wakeflood
So who said economic equality BUYS anything??? Certainly not me. Nor the study I quoted.
The data shows a high correlation between societies that function well and where people feel generally good AND the ones with the best relative balance between high and low relative wealth WITHIN that given country.
You’re arguing a point I – and the study – didn’t even make.
And as to your anecdote regarding the Great Depression – I’m not even sure exactly what your point is other than you suggest that EVERYONE was happy because NOT everyone was poor?? That’s one very reasonable interpretation of that statement. Another being that if you did a survey in the middle of the depression whether folks thought society was functioning well, you’d have gotten lots of thumbs up??? Again, what’s your point?
As to the issue of high equality and high suicide rate, we can agree that suicide likely has different interpretations within a given culture, yes? If yes, then I’d like to look at some research about what the real message of suicide might be within those cultures. Example: Saw a study that suggested that suicide was a learned (essentially a fad) response for young Polynesian boys who didn’t get the girlfriend they wanted. It gave them stature within their youth culture. Normal, everyday kid comes home from school and offs himself because he couldn’t get a date. Sociologically, suicide is obviously complex. Is the correlation between economic equality and suicide strong? Does it even exist? Got any data? Happy to read it.