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Comment by jacquesm | Hacker News Reader

Because they don't have any real problems in their lives.

People that have or have had real trouble in their lives and have overcome it have a very laid back attitude towards the small stuff, and in general will have a 'live and let live' attitude.

People that have been fortunate in their lives to date to not have any major issues they've had to contend with are much more likely to display this kind of behaviour because on their 'trouble' scale it figures much larger relative to their 'end-of-scale' marker.

In times of the aftermath of an earthquake nobody cares about their chocolate not tasting right.

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I don't know, I also think you have people who have serious problems (like, my baby's daddy ran off when he was 12 days old, my kid can't read, there are crack vials on my street, and my mother needs medicine) deal with those in a fugue (or not at all) and go totally ape at perceived slights to their dignity because that, at least, they think they can control.

You're sketching a pretty sad society.

I disagree. There is some correlation but certainly not the only cause. Especially as there are many people who have not overcome their problems, and this will only exacerbate their attitude.

Many people who have had very troubling backgrounds are very troubled by very small things. My wife works with homeless people and they thrive on the small problems, not able to see the whole picture.

I think that it comes down more to 'control'. Control of their own lives and influence over it, with security and safety. People that have got over difficult situations do feel in control, but they are not the only ones. For example, people who challenge themselves.

Homeless people are in a class of their own, see the very long thread on homeless people who were given some money for a lot of key insights in to what is going on under water in that world.

I would not consider homeless people to be representative of the 'ordinary' people in society, that they behave aberrantly is probably expected rather than an exception.

"Because they don't have any real problems in their lives."

Reminds me of '#firstworldproblems'.

My theory is that if you get older and you're still angry... then you need to figure out real quick how to find peace.

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