Thread: Modern day society

Hii people, it came to my mind recently how depressed and anti-social people are now a days. For instance i was in the mall about a week ago and I Always say hi to people. I did that since i was a little child. It was quite busy at the mall and i said 'hi' to about 10-15 people i think. Not one responden to me. I find it very alarming that people don't take the time or don't wan't to even say 'hello'.

Another thing is the teenagers of today. I live in Holland and we are quite anti-social to say the least. And you see the same in the teenagers, but worse.
For example, they cludge together in groups. They pick on the weak and in every school and every class you have what you could call a foodchain.

Then you have the social media wich is taking over our lives and keep us from engaging in real life contact so to say. It keeps kid and teenagers from
developing social skills. It has alot of advantages but also alot of bad sides, cyberbullying for example. It also enables people to be completely free in what they wan't to say, wich is good to some extend. People often use it in a relationship to either begin one or end one wich is very bad in my opinion. They say things they would never say or do in real life.

Kids are in my opinion the real victoms of this polluted system. Parents are being less and less strict. Take for example this scenerio, two kids of the age of 7. One is called peter and the other Patrick. Peter walks up to Patrick, he starts calling him names and get's physical. Ofcourse Patrick's parents get mad when there kid come's home crying. So they go to peter's parents, the parents ask Peter what he has done. Peter then simply reply's 'It wasn't me' the mother believes him and he never get's punished. Peter grows up to be a bully that never get's punished.

Oh.. didn't mean to post it already, there will be more tommorow

Diary of a pessimist

Dear diary,
I was outside today, and I was appalled at the manners exhibited by those in my surroundings. I observed teenagers being teenagers and I feared for society because children were being bullied, and this never, ever happened 50 or so years ago. I then proceeded to complain about the lack of social skills exhibited by the youth of today as a result of the media, not just the youth but everyone in general (and if you need any proof just say hello to strangers in your local mall). I dislike how they openly express themselves online, those little twits wouldn't have the nerve to do that in real life. I then devised a hypothetical scenario (an excellent thought experiment in my opinion) in which these imaginative characters fitted my stereotypes and deduced that society is going down the gutter, all in all it's been a pretty crappy day so far.

I observed teenagers being teenagers and I feared for society because children were being bullied, and this never, ever happened 50 or so years ago.

We have a lot colored pictures of the past. It not only happened, it probably happened at much higher rates fueled by much stronger prejudices and intolerances and cultural ignorance than today.

There are a few studies from the past:
A 1977 study:
http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1979-03847-001

A 1954 book called "crow boy" mentions over a 100,000 documented cases in the US per year.

Originally Posted by Trivium

I was outside today, and I was appalled at the manners exhibited by those in my surroundings. I observed teenagers being teenagers and I feared for society because children were being bullied, and this never, ever happened 50 or so years ago. I then proceeded to complain about the lack of social skills exhibited by the youth of today as a result of the media, not just the youth but everyone in general (and if you need any proof just say hello to strangers in your local mall). I dislike how they openly express themselves online, those little twits wouldn't have the nerve to do that in real life. I then devised a hypothetical scenario (an excellent thought experiment in my opinion) in which these imaginative characters fitted my stereotypes and deduced that society is going down the gutter, all in all it's been a pretty crappy day so far.

This seems like a viable Poe candidate.
Are you being sarcastic?

Not a new observation:

Originally Posted by Socrates

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they allow disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children now are tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.

Every generation says the same thing about the next

Originally Posted by PhDemon

Every generation says the same thing about the next

And do you know who's fault it is?
The same generation that complains about them!

Because they are the generation that helped raise them and implemented laws to affect their health / education / etc.
Therefore, every time someone says "The youth of today are out of control" we should reply with "Why didn't you help raise them properly, then?"

Originally Posted by RedPanda

Originally Posted by PhDemon

Every generation says the same thing about the next

And do you know who's fault it is?
The same generation that complains about them!

