Poll: Despite capitalism, are you happy?

[Skyhilist]

Somewhat vague and random poll, but it's something I've been meaning to post for awhile. Anyways, what do you guys think?

[PC LOAD LETTER]

Hellll nooo I'm not happy

I'm about this [ ] damn close to selling almost everything I own and fucking off to be voluntarily homeless

[#FF0000]

I'm aight.

[Jesus Saves Gretzky Scores]

I get by.

[Goblin]

No, and somewhat because of capitalism.

[Ostrinski]

Since I interpreted this be an introspective question I answered number four.

However, we would be foolish not to underestimate the effects that living in a capitalist society has on our existential experience even if we can't right away draw the association.

[tuwix]

I think that happiness is completely independent from that political system. It's just state of mind.

[Art Vandelay]

I voted no and not at all because of capitalism, although I wanted to make the clarification that it isn't only because of capitalism that I'm depressed; I got some fucked up shit going on in my head as well, however capitalism plays a big part in it.

[Art Vandelay]

I think that happiness is completely independent from that political system. It's just state of mind.

Idealism much?

[tuwix]

If you believe that it is dependent, then you may be unhappy. Despite I hate a capitalism I am happy. And only because happiness is just state of mind. :)

[Art Vandelay]

If you believe that it is dependent, then you may be unhappy. Despite I hate a capitalism I am happy. And only because happiness is just state of mind. :)

Like I said, idealism much?

After all thought and emotions are independent of matter, not the other way around. :rolleyes:

[tuwix]

And I'd say emotions are independent from physical circumstances. If you learn, you can evoke any emotions you want at any time.
But probably you won't believe me. :)

[Art Vandelay]

And I'd say emotions are independent from physical circumstances. If you learn, you can evoke any emotions you want at any time.
But probably you won't believe me. :)

You're right about one thing, I won't believe you...being a materialist and all...

[tuwix]

Being a materialist doesn't mean to feel due to matter. :) But as you wish... :)

[Art Vandelay]

Being a materialist means to understand the objective fact that matter precedes thought, not the other way around.

[Landsharks eat metal]

Not happy for the most part. Partially because of depression and all that shit, partially because of everything that comes along with me being transgender (with some of that shit probably propped up by capitalism), and partially because of capitalism. Plus feeling trapped in my life right now and getting shit from my parents and my classmates.

[piet11111]

No, and mainly because of capitalism

I will soon have to take on a massive debt...

[Luís Henrique]

I think the concept of "happiness" is an important, though accessory, cause of unhappiness. So I refuse to measure my life in terms of "happiness" or "unhappiness".

Luís Henrique

[Clarion]

Other. I'm happy because, not in spite of capitalism.

Being a serf doesn't sound very fun.

[Leftsolidarity]

No and mainly because of capitalism.

[Questionable]

None of the above.

It's hard to explain, but I feel like as humans we're always going to be in a constant state of flux. We may experience one emotion more often than others, but we're not stuck in any static state known as "happiness" or "depression." Our minds are constantly going to be interacting with matter, and so we'll be constantly changing.

At this particular moment I feel pretty happy though, I guess.

[Let's Get Free]

I'm not really happy or unhappy. I just feel like everyday I have to drag myself through life. I think it's partly due to capitalism. I find the entire monotony of school-work-consume-die to be a tremendous waste of time.

[The Jay]

I would probably be happier without Capitalism but that is because it would be less stressful, I hope. Also I am royally screwed in terms of debt.

[Lobotomy]

we're not stuck in any static state known as [...] "depression." .

Lol.

[l'Enfermé]

I'm pretty happy and I suppose I would find a bright side to living as a serf in the middle ages to be honest.

[Raúl Duke]

I'm depressed, sometimes suicidal, person, and capitalism only exacerbates the problem

[Art Vandelay]

I'm depressed, sometimes suicidal, person, and capitalism only exacerbates the problem

That really sucks to hear man, cause despite our differing politics, I've always considered you one of the coolest, most genuine persons on the board, as well as being extremely intelligent. Although to a certain extent, I feel that depression (although not in all cases) can be a sign of intelligence. Being suicidal sucks though.

[tuwix]

Being a materialist means to understand the objective fact that matter precedes thought, not the other way around.

But it doesn't say your thought must be always unhappy. Thought is thought and matter is matter.

[Art Vandelay]

But it doesn't say your thought must be always unhappy. Thought is thought and matter is matter.

I never said it did, but to state that thought and matter can both exist in a vacuum is absurd, on top of that, to posit that happiness is "simply a state" of mind is absolutely ridiculous (on par with the "secret" cult) and your recent comment seems to agree with that; so either you'd like to admit that you were wrong, or else you should probably put forth a new argument (one which I would gladly disprove).

[tuwix]

Well, someone says he is happy despite he feels unhappy. How are you going to deny that he is?

The happiness is always based on personal declaration. Exactly as in this poll. And this is why it is just state of mind. Even feelings can have nothing to do with it. :)

[Pirate Utopian]

kE8sQjB1070

Of course things could be better but I'm pretty happy none the less. #Based #rare #taskforce

[Comrade #138672]

Happy to fight it.

[Quail]

I answered 'no and somewhat because of capitalism' because most of my problems at the moment are unrelated to capitalism, but I often feel anxious and depressed that capitalism is fucking everyone over and I can't really do much about it. About a year and a bit ago I had money issues and the DWP harassing me daily about a supposed benefit overpayment that was not actually an overpayment so capitalism was making me a lot unhappier then.

