How the Russian soul can save the American Empire

Article

The title of this thread is the name of the article in the link above....I dont really know what I should of named this thread.

This article talks about perscription drug use, the TV, violent movies and children, obesity, immigration, and possible breakdown. It's a kind of long read, but it is still interesting.

Some paragraphs about perscription drug use -

According to a report in the issue of Archives of General Psychiatry (August, 2009), antidepressant use in the United States doubled from 1996 to 2005. During that feel-good decade – the last period that data was made available – the percentage of Americans using such medication jumped from less than six percent to more than ten percent, or more than 27 million individuals.

As “more and more Americans are reporting symptoms of major depression,” Time magazine reported (Antidepressants in America, Aug. 5, 2009) they are increasingly turning to prescription drugs for a cure. And the medical community has still not decided for certain if such medication is safe.

“Problems that were once solved partly through hours of introspection on a shrink's couch are now considered curable with a simple pill,” the article continued. “It's up to us to determine whether this represents a step forward or back.”

I would think that more than 10% of Americans use antidepressants. But still, doubling use over a decade isnt something to be proud of I would think.

Some TV section paragraphs -

Unfortunately, however, the greatest educator in America today is the TV, and it has proven itself to be completely unqualified for the task.

Children entertainment, which has featured wonderful titles like “Sponge Bob Square Pants” and “Ren and Stimpy,” are so bizarre, so borderline psychotic, so totally unhinged from any sense of reality that they should be forced to carry warning labels from the Surgeon General’s office just like any pack of cigarettes. But since this visual product potentially destroys the mind as opposed to just the lungs, it is the far greater risk, scientists like Piaget warn.

Actually, the so-called artists who manufacture these daily doses of hazardous waste, with characters so ridiculous they practically defy serious criticism, seem to be aiming their poisonous product more at adults than children. But don’t take my word for it. Take a moment and watch one episode of these freak shows and then ask yourself if such programming is really geared toward the development of a child’s impressionable mind.

I used to always watch shows like Ren and Stimpy. I dont really agree with the TV section of the article, but I would agree that some of those shows are not really the best for children to watch, but I would say it is up to the parents to watch their children.

A paragraph from the violent movie section -

“The average child will watch 8,000 murders on TV before finishing elementary school,” according to Norman Herr, Professor of Science Education at California State University. “By age 18, the average American has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders.”

Again, I would say it is the parents responsibility to monitor their children and make sure they dont watch 8,000 murders on TV before finishing elementary school. I do think there is a ton of violence on the TV, but that is pretty popular these days.

Some paragraphs from the obesity part -

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over the past 20 years there has been a dramatic surge in obesity rates across the United States. In 1985, America was more or less physically fit, with most states registering obesity rates less than 10% of the population.

By 2008, just one state (Colorado) registered an obesity rate of less than 20 percent of the population. Meanwhile, thirty-two states weighed in at equal to or greater than 25%; six of these states (Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia) tipped the scales with obesity rates equal to or greater than 30%.

Studies show that approximately 60 million American adults are classified as being obese, with another 127 million being overweight.

Obesity is a major problem here in the US. If people would stop going to Mcdonalds and all those places, then the people might lose a few pounds, but in todays face paced world, sometimes people only have time to stop by a fast food place.

One of the last sections had some interesting things -

Ironically, Igor Panarin, a Russian academic and former KGB officer, has been predicting for the last decade that the United States would fall apart in 2010 due to the myriad challenges connected with trying to hold together a multicultural society.

“There's a 55-45% chance right now that disintegration will occur,” he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (Dec. 28, 2008). Panarin, who now serves as dean at the Foreign Ministry’s academy for diplomats, added that such a scenario, due to Russia and America’s economic links, “is not the best scenario for Russia.” Yet this polite insertion has not softened his grim prospects for the United States in the imminent future.

Ive heard about this guy before, talking about how the US may fall apart. I dont think its going to happen soon, but I guess there is a chance.

The last section talks about how we should "go natural" and go back to nature, growing our own food, not being infront of the TV 24/7, and natural stress reducers. It's a long read but I would reccomend it. It's mostly everything we here on ATS already know, but still, atleast it's another source out there for other people to read.

Interesting article.. Thanks. Overall an accurate assessment .. Though think on a couple points he missed the mark..

Interesting find find comrade

The part about television is accurate, shows like Ren & Stimpy, The Simpsons and Family Guy are not meant for childern. I do believe the effects these shows have on the minds shows that not only drugs and alchohol kill brain cells.