Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop
I read this piece in the Atlantic a while back, about homeless and meth, and was totally depressed. Not sure that anyone has a policy solution for this.
As for Shellenberger's incredible research, Scott Alexander says he repeatedly offers a much-needed corrective to the way progressives overstate social-science research, and then proceeds to overstate things the same way himself. It's one thing to do lots of research, but another to represent that research in an even-handed way. |
That's a lovely feel good piece.
The author nails the issue. There are no villains. I'd go beyond the assessment this applies to meth and say it applies to most severe addictions that land people on skid row. These folks have simply been bulldozed by a ruthlessly unforgiving system in which they could not make it.
It's said the US is s great place if you've some money, but an utterly miserable place if you don't. That seems true. This would mean it's a horrific place if you've no money and fall into addiction to hard drugs. And those two tend to follow each other. Met any well heeled meth heads lately?
But what's the fix? How does one achieve a positive result to this equation:
Increasingly more people without marketable skills + A country in which cost of living is high and economic success is increasingly difficult to attain = ?
