Sociologists have a special term for Chainsaw Affective Disorder (CAD). The term is relative deprivation. I was driving home listening to talk radio (Jay Severin) when he mentioned this phenomenon.
Here's a cut-n-paste definition from some random website:
relative deprivation
(20TH CENTURY)
A theory of the causes of social and political discontent.
People are roused to action as a result not of absolute changes in their material conditions but of changes relative to the circumstances of those with whom they compare themselves.
Source:
W G Runciman, Relative Deprivation and Social Justice (London, 1966)
It all makes sense now: join AS, "see" that mostly all the members have an excess of chainsaws, ported saws with high compression, 9 tooth sprockets, 10 tooth, etc. and soon the little saw sitting in the garage (even though it's a trusty performer and served you well for years) starts to look lame by comparison.
So, there's no change in your material condition (you still have the same trustworthy Farm Boss or Rancher that you always had) but relative to the other AS gang with 8, 10 or 32 saws, you're way behind the curve.
Now that I've figured this out, I need to get my friend to sell me his EHP 880!!
Here's a cut-n-paste definition from some random website:
relative deprivation
(20TH CENTURY)
A theory of the causes of social and political discontent.
People are roused to action as a result not of absolute changes in their material conditions but of changes relative to the circumstances of those with whom they compare themselves.
Source:
W G Runciman, Relative Deprivation and Social Justice (London, 1966)
It all makes sense now: join AS, "see" that mostly all the members have an excess of chainsaws, ported saws with high compression, 9 tooth sprockets, 10 tooth, etc. and soon the little saw sitting in the garage (even though it's a trusty performer and served you well for years) starts to look lame by comparison.
So, there's no change in your material condition (you still have the same trustworthy Farm Boss or Rancher that you always had) but relative to the other AS gang with 8, 10 or 32 saws, you're way behind the curve.
Now that I've figured this out, I need to get my friend to sell me his EHP 880!!