Because they are the generation that helped raise them and implemented laws to affect their health / education / etc.
Therefore, every time someone says "The youth of today are out of control" we should reply with "Why didn't you help raise them properly, then?"

This is kind of interesting, because at one level, we the parents have to be the night watchman, and at the other level, the youth have to be youthful, full of anticipating energy, wanting to know whats new. Well to some extent I agree that we the parents have allowed our children to move a little too far to the everything goes marker. in the final analysis it is the marker that the adults set that one aims for. Can we question this marker for anything? yes we can we can check it for moving too fast with technology as one example. Some kids have three phones and a computer in their pockets. The most activated search engine on the computer is Google.

Originally Posted by Trivium

Diary of a pessimist

Dear diary,
I was outside today, and I was appalled at the manners exhibited by those in my surroundings. I observed teenagers being teenagers and I feared for society because children were being bullied, and this never, ever happened 50 or so years ago. I then proceeded to complain about the lack of social skills exhibited by the youth of today as a result of the media, not just the youth but everyone in general (and if you need any proof just say hello to strangers in your local mall). I dislike how they openly express themselves online, those little twits wouldn't have the nerve to do that in real life. I then devised a hypothetical scenario (an excellent thought experiment in my opinion) in which these imaginative characters fitted my stereotypes and deduced that society is going down the gutter, all in all it's been a pretty crappy day so far.

Perhaps you are right. I am a bit of a pessimist. But as for the topic, you may have exageratted it, but it is what i mean. I am convinced that we should think about what the world has come to. It´s not just the social part, as i said ´there will be more´.Be honest, if you would look at how people treated one another, don´t you think some
things are just not right ?

Originally Posted by spokydepo

I am convinced that we should think about what the world has come to. It´s not just the social part, as i said ´there will be more´.Be honest, if you would look at how people treated one another, don´t you think some
things are just not right ?

All you have wrong is you seem to think that it was better in the past, when by the evidence it was not only worse, but MUCH worse in the past than it is at present. I doubt you'll get any argument that we have a long ways to go both in terms of respecting each other as individuals, non-harmful cultural characteristics as well as the environment.

I was born in 59, the few bad social moments were very few and far between, there were bullies then as there are today but times are different between then and now, I don't see anyone doing block parties anymore but I see plenty of kids that while they aren't fully cognizant of the things going on around them, most of them are polite and aren't trying to cause trouble, they're just looking for something to do, just like it's always been. I think media is somewhat to blame, they only find the worst of us to do stories about. What makes it seem like more is that it is getting reported where as in the past most of it was kept from the whole of society.

Originally Posted by siledre

I was born in 59, the few bad social moments were very few and far between, there were bullies then as there are today but times are different between then and now, I don't see anyone doing block parties anymore but I see plenty of kids that while they aren't fully cognizant of the things going on around them, most of them are polite and aren't trying to cause trouble, they're just looking for something to do, just like it's always been. I think media is somewhat to blame, they only find the worst of us to do stories about. What makes it seem like more is that it is getting reported where as in the past most of it was kept from the whole of society.

We are about the same age. Read some history books and social reports from that age if you don't think there were social problems...yikes things like nearly a quarter of men loosing their virginity to farm animals, black churches being blown up, civil right leadership being assassinated, the 50s the American highest point of teenage pregnancy (and mother's deaths from butchers doing abortions), rampant discrimination with blacks making less than half of white, unable to ride on the bus where they wanted, drink from a water fountain they wanted, eat breakfast or hold a job in the place they wanted, incest happening in 1 in 6 families and often told they were lying by law enforcement even when there were obvious physical signs of abuse.

So while you might have been fortunate to have had reality hidden from you while growing up, families were being shattered and cities burning by the social problems you were ignorant of. It a lot of ways the 50s and 60s were the postal child for social problems--and our dawning awareness and rejection of them.

