Previous Trope Repair Shop thread: Complaining
, started by Kexruct on May 31st 2012 at 5:50:34 AM
is All Elite
I've always wondered: Does depression and a wish to commit suicide count as First-World Problems (and thus, less important a problem than "Third World Problems")? I mean, I think that when you're struggling for every scrap of food you're eating, your mind telling you that you're worthless and that you deserve to die is the least of your problems. If you're privileged (or at least have enough money to support you), then it's likely you have that much time to pay attention to your head telling you how much of a miserable piece of shit you are.
Am I wrong here? Please tell me I'm wrong. I really don't want to be right.
Edited by Icarael "Stealing is a crime and drugs is a crime too BUT if you steal drugs the two crimes cancel out and it’s like basically doing a good." Hide / Show Replies
Short answer: It is not exclusively a first world problem nor a third world problem; mental illnesses are always a problem and don't make anyone's life easier.
Long Answer: Highly depends on the Wangst factor. For the average Emo Teen who just likes two write crappy poems about it to get attention, it counts. If someone has genuine mental problems, is regularly abused, or even has a high-pressure job where they're constantly threatened with termination or social stigma, that definitely happens in the third settings world all the time.
Two examples:
"Next To Normal" is about an affluent family where the mother has severe bipolar disorder; she is haunted by psychotic episodes, dangerous side effects from her medication, and alienation from her husband and children. This is not a first world problem.
This is the most radical of examples, but I would argue that the documentary "Born Rich" is not about first world problems. The documentary follows several teenage heirs to massive family fortunes, but many of them suffer from depression, drug addiction, alcoholism, parental alienation, and, of course, the constant fear that they will be "cut off" and pushed into a world they don't understand. A lot of people in the third world live in isolated communities or households they are afraid to leave, and frequently suffer abuse and depression as a result. Despite being the most privileged of the privileged, I'd argue these people have genuine issues.
Edited by skzip887
I'm just sad that MC Frontalot isn't mentioned on this page anywhere. (Having just had a discussion elsewhere in which I mentioned that Frontalot was totally the Trope Codifier for the trope named thus, and then wondered if tvtropes had a trope named this specifically.)
Well that depends: the serious answer to that would be "Of course not, because depression can happen to anyone, it's a mental condition, plus very a serious problem," The Jerkass' answer to that question would be "Ugh, get over yourself, you Rich Idiot With No Day Job!"
You need not have time to listen to your head when it tells you you're a worthless piece of shit; your head is always there, and doesn't give a damn if you're counting your money or begging for change on the street. Hell, if you're rich, you'll probably get constant mental put-downs about how you don't deserve that money. If you're poor, you'll put yourself down and tell yourself you deserve it because you're lazy/stupid/unskilled/etc.
So yes, OP, you are wrong. And happily so.
Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: Rewrite
, started by Rothul on Dec 8th 2010 at 2:34:50 PM
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman