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There has definitely been a shift, but it seems with every new generation there is some shift in cultural and societal norms. The question is whether it is ultimately for better or worse.
In this case, I think it is for the worse. The younger generations of late are showing markedly less empathy which is never a good thing. We can't blame society and those gosh darn smaht fone thingamibobs, though. Sure, they contribute to the problem, but how kids are raised and the relationship they develop with their parents plays a huge part in how they turn out on the other end.
Courtesy is a two-way street. Yes? As someone said, the examples for young people aren't there now.
Sooooooo very true!!!!!! It's quite glaring in businesses too.
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OZGALSure, they contribute to the problem, but how kids are raised and the relationship they develop with their parents plays a huge part in how they turn out on the other end.
At least in my area (can't speak for all), the parents are obsessed with texting, talking out loud on their phones so the whole county hears about their doctor visits, car mechanic goings-on, & fb. Kids are raised by electronics the parents make sure they have by their teens.
But, Juke's Girl, did you notice that all the respect and deferential courtesy traveled "upward". Be polite to our elders. Be polite to our betters. Etc.; etc. How much did we see of the opposite - courtesy, respect, helpfulness from our betters or elders downward to the younger generation? Could the lack of that be what brought on the breakdown? Young people may silently seethe while they say "yes ma'am" or "no sir" but seethe they will. Maybe it finally had to snap.
We were constantly told what we "owe" our elders but no one ever mentioned that elders owed youth anything but "be seen; not heard" and respect your betters.
Please don't misunderstand. Yes there is rudeness and yes, it seems to be more prevalent nowadays. And some of it comes from youth who have not yet learned how to grow up and be adult. But, I see a fair amount of it in those who expect to be treated with respect themselves just because they are the older generation but do not treat youth with respect. They seem to be always expecting the worst when they see five teenagers hanging out together.
Just my thoughts. I'd better stop.
I hear what you are saying, but I don't know. I'm 64 years old. When a younger person opens the door for me or shows me respect in some way, I stop and compliment them.
No one around my area says, "yes ma'am" or "no sir." I did hear that when I lived in the deep South, but not around here...unless they are military.
I think older people are just afraid of younger people these days. It isn't a matter of disrespect, it is just a matter of what we hear on the news. If I see 5 teenagers hanging out together, I'm more likely to go in the opposite direction if I am alone, because I am afraid of them.
I was raised to be respectful and kind to everyone...no matter what their age. Wouldn't it be nice to go back to that?
Sooooooo very true!!!!!! It's quite glaring in businesses too.
At least in my area (can't speak for all), the parents are obsessed with texting, talking out loud on their phones so the whole county hears about their doctor visits, car mechanic goings-on, & fb. Kids are raised by electronics the parents make sure they have by their teens.
Yep, but the parents don't want to take responsibility or be accountable, either. If they can't connect with their children, how can they expect their children to connect with other people?
Yep, but the parents don't want to take responsibility or be accountable, either. If they can't connect with their children, how can they expect their children to connect with other people?
that's the thing, they don't expect their children to connect to others because they themselves only know their celltoys. Just provide the electronics and other "stuff"... ps I was agreeing with you.
that's the thing, they don't expect their children to connect to others because they themselves only know their celltoys. Just provide the electronics and other "stuff"... ps I was agreeing with you.
I've noticed it, and I think it's because we've been kicking the Christian God out of our culture. Over the past decade we seen Bible quotes taken down from public places, kids kicked out of school for wearing religious slogans on their clothing, and people arrested for public protests against the Bible's definition of "Sin."
If you want to have a society where people are respectful, kind, courteous, and self-sacrificing towards each other, you MUST have a solid and stable "Moral Compass" to guide them by. With no moral absolute society breaks down into each individual's moral idea. If one is looking to SELF for moral guidance, then by nature any morality produced is SELF CENTERED.
If you want a society to be respectful of ALL it's members, then it has to be GOD CENTERED.
If you need signs of God posted around everywhere for you to conduct yourself according to your moral compass, you are doing it wrong.
