If life more ruthless now than ever?

LighterGuy · 17-12-2011 03:27AM #1

Was talking to some people recently who are in THEIR 60s.
Now while they awknowledged when it came down to it everyone was out for themselves (the rat race of life) But they said something interesting ... That "it wasnt as bad" when they were young men growing up.

That there was more deceny & being more civil. That it wasnt one big rat race in every & all aspects (the little things)
Be it to get on a bus before you, or as you approach a supermarket till someone to slide in before you like today. Etc. [insert your own example]

So I make this thread with a poll. But judge from your own experiences. Be it 10 years ago. 20 years ago. Are things worse than before?

flutterflye · 17-12-2011 03:33AM

Where's the "I can't make sense of this post as it must be written by a drunk person" option?

LighterGuy · 17-12-2011 03:35AM

flutterflye wrote: »

Where's the "I can't make sense of this post as it must be written by a drunk person" option?

Yeah
its the 5th option "fuck you"

abouttobebanned · 17-12-2011 03:36AM

Jesus man...you just vomited up a pile of words there didn't ya

TiGeR KiNgS · 17-12-2011 03:37AM

This poll hurts my brain

Chuck Stone · 17-12-2011 03:38AM

In the olden days you could leave the whole front wall off your house and nowt would be stolen.

LighterGuy · 17-12-2011 03:38AM

abouttobebanned wrote: »

Jesus man...you just vomited up a pile of words there didn't ya

5th option.

Chuck Stone · 17-12-2011 03:40AM

So you were talking to some old men who used to race rats?

Why would they do that?

recylingbin · 17-12-2011 03:40AM

I voted wtf(as in this thread is not/maybe/definitely wtf).

Kojak · 17-12-2011 03:41AM

Is the OP an OAP?

mackg · 17-12-2011 03:41AM

Chuck Stone wrote: »

So you were talking to some old men who used to race rats?

Why would they do that?

That's what they used before horses were invented.

TiGeR KiNgS · 17-12-2011 03:42AM

Kojak wrote: »

Is the OP an OAP?

I doubt an OAP is off their tits at this time of night

opinion guy · 17-12-2011 03:44AM

OP If you had seen such historical documentaries as listed below you would know its always been like this:

Platoon
Saving Private Ryan
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypto
Troy
The Passion
The Life of Brian
Planet of the Apes.......no ...wait...

17-12-2011 03:45AM

From what I am lead to believe (parents, etc.) people were always assholes, but it's just easier to get guns and weaponry these days, so the actual scumbags (rather than those who are just out for themselves) can cause more damage than before.

Also, because of daily newspapers, internet, youtube, etc. it's now possible to cover more news than ever before (essentially meaning that whereas many decades ago, you'd only hear about some of the major crimes, nowadays you hear about all the minor stuff, too, and it gets greatly exaggerated to try to sell more papers, get more viewers, etc.

Grimebox · 17-12-2011 03:45AM

People have selective memory. Things have always and always will be getting better. To say otherwise is foolish

massdebater · 17-12-2011 03:46AM

LighterGuy wrote: »

Was talking to some people recently who are in the 60s.

Forget about the pointless poll. How did they get back to the 60's and how did you communicate with them?

LighterGuy · 17-12-2011 03:48AM

massdebater wrote: »

Forget about the pointless poll. How did they get back to the 60's and how did you communicate with them?

fuck you.
fuck you twice.
you know i meant people who are currently in their 60s.
stop trying to be a smart arse.

pragmatic1 · 17-12-2011 04:03AM

This is one of the most peaceful times in human history. Anyone that thinks the past was better is a ****wit.

Pace2008 · 17-12-2011 04:07AM

LighterGuy wrote: »

Was talking to some people recently who are in THEIR 60s.
Now while they awknowledged when it came down to it everyone was out for themselves (the rat race of life) But they said something interesting ... That "it wasnt as bad" when they were young men growing up.

That there was more deceny & being more civil. That it wasnt one big rat race in every & all aspects (the little things)
Be it to get on a bus before you, or as you approach a supermarket till someone to slide in before you like today. Etc. [insert your own example]

So I make this thread with a poll. But judge from your own experiences. Be it 10 years ago. 20 years ago. Are things worse than before?

I'm a young man growing up, and based on my day-to-day interactions I find most people to be decent and civil. Things change from generation, some for the better some for the worst. I dunno, maybe people were more polite back then, but on the flipside, these days you have less children being brutalised in state institutions and less young women sent off to rot because they had a child out of wedlock. I wouldn't consider that kind of activity to be very "decent."

