Is American society becoming a society of irritated people? (interview, compare, rating)

[TheHitman]

It seems like people are disinterested in other people and the notion of the day is to be irritated by those around for minor issues.

I've seen people get irritated because the person in front of them in the elevator wasn't moving fast enough to get off. WOW....a wow 1.5 seconds is going to cause you to be late. Also, people are very brash with one another in their dealings. Condescending remarks, always looking to ape the next persons point of view.

It seems society has lost the ability to be cordial. Do you think a lot of it has to do with the "instant" society we live in? Instant messages, instant email, texting, instant downloading of books. I will not "blame" the technology for human errors, after all we supposed to be smarter than the technology.

But based on my observation( I'm a people watcher) people are becoming less patient and it seems it's all about reacting to people in a harsh tone. I have neighbors that live in the same 4 UNIT apartment building and I can tell they are going out of their way to AVOID eye contact or saying anything. I can remember when I was a kid, If didn't say hi to my neighbors as I walked pass their homes, I got "in trouble" when I got home. Not that I am looking for someone to say hi, but some things are very obvious.

People are into their own world and as a result haven't developed social skills which causes them to be irritated. This irritation comes from unrealistic expectations.


Give your thoughts.

[chris123678]

I find this thread very interesting. Not sure if this is society as a whole or just me but I'm short tempered when it comes to ignorance and rudeness.

In my City, Philadelphia, I got on the Market Frankford Line,(elevated subway)

Anyhow- As I was on the escalator, I head the train coming and you can see through the windows, the train leaving the next station.(4 blocks apart) Anyhow, This woman was in front of me and she would NOT move forward, despite my continued efforts saying excuse me, 3 times. I had to bump into her as I walked up the moving stairs.

So I think certain scenarios, all of us just don't have patience.

[Retroit]

I agree 100%. I wonder about this often. I think it may be due to the fact that we are living increasingly more private and isolated lives. With an ever increasing population and with so many activities and technologies vying for our attention, people feel that it will be impossible to befriend everyone and keep long-lasting relationships, so why bother trying. Other people are more-or-less obstacles that get in the path of us pursuing our own pleasures.

[TheEternalSanctuaryMan]

They aren't irritated just spoilt. Ego-centrism + convenience make for a stupendous effrontery with minimal effort, so people get ornery or anxious simply as they no longer bother to notice anyone else unless they are a nuisance?

[City Data Guy]

We already are.

[kat949]

Originally Posted by TheHitman

It seems like people are disinterested in other people and the notion of the day is to be irritated by those around for minor issues.

I've seen people get irritated because the person in front of them in the elevator wasn't moving fast enough to get off. WOW....a wow 1.5 seconds is going to cause you to be late. Also, people are very brash with one another in their dealings. Condescending remarks, always looking to ape the next persons point of view.

It seems society has lost the ability to be cordial. Do you think a lot of it has to do with the "instant" society we live in? Instant messages, instant email, texting, instant downloading of books. I will not "blame" the technology for human errors, after all we supposed to be smarter than the technology.

But based on my observation( I'm a people watcher) people are becoming less patient and it seems it's all about reacting to people in a harsh tone. I have neighbors that live in the same 4 UNIT apartment building and I can tell they are going out of their way to AVOID eye contact or saying anything. I can remember when I was a kid, If didn't say hi to my neighbors as I walked pass their homes, I got "in trouble" when I got home. Not that I am looking for someone to say hi, but some things are very obvious.

People are into their own world and as a result haven't developed social skills which causes them to be irritated. This irritation comes from unrealistic expectations.


Give your thoughts.

Even the way people drive nowadways is as fast and instant as high-speed internet.

It's like people have conformed or adapted the fast-pacedness of internet speed with how they conduct their everyday living- rushed and impulsive, and wanting things to be 'instant.'

I think it's a combination of a lot of things- mostly the influence of mass media which also includes the internet. We have all sorts of influences, such as popularized Reality-Tv shows which aren't based on reality. People are so quick to adopt to current trends that they're forgetting what it means to be human, sit back, relax and chill out a bit. They're becoming a bit more extreme on their narcissism.

It could be where we live. I can see how people in more rural areas or in places where people are forced to interact more often as not being so irrate, and at least a bit more personable. Maybe they're not operating in a system where they're treated like disposable commodities in the work force, and don't have to feel the pressure to compete in that way. So they are a bit more open, and less rigid and short-fused in that regard.

[Type O Negative]

In my opinion it is all due to reality TV shows.
Some actually believe that this is how people behave.

[Maryjane55us]

I remember watching a Dr Phil show years ago about anger (just a step above from being irritated people) where he interviewed 3 people with totally different situations [road rage, spousal abuse, and one other thing] and he said the one thing they all had in common was their idea of "self-importance"... That in their minds, their own agenda was far more important than anyone elses.

Thinking about it, (even looking back on these examples) it makes a lot of sense.

"Self-importance" seems to be growing expodentially in our society.

[Yellow Jacket]

Am I supposed to be interested in other people? I didn't know that.

[Rift]

I think society has been changing for some time now. It really is a lot about instant gratification these days. Technology has allowed for this to happen. While the technology these days can be seen as good/progressive, the technology also has some cons to it. Technology has made people impatient with just about every situation imaginable. People are not as personable anymore...that is for sure. I notice this just about every single day. Social media has changed how we interact. Social media has added to the general population's naracissim/self importance. Just log on to facebook right this minute and it's all about "look at me." For the most part anyway. People compare themselves to others and try to "one up" on others. I guess most people have the need to feel important/popular/wanted/included. I personally do not like any of the social media crap. It's all a waste of time and fake. People try to convince others that there lives are "amazing" when in reality they are not. They are like most...mundane, boring, predictable, and very routine.