Where did we go wrong?
I really wish I could figure out exactly where and when our society morphed into what it is today. I truly do.
When did we become so incapable of decency, and decorum? At what point did we cast off proper speech and turn into a bunch of combative apes, always looking for conflict or a fight? Because as I see the world around me that's exactly what we have become. Long gone are the days of minding one's manners, and polite speech. The era of common courtesy, and dignified professionalism are relics of the past it seems.
With some people the more cordially they are treated, the more rude they become. Why is that I wonder? Is it some evolutionary shift that has resulted from living in such a high tech world? Or are most people just really assholes underneath it all. I just don't get it.
I see this hostility, and combativeness everywhere I go. People being disrespectful of one another, calling names, using profane language and gestures with one another. Rough speech, and insults are common place today. 20 years ago saying "fuck you" to someone would more than likely get you thrown out of your workplace, or a business you were in. Now the word is a common as "and" "or" or a punctuation mark. It's sad really.
Violence against one another is on the rise. Physical assaults, road rage, and worst of all gun violence is becoming rampant in our society. We are becoming savages and murderers. We are becoming people without conscience, or remorse for the harm we cause others. In fact we are gaining pleasure from inflicting pain and insult on one another. We are becoming sadistic primates.
I'm quite certain that before long we'll have much stronger forms of televised violence. The Running Man of Stephen King's dark and twisted mind will materialize one day. It's not as far off as you think. If you look at what is holding our attention it sends shivers up your spine. MMA or mixed martial arts is rapidly becoming a leading sport in out country. Go to You Tube and look for "bum fights", or "felony fights" and you will see what I mean. And we try to emulate this in our lives. Movies are no better. Most of them chock full of violence, blood, gore, and aggression.
Look at video games. The interactive quasi 3d experiences both children and millions of adults immerse themselves in for hours at a time. What are the most popular? The most violent and aggressive. Grand Theft Auto, where you can shoot other people and steal their cars, run over prostitutes, and kill drug dealers. Or the myriad of "first person shooters" where you are looking through gun sights and blowing people away, or cutting their throats with a bayonet, or blowing them up with explosives. It's shocking what we deem normal these days.
You can't tell me that that kind of stimuli does not lead to more aggressive behavior. Because it does. I wholeheartedly believe that to be true. And It's affecting the very fabric of who we are as a society.
It's reprogramming us. It's desensitizing us to death and killing little by little. In fact it's making us like it. One of the most "out there" examples of this is a website I accidentally stumbled across called "Uncover Reality forums" Google it if you have a strong stomach and don't mind having nightmares for the next month. It is filled with images of death. Suicide videos, photos of dead bodies, and other unimaginable images. Apparently, there is a portion of the population that like this sort of thing. Where did they develop a taste for such things I wonder?
See what I'm talking about?
Put all of these things together, cram people onto crowded expressways and make them work long, hectic hours. Keep them in fear for their means to survive. Make them live farting distance away from each other like rats in a cage, and pile on other stessors. All the while feeding them a steady stream of violence, and aggression. Keep them fearful, and angry, and restless. It's a recipe for monster making if I've ever seen it.
And then we wonder why events like Virginia Tech, Columbine, the Virginia sniper, and all the random acts of hyper violence are occurring each and every day across this country. And why more children are committing these crimes at younger and younger ages..
The really scary thing is that it isn't just in the big cities where these things are happening. These things are happening in small town America where acts like this have never happened. It's spreading like a virus, infecting us all.
And I don't see a cure in sight...........
When did we become so incapable of decency, and decorum? At what point did we cast off proper speech and turn into a bunch of combative apes, always looking for conflict or a fight? Because as I see the world around me that's exactly what we have become. Long gone are the days of minding one's manners, and polite speech. The era of common courtesy, and dignified professionalism are relics of the past it seems.
With some people the more cordially they are treated, the more rude they become. Why is that I wonder? Is it some evolutionary shift that has resulted from living in such a high tech world? Or are most people just really assholes underneath it all. I just don't get it.
I see this hostility, and combativeness everywhere I go. People being disrespectful of one another, calling names, using profane language and gestures with one another. Rough speech, and insults are common place today. 20 years ago saying "fuck you" to someone would more than likely get you thrown out of your workplace, or a business you were in. Now the word is a common as "and" "or" or a punctuation mark. It's sad really.
Violence against one another is on the rise. Physical assaults, road rage, and worst of all gun violence is becoming rampant in our society. We are becoming savages and murderers. We are becoming people without conscience, or remorse for the harm we cause others. In fact we are gaining pleasure from inflicting pain and insult on one another. We are becoming sadistic primates.
I'm quite certain that before long we'll have much stronger forms of televised violence. The Running Man of Stephen King's dark and twisted mind will materialize one day. It's not as far off as you think. If you look at what is holding our attention it sends shivers up your spine. MMA or mixed martial arts is rapidly becoming a leading sport in out country. Go to You Tube and look for "bum fights", or "felony fights" and you will see what I mean. And we try to emulate this in our lives. Movies are no better. Most of them chock full of violence, blood, gore, and aggression.
Look at video games. The interactive quasi 3d experiences both children and millions of adults immerse themselves in for hours at a time. What are the most popular? The most violent and aggressive. Grand Theft Auto, where you can shoot other people and steal their cars, run over prostitutes, and kill drug dealers. Or the myriad of "first person shooters" where you are looking through gun sights and blowing people away, or cutting their throats with a bayonet, or blowing them up with explosives. It's shocking what we deem normal these days.
You can't tell me that that kind of stimuli does not lead to more aggressive behavior. Because it does. I wholeheartedly believe that to be true. And It's affecting the very fabric of who we are as a society.
It's reprogramming us. It's desensitizing us to death and killing little by little. In fact it's making us like it. One of the most "out there" examples of this is a website I accidentally stumbled across called "Uncover Reality forums" Google it if you have a strong stomach and don't mind having nightmares for the next month. It is filled with images of death. Suicide videos, photos of dead bodies, and other unimaginable images. Apparently, there is a portion of the population that like this sort of thing. Where did they develop a taste for such things I wonder?
See what I'm talking about?
Put all of these things together, cram people onto crowded expressways and make them work long, hectic hours. Keep them in fear for their means to survive. Make them live farting distance away from each other like rats in a cage, and pile on other stessors. All the while feeding them a steady stream of violence, and aggression. Keep them fearful, and angry, and restless. It's a recipe for monster making if I've ever seen it.
And then we wonder why events like Virginia Tech, Columbine, the Virginia sniper, and all the random acts of hyper violence are occurring each and every day across this country. And why more children are committing these crimes at younger and younger ages..
The really scary thing is that it isn't just in the big cities where these things are happening. These things are happening in small town America where acts like this have never happened. It's spreading like a virus, infecting us all.
And I don't see a cure in sight...........
Comments
Your past two posts have been very powerful. I appreciate your openness and ability to let the heaviness in your heart out and share it with all of us. Little by little, one by one, I remain faithful that change can occur and that good will prevail.
Be well, Windy.
Very good post Matt.
B'Ahavah