Are we all becoming horrendously selfish?
Discussion
I can hardly pick up a paper or read the news these days without seeing an article about self entitlement or lack of consideration for others...the appalling jogger pushing a woman out of his way, the people vandalizing cars that were parked on "their" street and so on. The web is full of justifications as to why its acceptable to park in disabled spaces for a short while, or take two parking spaces to protect a flash car, and the endless sneering at people who dress badly, fat people, old people who drive too slow and so on.
In truth, I do not get particularly irritated at trivia or at the behaviour of others, but I am more mystified by the apparently endless growth in me-first behaviour than anything else. I think the web has also created a forum where politeness is less of a value than "directness" as in "you complete idiot, I cannot even begin to react to your stupidity" or far more colourful language.
Quite possibly I have this wrong, but it does seem to be a far more uncivil and selfish society than in the past..
In truth, I do not get particularly irritated at trivia or at the behaviour of others, but I am more mystified by the apparently endless growth in me-first behaviour than anything else. I think the web has also created a forum where politeness is less of a value than "directness" as in "you complete idiot, I cannot even begin to react to your stupidity" or far more colourful language.
Quite possibly I have this wrong, but it does seem to be a far more uncivil and selfish society than in the past..
It's not a recent phenomenon, it's been getting worse gradually over the last few decades amd social media has played a big part in it.
I read an article recently that a group of teenagers on the bank of a river came across someone in difficulty in the water. Rather than help or phone for help they just filmed the poor person drowning.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/metro.co.uk/2017/07/2...
I read an article recently that a group of teenagers on the bank of a river came across someone in difficulty in the water. Rather than help or phone for help they just filmed the poor person drowning.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/metro.co.uk/2017/07/2...
More and more we are growing an entitlement culture, 'had an accident which wasn't your fault' compo claims for whiplash, compo for a supposed bug throughout your entire holiday, the same one where you were video'd dancing around the pool, PPI, et all. It's one American import which we could do without. Hell, I even heard one advert recently encouraging you to sue the NHS if they'd made a mistake, p
s off!
Also parenting standards regarding manners and not swearing in front of your children appear to be going out of the window, leading to generally selfish disrespectful individuals. Only yesterday some fat council bint nearly pulled out on me on a roundabout, car full of young kids, she was on her phone not concentrating. She only stopped coming out as I horned her and made a phone to my ear gesture - 'FK OFF YOU CT!' was her response. My first thought was that her kids were going to grow up to be lovely individuals.
ETA
Please don't circumnavigate the swear filter it's there for a reason.
s off!Also parenting standards regarding manners and not swearing in front of your children appear to be going out of the window, leading to generally selfish disrespectful individuals. Only yesterday some fat council bint nearly pulled out on me on a roundabout, car full of young kids, she was on her phone not concentrating. She only stopped coming out as I horned her and made a phone to my ear gesture - 'F
K OFF YOU CT!' was her response. My first thought was that her kids were going to grow up to be lovely individuals. ETA
Please don't circumnavigate the swear filter it's there for a reason.
Edited by Big Al. on Friday 11th August 08:54
OP: you're in Toronto. Don't reduce yourself to reading the Daily Soovy online, please!
Canada, in my experience, has the most polite people living there. It's one of my favourite places on this planet....I look forward to every trip there, my next being to Toronto in October, even if it is for work.
Canada, in my experience, has the most polite people living there. It's one of my favourite places on this planet....I look forward to every trip there, my next being to Toronto in October, even if it is for work.
Chat to anyone who's worked in customer service for a number of years and they'll tell you that abuse by customers is getting worse. So many places now fear getting a bad rep on social media that there's very few managers who are willing to do to defend staff against thoroughly unacceptable behaviour.
OP, sounds like you are kicking off another "Moral Panic" 
This is nothing new, when I did my dissertation years ago I recall a book (might have been "Folk Devils and Moral Panics" by Stanley Cohen, it's on an Amiga in the loft so can't confirm)
Which contained a quotation about disorderly youths running a mock, upsetting people's property and using bad language and stating how the youth of today is getting worse, and certainly worse than when the author was young, etc. Could easily have been in the Express or Mail but was actually from the 16th Century.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_panic
I imagine in ten to twenty years time the Company Directors writing on PH of the day will be observing how things are getting worse and certainly a lot worse than in the olden days just before we left something called the EU
This is nothing new, when I did my dissertation years ago I recall a book (might have been "Folk Devils and Moral Panics" by Stanley Cohen, it's on an Amiga in the loft so can't confirm)
Which contained a quotation about disorderly youths running a mock, upsetting people's property and using bad language and stating how the youth of today is getting worse, and certainly worse than when the author was young, etc. Could easily have been in the Express or Mail but was actually from the 16th Century.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_panic
I imagine in ten to twenty years time the Company Directors writing on PH of the day will be observing how things are getting worse and certainly a lot worse than in the olden days just before we left something called the EU
No, not really.
The jogger incident in news because it's a rare event. If runners were pushing people under buses all the time then it wouldn't have been reported. We'll probably find the guy has some sort of mental health issue.
On the whole most people are decent. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen strangers go to people's aid over the years. Done it myself and I'm sure you have as well.
The jogger incident in news because it's a rare event. If runners were pushing people under buses all the time then it wouldn't have been reported. We'll probably find the guy has some sort of mental health issue.
On the whole most people are decent. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen strangers go to people's aid over the years. Done it myself and I'm sure you have as well.
ash73 said:
There hasn't been a major conflict for a generation, I wonder if that is a factor?
I think it probably is; historically we tend to come together as a nation in times of war then drift back towards self-interest and small-scale tribalism in times of peace. Of course people also tend to seem more selfish during recessions because they see their own quality of life falling and look for someone else to blame; be it "the immigrants", "the benefits scroungers", "the rich",... just anyone except "me".
Edited by kambites on Friday 11th August 08:53
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