I have a groundbreaking theory about prolonged playing of contact sports, traumatic brain injury, and far right politics… You generally don’t hear these headlines about tennis/soccer players, or nearly as often about basketball/baseball players.
As someone who enjoys American football and hockey, it’s a damn shame that we still paint athletes as role models.
True, but if it was a truly excruciating habitat humans weren’t likely to live there or would have an adapted lifestyle. For example your community is only active around dawn/dusk or travels to better climates in certain seasons or is restricted to coastal villages.
Climate control has convinced us it’s totally normal to build homes in hell-scapes where humans have no business living. Like Death Valley CA or anywhere in Ohio.
When you don’t live in constant AC you can tolerate a surprisingly wide range of temps. Houses were also built to have better airflow and adaptability (removable shutters, awnings, textiles, isolated room heating, etc…). There was also more emphasis on personal temperature regulation: layering, hats, airy/sun blocking robes, heated stones, hot water containers, etc…
Outside of extreme weather events, people were probably just as comfortable but with more inconvenience.
I think reinforced digital isolation is a big part of the problem. This is something that could be solved by calling the service phone number or asking at the library or a help group, a doctor’s office etc… It might be extra hoops to jump through but there’s not any physical or communication barrier completely blocking her. Instead she clicks a button and gets a form and automatically feels completely helpless.
A 20 page form should take like ~30-45 minutes with help, it’s not a huge ask and doesn’t require as strong of a support network as some people in this thread are claiming. She’s got a phone and can read and talk, the only thing that could lower this hurdle further is support information being stapled to the front of the form.
Now it’s a different issue once the bureaucracy requires multiple followups, workday visits, transportation for evaluation, etc…
That’s true, it’s a combination of factors. A big part is the insular nature of the team and coaching as you go higher up the ladder. If you’re not thanking God in your post-win interview you’re a “locker room problem”; if you want a coaching job after you retire you’ve gotta be on good terms with the good ol’ boys network.
I do think that the brain damage does compound heavily though. I know Mormons who get out and become well adjusted people later in life; the semi-pro football players I know get more irrational and violent as the CTE sets in.