Is our society becoming less civil?

I dont like to think of everyone, or groups of everyone as a whole, and I try to avoid it if I can (sometimes I admit its difficult) I dont think I am any less civil than I should be (haha) I try to be polite even when it causes an inconvenience to me, ( like when someone asks me to do something for them, have a hard time saying no etc)

Ive always been raised to be respectful, and I think my brothers are as well. Every so often people lose tempers, or have a moment or whatever, but I like to think that those are temporary.. like even the Kanye thing.. dude is arrogant and what he did is completely rude and uncalled for, but I bet that given the opportunity to do it over again, he would not do it a second time. I think most of us, even if we believed what he did at that time, that someone else deserved her award, would have not done the same thing.

I think thats whats most important, everyone makes mistakes, and its when you know you messed up and youre willing to admit it and fess up, to try to make up for the shit you know was out of line, is what matters most. If he had been claiming still today that he was totally within his rights to do as he did, and was not sorry, then perhaps, he , would be considered less civilized in my eyes. What he did was uncalled for, but I could see it being something that oculd be forgiven if he is sincere.

I dont think though that other people should be considered less because of what a few have done due to poor taste, lack of judgement, or poor manners.

Well I mean in general. I saw a special on tv about how sometimes, if given the opportunity to do something that may slightly inconvenience, or maybe they have to go out of their way to help someone, quite a few people wouldn't. At least the ones showcased.

Holding the door open - God damn. More often than not, people don't do this, even if they see me struggling with a stroller. But then take my 10 year old, who will literally stand and hold open a door for not just me, but the next 10 people coming through it. I literally have to drag her away sometimes, but she wants to be helpful and I'm thankful for that.

I suppose it comes down to common courtesy. Coming up my parents were really strict with my brother and I and insisted that we be polite to adults. It was so ingrained in me that at 19 years old, I called my first boss (who was maybe 25) Miss. Shields my first day...ALL DAY...till she told me to just call her Sarah. I'm 35 now and found a junior high school's friend whom I have always called Mrs. Wilbanks, even when I saw her at 24. I call her Denise now because she divorced and honestly I can't remember her last name.

Kids these days? I'd be lucky if they didn't knock me down cutting in front of me to run out a door. It's ridiculous. I've snapped at kids at Catherine's school age building.

'Hey!'
Kid turns around.
'What do you say?'
Blank look from kid.
'What do you say? What do you say?!'
'I'm sorry, excuse me??' Runs off scared.

Kids annoy me though.

hehe Dawson, my 9 year old, actually got an award last year for holding a door open for someone. I thought it was odd but I was proud of him. He has alway sbeen very respectful and considerate, very selfless little boy. I thought it was odd, but I could understand why they gave him an award, making a n example of him and rewarding good behavior is a good thing.

I think we arent less civilized than we were say, 200 years ago.. 500..1000 years ago.. if you read history and you know the sorts of things people did to other peopl e then as entertainment, punishment, or status it was terrible.

I think that the bad things get blown up often, especially in the last 60 years or so since TVs have gone into every living room, and that things that shock or anger people are showcased and repeated just for shock value. I think its up to us to treat people how we would like to be treated, and teach our kids to do the same, and we can't really do anything else. If we dont care, then we will gradually become less civilized. But I dont personally believe that the majority of people have become less civilized.

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With all the emphasis on PC shit these days? No.

I agree though we just see more bad examples now than we used to, via tv and the movies.

I mean seriously...even movies about 'bad guys', that were made in the 30s and 40s show a much more civilized people even when depicting criminals, but I doubt seriously that real criminals were like that.

I see a deterioration in respect and attitude by young ones to older ones. Having worked in a High School office, it was glaringly obvious that kids don't accord adults the same levels of respect that I recall having shown adults when I was a teen.

You just didn't backchat, let alone swear, at an adult. Kids that dared got into huge trouble. Now it is so commonplace it doesn't even seem to surprise or shock anyone. I think it is sad that there isn't some attempt to maintain basic levels of decency, it certainly wouldn't be a bad thing.

We're so worried about being PC anymore that no one takes responsibility for their own actions.

I'm not sure I agree, but then I don't see the number of kids you do either.

I do remember my best friend in junior high though. She was an only child, product of a second marriage for both her parents, who were older, having already raised one set of kids to adulthood. Whether it was their age, or that she was just spoiled, I'm not sure, but I never in my entire life saw anyone treat their mother the way she treated hers. Talk about back talk! And this was over 30 years ago. I'm sure the reason this had such an impact on me is I remember thinking I would have been dead several times over if I had ever just used the tone of voice she used when talking to her mom.

I do know I see a lot more kids in public who seem to have no clear cut knowledge of appropriate behavior when in public, and I'm sure that's because their parents let them get away with all kinds of shit at home.

When my parents were in high school, my uncle brought a horse into the class room

Both of them ditched, and partied, and dated, and my dad electrocuted his step mom (attaching wires to his doorknob so that when she tried to snoop in his room shed get shocked) ended up getting kicked out of his house and forced to live in his dad's auto body shop. That was all what, 40 years ago or more?

I dont know, I think kids, especially teens and preteens, are more prone to mistakes and disrespect than anyone else. I think judging society as a whole on teens and media highlighted instances is kinda unfair to everyone else. Part of growing up is learning what not to do, I like to think ive outgrown alot of the shit I did when i was a kid.

I suppose the instant communication and media frenzy over our celebrities really brings the entire thing into focus. We've probably always been this way - we just see more of it now.

I didn't vote, but I do think our society is lacking human to human communication or something. It ends up leading to people saying and doing things they most likely would never have 20 years ago. They get out in the public and they go apeshit because that's what they're used to doing on the internet.

You get 80 year olds on cell phones.. I just think that's so strange! I hear people talking about their sex lives in the grocery store. It's just nuts.

I really didn't think much of it but I just went to check the mail and some asshole teenagers driving by in a car yelled "cocksucker" out their window at me. :evil:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/18/navarrette.rudeness.narcissism/index.html

Interesting article. Rudeness because they're 'special' but apparently narcissism is a plague on society. I can see that.

I'm sure if I thought about it long enough, I could come up with other examples, but the one about Serena Williams reminded me of the days of Jimmy Connors, and John McEnroe. Right there goes to show you that things weren't that different from thirty years ago.

And McEnroe used to drop the Fbombs like no one's business!