I can tell you live a sheltered life; some of the rudest areas of the US I have experienced are the more religious areas. There are many cultures where Christianity is low or completely absent and they are very polite societies.
Do you need the gov to endorse religion in order for you to behave the way you do? DO you need Bible versus plastered everywhere for you to behave the way you do? How is not allowing a Bible verse on a gov institution removing God from you?
....And I'm not sure if it's just my perception that people today are more disrespectful than past generations, or if it is indeed sn accurate analysis. But from what I remember as a kid/teenager growing up, society seemed a little kinder and more civilized 25 years ago. When I was an adolescent, nobody would dare exhibit some of the disrespectful behaviors that many youths of today exhibit. There seems today to be less social constraint today, and certainly less fear of reprisal/discipline for acting a fool!
What do you think? Does anyone notice this -- or am I just a borderline curmudgeon already?
I would say, "Yes, but..."
I don't think it is a matter of something as narrow as "disrespect," but rather a massive socio-cultural shift to a general attitude of greed, aggression, malcontentedness and a pervasive personal crudeness that contends ceaselessly with querulous cheesy sentimentality, and is sometimes indistinguishable from it. This behaviour is not limited to teenagers or people in their twenties, it is characteristic of many people well into middle age. These qualities have been more and more characteristic of politics, popular culture and social interaction since the Eighties, and by now are simply the daily way-it-is.
People are doing nothing more horrible than conducting themselves in ways that accommodate the contemporary culture they are a part of. If people were more "respectful" (to hark back to the limited term of the OP) in the manner of the national culture of the Sixties or even the Seventies, they would be acting in ways that would be inappropriate in the present-day way of life.
It is not a matter of being a curmudgeon necessarily, but rather of being out of step.
Perception - there is always a perception of the younger being less polite than the older; anyone who reads a lot of books set in different time periods will understand this, it is often the complaint of the older main characters.
Litigation - everyone sues everyone now days is a fact, a relative new trend as well. While back in the 1950's, 1840's, etc an adult could smack a kid for something, now days that adult will obviously be arrested, sued, life ruined, etc. Not that I endorse the smacking, but kids are not dumb, they know more now than ever they can hide behind the "wall of litigation" and basically throw rocks from behind that wall; thus some of them grow into some of the most annoying, disrespectful people around because they grew up knowing no one could never do anything to them.
Internet - this has created a perception in some people's minds that they can just delete past experiences like they can delete email/social media accounts and friends and start new. However unlike in the social media world, a person cannot just act like a jerk to someone next door then act like the acts never happened.
Parents - the parents are actually at the center of all of this, but there is a phenomenal number of parents who basically treat their kids like they are barn cats, and in some places it is epidemic. Put these groups of kids together, all they do is feed off each other and mostly dive more into the negativity that comes from the lack of guidance from growing up.
Fallacy of tradition - there are/maybe many "polite" things that are just absurd, thus people find no point in continuing them. Not every polite thing done in history is done today.
Noticing negatives - people tend to notice and remember negative things more than positive, thus will get in their mind everything is always on the down slide.
I've noticed it, and I think it's because we've been kicking the Christian God out of our culture. Over the past decade we seen Bible quotes taken down from public places, kids kicked out of school for wearing religious slogans on their clothing, and people arrested for public protests against the Bible's definition of "Sin."
If you want to have a society where people are respectful, kind, courteous, and self-sacrificing towards each other, you MUST have a solid and stable "Moral Compass" to guide them by. With no moral absolute society breaks down into each individual's moral idea. If one is looking to SELF for moral guidance, then by nature any morality produced is SELF CENTERED.
If you want a society to be respectful of ALL it's members, then it has to be GOD CENTERED.
that is the most ridiculous argument i've ever seen for the regression of society. i've met some religious people that were some of the most judgmental, stuck-up, conceited dolts on the planet.
i don't advocate the practice of a particular religion. however, i don't see how following a piece of fictional literature folklore could serve as the only justifiable foundation for morality and decency. why does "god" need to be involved when teaching morality and decency?
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Disrespectfulness