Generation blame: How age affects our views of anti-social behavior
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140123222332.htm


I thought this was an interesting article about how our perceptions change as we age. The funniest comment was "It is notable -- and worrying -- that young people's presence in public places, regardless of their behaviour, was considered to be an ASB (antisocial behavior) by four in ten adults." Although some negative perceptions were related to different attitudes about specific acts (swearing or skateboarding) they also showed that it didn't always matter what the groups of kids were doing.

I think how much one identifies with a group of individuals probably determines whether you see them as positive, neutral or a potential threat. When we were young, other unknown teenagers were potential friends or at least something interesting. When we're older we suspect they must be "up to something."

Originally Posted by DianeG

When we're older we suspect they must be "up to something."

Global warming!
The disappearance of Spangles!
Changing Marathon into Snickers!

The little bastards.

Every generation says the same thing about the next

Yep, I concur. I was bullied over 50 years ago in school but "took care" of the kid myself.

i will never say hi to an unknown people in real life, for me its quite awkward. but definitely i will reply back if someone just randomly say hi to me. i truly agree that the old generation will complain about the new generation's behavior. my neighbor (my mum's friend) who is from the older generation will simply say ones is a very arrogant person if we never try to say hi to her. sometimes i'm just being shy (introvert maybe), not trying to be arrogant. its never easy to satisfies others need

I say "Aloha" and "Hello" to people all the time, everywhere I travel, live, and usually I'm met with a greeting or at least a smile....which is a form of acknowledgement.

I will not stop just because others don't be them young or old.

I however don't go to malls much as in maybe twice a year.....and people there IMHO aren't the gauge of people in general.

I have always found a smile and a greeting, without requiring further engagement welcome.

Originally Posted by spokydepo

Then you have the social media wich is taking over our lives and keep us from engaging in real life contact so to say ...

Social media—in my case forums like this one—allow me to have contact with numerous people from around the globe every day.

I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to share our thoughts and test our logic against a wide variety of personalities, opinions and cultures.

Social media can be shallow, but it also can be far more than that.

It's what you make of it. Just like life.

in my place. An always 'stay at home' girls are very good. i'm not one of them. i always jog around the house, walking on my own to the shops, my mom encourage me about jogging around the village, she said ignore other peoples!..but nowadays, we cannot expect 'stay at home' girls are very good. some of them even got secret lovers and being bad behind their parents. in this case, parents must know their friends, and check their internet connection. i know one case at my place where the always 'stay at home girl' get pregnant. i was shock because i never see the daughter loitering around, even the parents sent her to the college every week.. im being out of topic i think

Shazzy I don't know your age, so dont' know what a "Stay at Home" girl is.

My daughter and son were allowed the same freedoms. We discussed what we hoped they would do, as in responsibility and set some boundaries, and they did fine. Neither of my kids were "stay at home" kids....they were "always out" kids.

They grew up just fine.

Sometimes girls get pregnant, and are not married. It happens, and it is tough on the family and the mother, however it isn't right to judge. Sometimes all humans make bad choices.

believe me, i will be 25 this year

what i can say about modern day society is, more people become mentally ill. suicide and murder. the most frightening is when i heard the news about a father killing his own child. or a child killing their own families.

Originally Posted by shazzy

i will never say hi to an unknown people in real life, for me its quite awkward. but definitely i will reply back if someone just randomly say hi to me. i truly agree that the old generation will complain about the new generation's behavior. my neighbor (my mum's friend) who is from the older generation will simply say ones is a very arrogant person if we never try to say hi to her. sometimes i'm just being shy (introvert maybe), not trying to be arrogant. its never easy to satisfies others need

Well, it may depend on the environment one grew up in, not just age. I grew up in the suburbs and lived in big cities most of my adult life and moved to a rural area, a township with 250 residents on an island of about 10,000 people. It didn't take me long to realize that I am by local standards socially retarded. I really have to force my self to remember the names of people I meet and pay attention - to actually look - at the people around me in line at the bank or in stores, or they will think I am ignoring them or snubbing them on purpose. But it's a hard habit to adopt after living in cities of 2.5 million people, where you are unlikely to know anyone in a crowd as you go about your business. Here, you have to memorize what cars people drive so that you won't neglect to wave if you pass them on the road. If you waved at people while driving around a big city like Cleveland , the cops would pul you over.

