Mental illness does that. Also many other things, like going hungry.

> Compared to when they couldn't broadcast it.

In some mythical past or a real point in time? When people where never emotion-driven and completely rational 500 years ago? 1500? 5000?

> Mental illness does that. Also many other things, like going hungry.

No, being hungry doesn't have to make you helpless, and doesn't for most people. Locus of control isn't about actual control, it's about feeling that your actions actually impact things. A prisoner in a dungeon could feel in control in a way that a free and wealthy person may not.

The over-medicalization of problems (even if they are at root, medical) contributes to learned helplessness. And this is one of the biggest things to revert when helping a depressed person, to prove that they can indeed influence events.

> > Compared to when they couldn't broadcast it.

> In some mythical past or a real point in time?

I first saw a sob story followed by a pay-me link on LiveJournal ~20 years ago. This is around when it became practical for people to beg to the world. Before this you either went to friends and family, or were just able to complain (not collect money) so there wasn't the same motive. And twenty years before that people pretty much didn't have any editorial reach unless they owned the media so the weaponized sob story was just employed by panhandlers and family.

> When people where never emotion-driven and completely rational 500 years ago? 1500? 5000?

You're having this argument with yourself because those are words you're trying to shove into my mouth. I'm talking about the ability to be performative effectively, not about emotion. These are actually two totally unrelated things. Many emotional people don't dump this on others, and many performative people aren't feeling what they claim to be suffering.