Pleasure or Reality

Freud discovered the "pleasure principle." If a person is confronted with facing reality that is often upsetting or turning to pleasure he or she will choose pleasure most of the time.
I wanted to test this theory so I have been bringing up the possibility of hyperinflation and a loss of personal wealth to people I know. It is safe to say that eight out of ten people I approach appear not to know current events, say very little, and often change the subject.