If you look back through the literature, you can find people bemoaning the apparent decline of society and the waywardness of the youth right back to the times of antiquity.

Nollog · 17-12-2011 04:11AM

lol @ op not knowing how the after hours boardsie's are.

The people you talked to were looking back at memories, when people do that they tend to see the bigger picture, which tends to look less harsh than presentday-to-presentday interactions.

marcsignal · 17-12-2011 04:15AM

man up op :rolleyes:

if you want to hear hardship listen to this

then come back to me and tell me you're hard done by........

strobe · 17-12-2011 04:18AM

LighterGuy wrote: »

That "it wasnt as bad" when they were young men growing up.

I heard they also said that they had real music back in them days, that politicians were honest, prices were reasonable and that their fathers said the exact same thing about when they were but lads.

DEFTLEFTHAND · 17-12-2011 04:18AM

To get to the top of my line of work you've got to be ruthless and self serving. I'm neither of those things but may become them, or not, money isn't everything.:)

Wereghost · 17-12-2011 04:20AM

Chuck Stone wrote: »

In the olden days you could leave the whole front wall off your house and nowt would be stolen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

pragmatic1 wrote: »

This is one of the most peaceful times in human history. Anyone that thinks the past was better is a ****wit.

Pretty much. Rose-tinted spectacles and all that. I think that history does tend towards the better albeit with detours, stops and reversals along the way.

/\/ollog wrote: »

The people you talked to were looking back at memories, when people do that they tend to see the bigger picture, which tends to look less harsh than presentday-to-presentday interactions.

Good point. People sometimes say that movies and music are worse these days, but ask them to pick, say, a period of five years from their youth to compare favourably against the last five years and they might be stumped.

Kim_Il_Jong · 17-12-2011 04:33AM

!!!! .THERE. .WAS. .NO. .PORN. !!!!

/ ****ING THREAD.

al28283 · 17-12-2011 04:41AM

People in their 60's? Hmmm... that'd mean they grew up in the 1950's/60's.

Google 1950's and the word civil and see what comes up :rolleyes:

not so civil

Kanoe · 17-12-2011 04:42AM

yes and no, it is the most peaceful time in history as in men killing men in all out nations vs nations war kind of scenario. We've been doing that since we could hold a stick. I think the difference now is that people are turning it in on themselves and others in more personal ways. There *appears to be less empathy toward other life as everyone is out for their own individual wellfare,which I suppose they can do now that they don't have to go off and fight any wars for their country. It's still a very man eat man world, just in a more personalised way.

al28283 · 17-12-2011 04:59AM

Kanoe wrote: »

yes and no, it is the most peaceful time in history as in men killing men in all out nations vs nations war kind of scenario. We've been doing that since we could hold a stick. I think the difference now is that people are turning it in on themselves and others in more personal ways. There *appears to be less empathy toward other life as everyone is out for their own wellfare,which I suppose they can do now that they don't have to go off and fight any wars for their country. It's still a very man eat man world, just in a more personalised way.

What are you basing this on? The institutional racism and abuses of those years don't seem very empathic.
People aren't getting worse, the real difference between now and then is the amount of news coverage which makes us more aware of what's going on.

Kanoe · 17-12-2011 05:02AM

al28283 wrote: »

What are you basing this on? The institutional racism and abuses of those years don't seem very empathic.
People aren't getting worse, the real difference between now and then is the amount of news coverage which makes us more aware of what's going on.

I had to add in the word *individual before welfare there so that sentence might make more sense.

jill_valentine · 17-12-2011 05:13AM

I can vote, I can love whoever I love without serious fear, I can speak freely, I can befriend people from all over the world, I can expect to be paid fairly, I can expect medical treatment if I'm sick without the risk of bankruptcy. I can expect an fair effort from the law to help me if I am attacked, but at the same time, I can honestly say I've never really felt unsafe walking around Dublin on my own.

I have never known war in my country, nor has my family. There has been no world war, genocide or epidemic on my continent in generations, and there remains a decent chance I won't see one in my lifetime.

All in all, I'd say we've got it pretty good. F*ck nostalgia.

Kanoe · 17-12-2011 05:21AM

bit of a paradox, hey.

If life more ruthless now than ever?

Are things worse than before? 42 votes

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