I remember when I waved to this man on the golf course on the Mainland. He was new to our area and we wave and say hello to people all the time!! He thought I was flipping him off! He wasn't USED to people being friendly. Only indifferent. Even in the suburbs that I grew up in people said hello, and neighbors helped neighbors. They still do. Not as much, though. It's a shame!

If I don't know a person, then it depends if I say hello or not. If not, then I don't know.

Hey guys. So i've been away for quite along time. I had to deal with some personal issieus. Anyway, i read through all the reply's quickly and I have to say I partially changed my mind. I've come to realize there was not much thought in what i said, i still stand by it, mosty. Anyway, i got something else for you guys. I mentioned that i had to deal with some problems, well one of them was my addiction to weed, wich I'm not proud of. Today i got a message from a person i used to smoke weed with, saying that he wanted to meet up. I did, and as we started talking the conversation started to take a real hostile turn. He said that i owed his cousin money, wich I don't. So that was really weird. After a quite scary discussion about who that cousin was he decided to take my phone and just walk away. Imagine a 18 year old guy robbing a 15 year old kid who his 3 heads smaller then him. So i was wondering what drives this kind of behaviour ? I figured it was mostly the addiction that drove him to it as he's probaply a addict to. Although there should be more behind this guy, I dont know him very well so i can't really tell. Again this shows what society is coming to.

So i was wondering what drives this kind of behaviour ?

Generally it's related to - Imagine a 18 year old guy robbing a 15 year old kid who his 3 heads smaller then him.

People who have power can choose to abuse it. And this person did.

Originally Posted by spokydepo

Again this shows what society is coming to.

I wouldn't assume that modern society is necessarily worse than it was in the past. Most western countries are far safer, with lower levels of crime and violence, than in the past.

But that's a bitch about your phone. Sorry to hear that.

Originally Posted by Strange

Originally Posted by spokydepo

Again this shows what society is coming to.

I wouldn't assume that modern society is necessarily worse than it was in the past. Most western countries are far safer, with lower levels of crime and violence, than in the past.

But that's a bitch about your phone. Sorry to hear that.

Most western countries are far safer, with lower levels of crime and violence, than in the past.

I think the statistic is indicating that it is better to have more weapons and technological capabilities because it diminishes crime.
There are more weapons out there than ever before, yet we have less crime? There are more bombs out there now than in the first world war, yet we have less deaths? Strange I know you are going to accuse me of not understanding, but before you do that, are those statistics you are using up to date?

Strange said most Western countries. But when you look at a violent Western society like the USA, even there, rates of murder and rape are really, truly going down. (The rates of extreme violence in other parts of the world are another matter entirely.)

We see a lot more news reports about such things, but that doesn't mean that the statistics of actual events line up with the scary headlines.

Sorry about your phone. He was bigger, and stronger and knew you couldn't really do much. Abuse of power, and basically stealing.

Adelady, I really really like your comment! I think it is spot on!!

Peter grows up to be a bully that never get's punished.

Or he gets his ass kicked by someone who won't take his crap. It happened in the 1950's for I was the one who did just that, took care of a bully at school when he tried to bully me. He broke his back when I pushed him down the stairs and never returned to my school.

Originally Posted by Stargate

I think the statistic is indicating that it is better to have more weapons and technological capabilities because it diminishes crime.

Yeah?
Homicide:
USA, guns available to the public:
The US homicide rate, which has declined substantially since 1992 from a rate per 100,000 persons of 9.8 to 4.8 in 2010, is still among the highest in the industrialized world.
UK, guns not available:
1 per 100,000.

