> A crisis of unhappiness in this country
I think he was right to say "this country". I've been places where, by all objective measures, the people have it much worse, but I don't get the sense that they're unhappy the way that we are.
> As for who's selling it; basically everyone is
If that we're the case, it would be happening everywhere. We'd just call it the human condition. The contrast upon returning to the US wouldn't feel so stark.
I think there is a relatively small demographic who is selling the uniquely dissatisfying American worldview much more strongly than the rest of us are. And conscious or otherwise, they have their reasons.
If we start ignoring the programming en masse, I expect they'll switch to less subtle means of control.
I'm not saying we shouldn't do it. I think everyone should trip at least once precisely because it helps you cast off habits of mind that aren't serving you. But when that capability is in everybody's toolkit... Well I think it's going to be a bumpy ride. Worth taking, but bumpy.
When I say everyone is selling it, what I mean is that if they have bought into it, they are propagating it as a normative worldview. I think is accurate and the only way such ideas survive. It is systemic and relies on Broad acceptance. At the center, it depends on hundreds of millions of people believing in it.
It is helpful to step outside of that system and get a radically different perspective. Psychedelics are just one way to do this, and probably not even the best. The challenge is that even after experiencing that perspective, you step back into a world where everyone believes something different and you start to forget.
The solution is pretty simple. For one you have to make an intentional effort to be present in your life and live it in a way you find meaningful, despite external forces trying to convince you otherwise. Second, you have to surround yourself with friends and loved ones that reinforce this healthy world view.
In the end, I think I'm less cynical than you are. I don't think there are more powerful tools for mind control waiting to be deployed. I also don't think it would be a bumpy ride if more people took control of their lives to improve their happiness. Life and society would simply get better and better as more people did so.
That's a complex question and I probably don't have the perfect answer. If I were to take a stab at it I would say the top causes are consumerism, politics, and trained helplessness are at the top of the list.
As for who's selling it; basiclly everyone is. Individuals and companies want you to think that whatever they are selling will make you happy. Politicians want you to think you need them to do good in the world. Your neighbors want you to be impressed with their good values and status.
In my experience and opinion, once people escape, the behavior changes in that they start actually doing things that make them happy, opposed to things that they are told should make them happy. This can take an infinite number of forms. It might mean going out and helping your neighbors instead of watching political news. It might be going for a walk instead of watching Netflix. It might mean reading a book instead of browsing twitter.