Is Society Getting Worse?

[Theland1]

I am 58 next month, have 6 children and 4 grand kids, and think that society is not only worse, but irretrievably breaking down. I accuse porn, Islam, secularism, greed, materialism and selfishness for this and think that only a change in the human heart, not legalism can save us, Or ..... am I mistaken?

[WaldoMcFroog]

You are but one prophet of doom going back down the centuries to well before the time of Christ, Theland. They were all wrong.

Still, correlation doesn't necessarily prove causality and all that. Maybe you are right and the fact that all the people to have made similar claims before you were all wrong is just coincidence.

[123everton]

Things are getting bad it's undeniable.
I don't necessarily agree with your list of factors.
What's needed is law, law that is applied equally and to all.
Everybody wants rules, but then when stopped want to be the exception to the rule (usually cos they're nice people really) parking tickets are prime example of this.
Prohibitions are necessary but difficult to enforce, to ban porn for instance is virtually impossible now with the internet, prostitution is called the world's oldest profession for a reason, legalised control and strong penalties for non-compliance would improve the lives of 1000s in areas blighted by these problems.
I do feel we are coming to the end of the liberal ideal and that we are now heading towards a more humanist conservatism (hope so anyway) we will need more prisons to fix this and it will take a good 10-15 years to rectify.

[madmaggot]

I think that if parents went back to parenting first and foremost, instead of trying to be their child's friend with a bit of half hearted parenting thrown in society would stand a chance.

[123everton]

Very good point MM, one could say the same of teachers also.

[Velvetee]

Not sure what Islam has to do with society breaking down!

In my opinion, it's broken down because children are no longer taught morality and encouraged to empathise towards their fellow human. I recall going to Sunday school as a child and being read the various parables from the Bible and then having the meaning explained. How many children go to Sunday school these days!

I also think consumerism and commercialism has alot to do with it. Everything kids see, they want and ultimately get. Where have the days gone when children had to "work" for rewards and not just demand and get.

The internet and violent games also have alot to answer for. Internet Porn, I believe has given young males an unrealistic and negative opinion of women and how they believe women are.

[123everton]

The violent games/accessability of porn arguments are difficult to define. It's a little like the old deprave and corrupt laws, you have to demonstrate that the film caused the depravity or that the purchaser was depraved in order to view it, which came first, the chicken or the egg?
That said you have games like "Grand Theft Auto" which glamourise violent crimes.
There is now within Britain a mask of sanity, a venneer of civilisation you push against this edifice and what is revealed is a seering mass of corruption, exploitation, violence and degradation, such things no longer alarm us, and far from dismay many parts of the media/public revel in this decline.
The principle difference between Britain now and 100 years ago is that there was a grass roots desire to improve oneself through education and hard work not through fortuitous criminal activity.
Christianity has a part to play in this decline, it's lost it's radicalism and does'nt seek to engage with it's communities, I go to Church to pray and more often than not it's locked, the Church needs to reach out to the community and spread it's message, Scotty Road used to reverberate to marches declaring that we should "Buy bread, not booze" we need such people to stand up again.
For all our sakes.

[keyplus90]

Theland - You are 58 next month, have 6 children and 4 grand kids and you think society is not only worse but irretrievably breaking down.

I agree with you up-to that but your analysis about the reasons are completely wrong and before you say that I am saying that only to defend Islam, let me tell you that in this regard that is not the case. Because I believe Islam does not need defending, especially from someone like you who does not know what he is talking about.

Now I will tell you the reason about this worsening of the society. Biggest reasons are you and me. Individuals like us, who have decided for ourselves that whatever we like or dislike is right and everything else is wrong. There is an old saying where I am from. Good and bad, ups and downs, booms and glooms, always start from one person. And that one person is me, you and all of us individuals. But being me and you, we can not do anything good unless we would think about what is good and what is bad for the society before thinking about our own likes and dislikes.

[Velvetee]

Here here Keyplus. I would agree with your comments.

[Lonnie]

The main reasons for the breakdown of our modern society are simple.

The instigator is this Labour Goverment, they brought in the 'Human Rights Act', 'Political Correctness', they did away with Border Controls, and much much more, to the total denigration of this country.

[Theland1]

Thank you all for your opinions and comments.

[puddicat]

everton if only i was let me think 20 maybe 30 years younger lol!!!

[123everton]

Oh Puddi you're making me blush.

[badcompany]

human kind have been a barbaric sort since the begining of time,remember its not so long ago we used to hang folk and torture them using the iron maiden,the rack etc...... if your talking about violence on the streets,yeah we got more drugs,more drink,and more weapons but also due to better technology,ie..computers,the worldly news is a lot more accessable then it used to be when we would rely on tv and newspapers to tell us whats happening.

[123everton]

True but kids are killing kids now for looking askance at one another, there was bloke by me got beaten up cos he asked some lads not p1ss on the side of his house (down south a woman was injured and her husband killed for the very same thing) there's no deterrant anymore.
I could get into a fight in work tomorrow the bloke could kile me and be out 5 years, it would'nt even be that what with day releases and weekend passes.

[slark]

What they need to do is ban handguns , then the deadlegs would not be able to get hold of them.


ooh Tony tried this , did it work ?


In 1997 Britain banned handguns, and between 1998 and 2003 gun crimes doubled. According the British Home Office, between 1997 and 2001 homicides increased by 19% and violent crime increased by 26%, while in the U.S. those same crimes fell by 12%. Between 2000 and 2001, robbery increased by 28% in Britain but only 4% in the U.S. Domestic burglary increased by 7% in Britain, but only 3% in the U.S.

[trish432]

Definitely.

[jake-the-peg]

So to paraphrase:

Everything is rubbish it'severybody else's fault ?

Blaming everybody not like yourself for the world not being the way you'd like it to be is a sign of a really lazy mind Theland.

I don't suppose you give the credit for the good things that have happened like the availability of travel to the mass market or the general rise in standards of living to the hardworking industriesness of the god fearing charitable like your good self do you?

Amazing! how do you do it?

[R1Geezer]

Nothing new under he sun, trends come and go, I think the main difference today is reporting. The media spend 24 hours a day looking for bad news. I doubt there where any less muggings, knifings, etc etc 100 years ago. Every generation has the "You could leave your front door pen etc etc" Self delusion. Things are just more known about these days.

to Quote Henry Davenport: "You never got any of this egg stealing in the good old Jurrasic period"

[WoWo]

I agree with R1Geezer, I honestly don't think things are that much worse than they have ever been. Mainly it's over reporting by the media.

Take Hoodies for example, no worse and in my opinion much less of a threat that Skin heads of the 70's or mods and rockers of the 60's. Go back 100-150 years are most of the people currently posting on this site would have either been dead via infant mortality or working in a work house close to starvation, people classed as poor these days live the life of Riley in comparison.

But if you want somebody to blame for a recent trend in a downward spiral of behavior it would be the womens liberation movement. Before you all jump on me, I have no problem with it but the biggest effect it has had is removing mothers from the home and destroying the family unit. Women who would have stayed at home and looked after the children and given them the lessons they needed in their formative years now dump their kids with a child minder for the day, through necessity I hasten to add but a necessity which is the result liberation.