Delta4Embassy
Gold Member
Helping her shop the other day, driving to and from the store she complained a few times about rude drivers. Talking about it it led to a greater discusssion about how times have changed re: people loosing their politeness and courtesy and becomming out-for-themselves and rude. Ever the 'omega' I inserted some Calvin and Hobbes comic jokes about Calvin's Mom complaining about the same thing, and the last panel showing her sprucing up Calvin with shirt and tie, and combed hair and his complaining, "How come I have to change the world?!" 
I'm not sure if anything's actually changed as much as the perception of reality has. Much of how we interpret the world comes from television. In her time, tv was (as she made mention of) Ozzie and Harriet and the like. Whereas today it's Married With Children and the like. Whether people in her time were actually more polite and courteous I can't say, I wasn't there. But within my own 43 year span of reference, I can't say I see any conclusive evidence that people have changed. Television certainly has, but I'm not sure real-world experiences reflect any obvious change in how people interact.
When I first moved here to Missouri, from the SF bay area of California I was often struck by how polite people were. Very engaging starting up conversations even though strangers, and opposed to how they seem to drive, very courteous and polite when speaking with lots of 'sirs' and 'maams' and the like.
As I suggested to Mom, maybe what she thinks is going onisn't so much as being older with more experience to draw from she simply has more negative experiences adding up so when another incident occurs it's one more straw threatening the camel's back as it were moreso than anything objective. Whereas younger poeple haven't had as many negative experiences so are more tolerant of things.
What do you think? Real phenomenae, we're getting ruder, or simply perceptions and 'last straw' sorta things?
I'm not sure if anything's actually changed as much as the perception of reality has. Much of how we interpret the world comes from television. In her time, tv was (as she made mention of) Ozzie and Harriet and the like. Whereas today it's Married With Children and the like. Whether people in her time were actually more polite and courteous I can't say, I wasn't there. But within my own 43 year span of reference, I can't say I see any conclusive evidence that people have changed. Television certainly has, but I'm not sure real-world experiences reflect any obvious change in how people interact.
When I first moved here to Missouri, from the SF bay area of California I was often struck by how polite people were. Very engaging starting up conversations even though strangers, and opposed to how they seem to drive, very courteous and polite when speaking with lots of 'sirs' and 'maams' and the like.
As I suggested to Mom, maybe what she thinks is going onisn't so much as being older with more experience to draw from she simply has more negative experiences adding up so when another incident occurs it's one more straw threatening the camel's back as it were moreso than anything objective. Whereas younger poeple haven't had as many negative experiences so are more tolerant of things.
What do you think? Real phenomenae, we're getting ruder, or simply perceptions and 'last straw' sorta things?
