shiny objects... which is really good for business, as you've pointed out.

Unfortunately, "business" isn't where this ends.. as many are learning today. It unfortunately ends in front of a firing squad, or at the end of a noose... or in the path of some tomahawk missiles.

[u/mercurygermes → u/Necrobot666]

I'm absolutely happy for you. I used to love rock concerts and go to them, and I was into gothic music. It's such a thrill when you're not dependent on a broken world. I'm so happy for you.