Violent crimes:

USA	4.7	26.8	113	241
UK, Scotland	2.66	20	60	117
UK, England/Wales	2.6	64	157	-

There are more bombs out there now than in the first world war, yet we have less deaths?

WTF do (military) bombs have to do with crime?

[QUOTE=Stargate;550643]

Originally Posted by Strange

I think the statistic is indicating that it is better to have more weapons and technological capabilities because it diminishes crime.
There are more weapons out there than ever before, yet we have less crime? There are more bombs out there now than in the first world war, yet we have less deaths? Strange I know you are going to accuse me of not understanding, but before you do that, are those statistics you are using up to date?

I wonder which has been a bigger deterrent in reducing one-on-one violence in the last 20 years or so, handguns or cell phones with cameras. Even world leaders like Putin know that almost every damn thing they do is going to be recorded and all over Twitter or on the Daily Show in 24 hours.

There are more weapons out there than ever before, yet we have less crime?

And if you lived in a country like Japan or New Zealand where weapons are restricted you'd have even less murder. The important thing is that the USA is experiencing less such crime despite the incredible availability of guns. If you had fewer guns, you'd do even better.

But you should acknowledge the reality of less crime anyway. Check the wiki Crime in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[QUOTE=DianeG;550921]

Originally Posted by Stargate

Originally Posted by Strange

I think the statistic is indicating that it is better to have more weapons and technological capabilities because it diminishes crime.
There are more weapons out there than ever before, yet we have less crime? There are more bombs out there now than in the first world war, yet we have less deaths? Strange I know you are going to accuse me of not understanding, but before you do that, are those statistics you are using up to date?

I wonder which has been a bigger deterrent in reducing one-on-one violence in the last 20 years or so, handguns or cell phones with cameras. Even world leaders like Putin know that almost every damn thing they do is going to be recorded and all over Twitter or on the Daily Show in 24 hours.

Funny thing, you see people grabbing there cellphone to start recording before trying to help (Ofcourse it could also be to call the emergency number). Here we have a commercial in wich a guy is hanging from a cliff and a women just stands there filming it for YouTube. It is a bit extreme ofcourse but it does actually happen.

I doubt the reductions have anything to do with increased deterrents--that probably has never played a big role. In Western nations, it probably has a lot more to do with ability to women to have abortions before they are prepared to raise them and better education for the most impoverished.

A lot of the reduced crime might have something to do with the baby boomers getting older too.
Old folks do not commit rape murder and blasphemy as often as kids do.

Originally Posted by dan hunter

A lot of the reduced crime might have something to do with the baby boomers getting older too.
Old folks do not commit rape murder and blasphemy as often as kids do.

*chuckle*....only when you leave the toilet seat up and I fall in the toilet..

Originally Posted by spokydepo

Funny thing, you see people grabbing there cellphone to start recording before trying to help (Ofcourse it could also be to call the emergency number). Here we have a commercial in wich a guy is hanging from a cliff and a women just stands there filming it for YouTube. It is a bit extreme ofcourse but it does actually happen.

True. And people have criticized journalists for recording events and not intervening. But I would argue that no one would know about Rodney King if some one hadn't recorded and broadcast it. He'd be just another guy who got beat up.

Originally Posted by DianeG

Originally Posted by spokydepo

Funny thing, you see people grabbing there cellphone to start recording before trying to help (Ofcourse it could also be to call the emergency number). Here we have a commercial in wich a guy is hanging from a cliff and a women just stands there filming it for YouTube. It is a bit extreme ofcourse but it does actually happen.

True. And people have criticized journalists for recording events and not intervening. But I would argue that no one would know about Rodney King if some one hadn't recorded and broadcast it. He'd be just another guy who got beat up.

I don't have anything against journalists recording things it's there job after all. I think it's messed up they have to fear for there life trying to bring us the stuff that's happening in Russia for example. But if you're kid is walking towards a main road full of traffic you have to take take her/him away from it instead of filming. I actually saw this happening riding home from school, thankfully nothing happened.