Dateless Jesinta Campbell - A sign we really are feeling miserable!

There were two unrelated articles in Melbourne's Herald-Sun this morning that underscored the veracity of the other. Australia's Miss Congeniality winner in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant, Jesinta Campbell, can't get a date with a footballer or similar to go to the world's most boring televised ritual, the AFL's Brownlow Medal.

The other article was commentary from one of the nation's leading social demographers and researchers, Bernard Salt, on a recent Australian Government survey that found we're all quite anxious and dissatisfied, despite being wealthier than we've ever been.

When a hot-looking Jesinta can't get a date, there are possibly only two conclusions:

• Our aspirations and taste for quality 'brands' are excessively high. What's a woman supposed to look like to get a date, if Jesinta isn't good enough? From what I've seen, she can even hold a decent conversation!
• We've completely lost our self-confidence and our sense of adventure, even our sexuality, has been suppressed by an overwhelming fear of rejection!

As Bernard pointed out, there has been an amazing confluence of factors that have contributed to record wealth - a level undreamed of by the children of the Depression and WWII eras. But instead of celebrating our good fortune, we are anxious about house affordability, growing urban violence and the state of the environment. Paradoxically, all these anxieties are, in some measure, a by-product of our increased wealth.

So what is the solution? Well, if you're still feeling positive about the state of the nation and your sense of self, there's still time. Don a footy guernsey, grab a Sherrin and impress Jesinta. I know sitting through the Brownlow is a real downer, but would you notice?