[PC LOAD LETTER]

I'm going through the applying-everywhere-and-not-getting-any-interviews-or-anything-well-just-one-but-they-didnt-call-me-back-so-fuck-them deal again so right now I want to give capitalism a swirlie. Exploit my labor and siphon my surplus value god dammit!!!

[TheRedAnarchist23]

No, because of capitalism.
Anyone who does not answer that obviously does not live in a crisis coutry.

[Mass Grave Aesthetics]

I voted "other". I´m dealing with some unpleasant issues and experience intense inner conflict on a daily basis as a result. These are mostly personal/family affairs and are not directly linked to capitalism as such. Despite these difficulties I´m optimistic about my future. I at least know what I´m dealing with; I know why I feel shitty most of the time and I´m doing my best to overcome these problems. So I can´t say I´m "happy" at the moment but I´m working on getting there.

[zoot_allures]

Yeah, I'm happy. I've always been happy.

My happiness is just dispositional. Everything can be going to shit and I'll still have a fairly positive outlook on things.

It seems to run in the males of my family - my dad is always positive, as is my granddad and my uncles on my dad's side. It's not necessarily a good thing; I know that my dad's refusal/inability to detect problems could be really frustrating for my mum when they were together (I wonder if my gf - who tends towards depression by disposition - gets annoyed with me for the same reason).

[Regicollis]

I'm not happy. I'm clinically depressed. And why? - Mainly because I see two directions my life can take: Either to be unemployed and poor and endure the humiliations and contempt associated with it or to prostitute myself to the capitalist labour market hoping that some greedy business will let me get up every morning before I'm awake, spend most of my waking hours doing the same boring shit over and over again, only to have most of what I produced expropriated from me.

Both scenarios include the total lack of understanding in society that this could even be a problem. The official ideology - stupid as it is - is that wage slavery is the best way to spend your life and fulfil your potential. Having that immense stupidity forced onto me adds insult to injury.

Because the directions my life can take are both unpalatable to me I feel trapped in a world that is moving in the wrong direction at high speed.

[Orange Juche]

Hellll nooo I'm not happy

I'm about this [ ] damn close to selling almost everything I own and fucking off to be voluntarily homeless

I'm not a primitivist but I consider myself a "green Marxist", and used to think on and off of taking survival classes, and then going off into the vast wilderness of Canada and just living as a primitive hunter-gatherer just to escape this mess.

[human strike]

If we take capitalism to include all systems of domination - which I think we should - then it's mainly capitalism's fault I'm unhappy.

[A Revolutionary Tool]

No and mainly because of capitalism. If I don't get a job soon I'll probably be kicked out of my place and I spend I don't know how many hours almost everyday filling out the same exact shit on a different application and it's driving me insane. Got no money to do anything.

[hatzel]

I tend to dance and sing...

[Luís Henrique]

I tend to dance and sing...

That means you are joyful... but are joy and happiness even related?

Luís Henrique

[Workers-Control-Over-Prod]

I'm pretty happy and I suppose I would find a bright side to living as a serf in the middle ages to be honest.

Yeah, this. Even in the darkest of ages, humanity cannot be suppressed.

I voted 'Yes' because I have recently moved to a new place. Now I have the luck of living in resort-like surroundings, having close family and instant friends, unlimited free time to educate myself (gain mental strength against the representatives of the bourgeois ideology), the knowledge that Capitalist Depression is the inevitable development within the next years, and the self confidence that comes from that.

I realize that I have a somewhat privileged position and hence have expectations of myself to be a particularly dedicated "champion of the Oppressed", for those who work 50+ hours a week, trying to pay bills and having no time for politics or fight for their rights. I don't think that it's a coincidence that many communist leaders have traditionally had a more comfortable upbringing - those of us who do have time need to have higher expectations of ourselves.

[Ele'ill]

no, fuck society

[Brosa Luxemburg]

No, somewhat because of capitalism

[TheRedAnarchist23]

I'm not really happy or unhappy. I just feel like everyday I have to drag myself through life. I think it's partly due to capitalism. I find the entire monotony of school-work-consume-die to be a tremendous waste of time.

You sound like a dude from my school. Apathy has him too.

[sixdollarchampagne]

I am generally happy; after three decades of office work, when I was too busy and the job was too hectic, even to take earned vacation time off, I am now retired. The job was so frantic that I could not even take sick days off, so I ended up with a lot of earned leave and unused sick time, for which the university where I worked reimbursed me, when I retired.

[LOLseph Stalin]

No, and it's somewhat because of capitalism. Most of my current problems stem from the fact that nobody whatsoever will hire me. Even McDonald's has outright rejected me multiple times and they hire little 14 year olds. I must be pretty pathetic :crying:.

However, there's other issues I have too that lead to my depression, but that's a little more personal and something I'd rather not delve into here.

[melvin]

No, I have bad depression. I don't blame capitalism though because it is not caused by economic woes, though I do have some.

[No_Leaders]

No, and it's because of capitalism and just my overall life. Lot's of personal issues, and I've been coping with depression, anxiety, and just overall feelings of cynicism and apathy. I don't know what the future holds for me, I feel like i'm never going to be really happy. It's like the things i normally enjoy aren't helping me cope with things anymore, normally I could turn on some music, jam out on my acoustic write some lyrics, but lately I can't even find that so enjoyable. I don't know what's wrong with me. It's a struggle to go to my job(but who doesn't feel that way?) that I hate but rely on for a roof over my head, barely can make ends meet, i need to pay off some school debt so I can get back in school but feel like i'm drowning in expenses and can never get my head above water. Then when i do goto college, what am I doing? Getting a degree in something i can hopefully enjoy until I retire? It's just depressing.. Work, rest, eat, work, rest, eat, die. I'm ranting now, apologies for that.