Wow...you mean people were CIVILIZED on the Internet once?
Boy, that guy totally underestimated the human tendency to screw anything up that we get our hands on.
The Future! - circa 1993
- Thread starter Admiral Buzzkill
- Start date
Wow...you mean people were CIVILIZED on the Internet once?
Boy, that guy totally underestimated the human tendency to screw anything up that we get our hands on.
There was a time when basically the only people on the Internet were tech-savvy adults who knew what they were looking for. We've since gotten to a point where every idiot has Internet access, so of course there is a lot more crap and bad behavior, and a lot of people doing it just because they're bored. The novelty has worn off.
It also seems like people don't get the fact that they should treat each other the way they would if they were in person.
Then again, the Internet seems to have even desensitized people as to how they treat each other in person. Flash mobs, cyberbullying, and phenomena like that have certainly contributed to it. Crappy parenting is certainly a key part of that problem; parents did not set appropriate limits for their children and then wondered why they ended up with little Alex-like monsters* that thought it was OK to raise hell on the streets and film it for YouTube.
*Clockwork Orange Alex
Then again, the Internet seems to have even desensitized people as to how they treat each other in person. Flash mobs, cyberbullying, and phenomena like that have certainly contributed to it. Crappy parenting is certainly a key part of that problem; parents did not set appropriate limits for their children and then wondered why they ended up with little Alex-like monsters* that thought it was OK to raise hell on the streets and film it for YouTube.
*Clockwork Orange Alex
Does anyone in this thread still use Usenet? Or have all of your internet providers dropped it, as mine has? I must admit I miss the old groups, especially the Voyager one.
Oh, good lord.
The Internet has not raised a generation of sociopaths. You need to relax. Yes, there are assholes on the Internet. Those also existed in real life long before computers were invented.Yes, cyberbullying and such are problems that didn't exist 20 years ago, but that's not a sign of society going down the shitter.
Please read the entire post before commenting. The Internet obviously contributed to the problem, but you apparently blew right past the comment that crappy parenting is a big contributing factor. Had parents set proper limits for their kids, then what is out there on the Internet wouldn't be anywhere near as big of a deal. Couple kids allowed to run wild with an environment that allows them to do it anonymously--further distancing them from the fear/expectation of consequences for their actions, and they will go crazy. Ultimately, though, it's parents who need to get their act together.
But here you're implying parenting is substantially worse today than in the past. Do you have any evidence for this or is that just the typical "kids today got no respect" nonsense that comes out of every generation once the next is coming up?
Thank you. That is exactly my point: if parents would do their damn job, even the Internet wouldn't make such a huge difference.
Didn't they?
I've quietly wondered over the years if the rise of LGBT culture is largely a reaction to kids having grown up watching Bugs Bunny dress in drag and make out with Elmer Fudd. Is Elmer really just hunting Wabbits, or is he a symbol of the moral majority fighting a loosing battle against something that otherwise never would have bothered him at all?
And don't get me started on Pepe LePew: sexual predator in cartoon form.
The only one that seems questionable is the medical info card.
Remember, that's "un-American."
Remember, that's "un-American."
I think that the continuing and growing problem with anti-social behavior - especially in the UK - is, in part, a result of the perceived anonymity that the internet provides. People are more likely to behave badly if they think they won't get caught.
I grew up during the 60's and 70's and yes, there was youth dissent and rebellion, just as there was in earlier generations, but kids back then were more fearful of contact with the police or the authorities. Assaulting a police officer would get the cr*p kicked out of you in a police cell. Going to jail was not considered a badge of honour or earn you 'respect', as a criminal record could effectively ruin your career - even relationship - prospects permanently. But kids today have fewer career prospects and relationships are far more liberal.
Today, it seems many kids have little or no respect for anything other than what they perceive as having value or kudos; other peoples property or lives appear to have little meaning to them.
The recent riots in the UK speak to that. Most of the looting and fires were simply opportunistic and had nothing to do with the original protests in London.
That said, the blame lays with the parents and society as a whole. People have simply lost the plot. The 80's mantra 'Greed is good' still holds sway. Parents working too many hours just to stay above the breadline, kids left to bring themselves up. Peer pressure and a 'Lord of the Flies' mentality.
Still, it could be worse.
Isn't the 21st century everything you thought it would be? Hover cars, men living on Mars, robots doing all the work, trips to the Rings of Saturn. Ah, this is the life! eh?
I grew up during the 60's and 70's and yes, there was youth dissent and rebellion, just as there was in earlier generations, but kids back then were more fearful of contact with the police or the authorities. Assaulting a police officer would get the cr*p kicked out of you in a police cell. Going to jail was not considered a badge of honour or earn you 'respect', as a criminal record could effectively ruin your career - even relationship - prospects permanently. But kids today have fewer career prospects and relationships are far more liberal.
Today, it seems many kids have little or no respect for anything other than what they perceive as having value or kudos; other peoples property or lives appear to have little meaning to them.
The recent riots in the UK speak to that. Most of the looting and fires were simply opportunistic and had nothing to do with the original protests in London.
That said, the blame lays with the parents and society as a whole. People have simply lost the plot. The 80's mantra 'Greed is good' still holds sway. Parents working too many hours just to stay above the breadline, kids left to bring themselves up. Peer pressure and a 'Lord of the Flies' mentality.
Still, it could be worse.
Isn't the 21st century everything you thought it would be? Hover cars, men living on Mars, robots doing all the work, trips to the Rings of Saturn. Ah, this is the life! eh?
Your medical records are already electronic, you just aren't trusted to carry them yourself.
I think that the continuing and growing problem with anti-social behavior - especially in the UK - is, in part, a result of the perceived anonymity that the internet provides. People are more likely to behave badly if they think they won't get caught.
I grew up during the 60's and 70's and yes, there was youth dissent and rebellion, just as there was in earlier generations, but kids back then were more fearful of contact with the police or the authorities. Assaulting a police officer would get the cr*p kicked out of you in a police cell. Going to jail was not considered a badge of honour or earn you 'respect', as a criminal record could effectively ruin your career - even relationship - prospects permanently. But kids today have fewer career prospects and relationships are far more liberal.
Today, it seems many kids have little or no respect for anything other than what they perceive as having value or kudos; other peoples property or lives appear to have little meaning to them.
The recent riots in the UK speak to that. Most of the looting and fires were simply opportunistic and had nothing to do with the original protests in London.
That said, the blame lays with the parents and society as a whole. People have simply lost the plot. The 80's mantra 'Greed is good' still holds sway. Parents working too many hours just to stay above the breadline, kids left to bring themselves up. Peer pressure and a 'Lord of the Flies' mentality.
Still, it could be worse.
Isn't the 21st century everything you thought it would be? Hover cars, men living on Mars, robots doing all the work, trips to the Rings of Saturn. Ah, this is the life! eh?
Bastard...I still want my jetpack...
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