In a hundred years what will we look back on as our greatest shame?

steddyeddy · 26-03-2016 10:29PM #1

If we look back 200 years ago in the western world we can see segregation based on race, chemical weapons like mustard gas, eugenics, throwing single women into "laundries" and also the last dregs of colonialism and the destruction of indigenous cultures.

Now all of those things were considered acceptable in their own times and it was often the more radical members of society that rebelled against the status quo

What about the status quo in our day and age? What do you think people will look back on and wonder how was that acceptable?

One thing that springs to mind is India's caste system. It's a form of apartheid based solely on prejudice. It has no place in a country with a space program.

Another is the destruction and near extinction of some of our closest relatives the non human apes such as the orangutan or gorilla.

Any more?

baldbear · 26-03-2016 10:30PM

steddyeddy wrote: »

If we look back 200 years ago in the western world we can see segregation based on race, chemical weapons like mustard gas, eugenics, throwing single women into "laundries" and also the last dregs of colonialism and the destruction of indigenous cultures.

Now all of those things were considered acceptable in their own times and it was often the more radical members of society that rebelled against the status quo

What about the status quo in our day and age? What do you think people will look back on and wonder how was that acceptable?

One thing that springs to mind is India's caste system. It's a form of apartheid based solely on prejudice. It has no place in a country with a space program.

Another is the destruction and near extinction of some of our closest relatives the non human apes such as the orangutan or gorilla.

Any more?

Tayto chocolate bars.

recylingbin · 26-03-2016 10:31PM

Sciencenerd being made a mod....

:P

MattHelders · 26-03-2016 10:31PM

North Korea

SpaceSasqwatch · 26-03-2016 10:31PM

our ability to stop water charges by protest and our inability to accept refugee's fleeing a warzone....

the evasion_kid · 26-03-2016 10:31PM

Climate change

somefeen · 26-03-2016 10:32PM

steddyeddy wrote: »

If we look back 200 years ago in the western world we can see segregation based on race, chemical weapons like mustard gas, eugenics, throwing single women into "laundries" and also the last dregs of colonialism and the destruction of indigenous cultures.

Now all of those things were considered acceptable in their own times and it was often the more radical members of society that rebelled against the status quo

What about the status quo in our day and age? What do you think people will look back on and wonder how was that acceptable?

One thing that springs to mind is India's caste system. It's a form of apartheid based solely on prejudice. It has no place in a country with a space program.

Another is the destruction and near extinction of some of our closest relatives the non human apes such as the orangutan or gorilla.

Any more?

I'd argue throwing women into laundries is still Ireland's greatest shame since it still exists in living memory and the people responsible are still around.

FloatingVoter · 26-03-2016 10:34PM

The amount of time people wasted on the internet.

Reality TV.

Assuming monkeys were the dumb relatives. They were...it's the ****ing cats that need watching.

If only we had elected Trump ...he foresaw all of this.

steddyeddy · 26-03-2016 10:34PM

somefeen wrote: »

I'd argue throwing women into laundries is still Ireland's greatest shame since it still exists in living memory and the people responsible are still around.

Yes I wouldn't disagree with that. I'm ashamed of what some Irish people got away with.

Fiery mutant · 26-03-2016 10:36PM

Worldwide we still have much of that going on.

For me, our greatest shame is that we still can't learn from our mistakes. We still marginalise, we still segregate, we still dehumanise.

wurzlitzer · 26-03-2016 10:36PM

Homelessness

LionelNashe · 26-03-2016 10:37PM

I wouldn't assume we'll still be around in 100 years.

darkpagandeath · 26-03-2016 10:38PM

Panti Bliss

timthumbni · 26-03-2016 10:41PM

Religion though I'm not that hopeful. In the modern world where all information is at the end of your fingertips on the old tinternet I really don't get why people are still religious.

maudgonner · 26-03-2016 10:41PM

Without this descending into a 'bloody bankers' moanfest - the fact that an almost complete lack of independent regulation allowed the financial sector to bring the world economy to its knees, and then we allowed it to just go back to business with very little change.

No lessons learned whatsoever, it seems.

BlibBlab · 26-03-2016 10:44PM

An obesity epidemic side by side with starvation and malnutrition

cbyrd · 26-03-2016 10:45PM

Burning fossil fuel and not looking after our natural resources and reserves for our own people.
Homelessness, hopefully this will be a thing of the past...
FG
FF
All the political parties atm
Mobile phones
Banks
....

foxy farmer · 26-03-2016 10:46PM

Sending Dustin the Turkey as an irish entry to Eurovision.

CrabRevolution · 26-03-2016 10:51PM

Probably our utter wrecking of the environment while we have a chance to change.

The whole "only when the last tree etc. is gone will you realise that you can't eat money" will come painfully true.

Brussels Sprout · 26-03-2016 10:55PM

I think it could be our attitude to mental health problems. The fact that there's a hidden epidemic of people on anti-depressants but it was never brought up as an issue in the recent general election. This also ties into the homelessness issue as a lot of the long-term homeless people are people with mental illnesses who have fallen through the cracks. I think the issue is slowly improving though and for that reason in 100 years time it could be a lot better situation.

anewme · 26-03-2016 11:01PM

No learnings from the boom to bust of the Celtic Tiger era and history repeating itself now!

eviltwin · 26-03-2016 11:01PM

Racism

Icepick · 26-03-2016 11:02PM

Abortion ban

KingBrian2 · 26-03-2016 11:03PM

A 100 years from now people will look back and see many people cared about the world around them and wanted to change it for the better.

One eyed Jack · 26-03-2016 11:04PM

I genuinely think what we think we have to be ashamed of today, will pale in comparison to our lack of humanity in 100 years time.

IamtheWalrus · 26-03-2016 11:04PM

Is anyone else sick of hearing about what the 1916 signatories would think of the modern Ireland 'they died for'? They didn't live in this time, who gives a **** what they they'd think. It's not easy living in any era.

diomed · 26-03-2016 11:04PM

Getting sentencing ar5ewars.
Multiple offenders let out to re-offend.
Steal big and it isn't a problem.
Put €100 in the poor box and you can box the head off anyone.

Slattsy · 26-03-2016 11:05PM

Jedward

the evasion_kid · 26-03-2016 11:06PM

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

Is anyone else sick of hearing about what the 1916 signatories would think of the modern Ireland 'they died for'? They didn't live in this time, who gives a **** what they they'd think. It's not easy living in any era.

Probably wouldn't have put their lives on the line if they knew it would end up like this...I wouldnt

IamtheWalrus · 26-03-2016 11:08PM

the evasion_kid wrote: »

Probably wouldn't have put their lives on the line if they knew it would end up like this...I wouldnt

Of course they would. They fought the imposters. We're a free country now, doing the best we can.

Gentleman Off The Pitch · 26-03-2016 11:09PM

Using pieces of paper to clean our arses post defecation

In a hundred years what will we look back on as our greatest shame?

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