November 15, 2012
The November 8th USA Today featured a pot leaf on the masthead of its sports section. In the wake of all the doping scandals we’ve been enduring in baseball and cycling for what seems like forever, a pot leaf on the front page of the sports section seems… misplaced. But it’s definitely an illustration of our changing society. Sports used to be about the perfection of human potential. Nowadays, any record high, pun intended, is immediately scrutinized for drug enhancement.
Not that marijuana is a performance enhancing drug, unless speed-munching a bag of Doritos is the challenge. It’s just that it’s incredible how differently society now regards drug use: Support for marijuana legalization is above 50% for the first time in US history. 2 states have legalized the recreational use of the drug. We said that authorities would at first be staunch in their opposition toward relaxing restrictions on drug use, and the regulatory wings of the NFL, NBA, and MLB all announced that no athletes in their associations would receive exemptions from bans on drug use, even in Washington or Colorado. The federal government has also condemned the measures. The folks in charge are always the last to change their mind. Click here to read more about historical shifts in social attitudes toward marijuana.
If you look closely, you can see patterns in social mood that help you predict social trends. Learn more with the Socionomics Premier Membership.
The Socionomist enables you to see trend-shaping waves of social mood, as reflected by the stock market — and capitalize on them. The June issue looks at phases of social mood and features a “Research Roundup,” which highlights five academic studies that shine a light on important aspects of socionomic theory. Mood Riffs topics include “quiet luxury,” loneliness, the Writers Guild strike and efforts by countries to trade in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Read the June issue when you become a Socionomics Premier Member.
