A question came to mind

[fboisseau]

Based on a post in another topic and some other things that I have read recently a question came to mind. The question is the following, are we as a nation becoming more barbaric or more civilized in recent years. When you think about this question keep in mind that I am asking about the heart of the nation, not judging us on the trappings of civilization. Also please give examples of why you think we are going one way or another and if you believe we are getting more barbaric some suggestion on how we can correct the problem.

[acco40]

As a nation I believe we are becoming more civilized. However, we are becoming less and less adept at handling personal relationships because of the time we spend alone with the TV and personal computer. Our global civility is increasing but our personal civility is lacking.

[eisely]

Interesting thought. There are many ways of looking at this. Judging from the themes presented in art, music, film, advertising, and other media, I would have to say we are becoming more barbaric.

 

Is it really necessary to include the F word in every other sentence and lyric to make a point? When so called "performance artists" smear themselves and religious images with feces is this a step forward? Our advertisiing is saturated with sex. One sees little girls dressed more like street walkers than little girls.

 

Having children out of wedlock is socially acceptable. Even this week Katie Kouric interviewed some young actor on the Today Show whose girl friend is pregnant. When asked if the couple intended to marry, he blew off the idea, at the same time as he is looking forward to having a child. And this behaviour and attitude is treated as totally acceptable without regard for the consequences for the unborn child.

 

As a people we are less god fearing. Religious conviction of any kind is held up to ridicule in entertainment and so called news coverage.

 

Just a few random thoughts. I find it hard to be optimistic.

[captainron14]

I have to agree with Eisely.

[littlebillie]

right now, we have larger social fringes - those extremes on a bell curve that go off into the distance - so that there is more of an audience - in terms of absolute numbers - than ever before in our history. Numbers + money = incentive to milk that market, and if you're just looking to be a known wacko, you gotta do ever more insane things to make the wacko cut.

 

BUT don't judge the big bulge in the middle of the bell by the fringe - there's more there, too. But being non-fringe, they just don't play look-at-me-monkey as much.

 

Even so, they are there, that silent majority. So - are THEY more or less of anything these days?

 

Well, in terms of history, it's a bad time to ask the question - once folks get scared (and oh, so many are, these days) then they also get a little xenophobic, so in many cases, you're going to see THAT masking the basic decency of the folks underneath.

 

Well, this is still the same country that donated more blood than could be handled after 9/11, and the same country that rallies in support of every stray dog cause that comes down the pike (despite getting fleeced in some unscrupulous cases).

 

America is still a kid country - heck, we haven't been around all that long, and our history is properly measured in decades rather than centuries. Some of our culture is rough around the edges - but part of that culture is helping the stranger and the stranded child, cheering for the underdog, and deciding when we play with the big boys, we're gonna play hard.

 

Barbaric? No - but we're still working out what it is to be civilized in America. And as the huddled masses yearning to breathe free come here, they too will bring influences to which we must adjust. We've had British, Spanish and Asian influences, French and Irish and refugee Jews - so much impact, so many influences - and we still haven't found the common ground of the melting pot.

 

But dang it - I'm American and I'm civilized; just don't tread on me.

 

 

[dsteele]

You can tell when my wife is out of town. I should have better things to do on a friday evening than answer questions like this one But here goes.

 

I have to side with those who feel we as a nation are becomming more civilized. In the beginning, we fought bloody wars with the native Americans (even that term sounds wrong. They were native long before anyone called this America!) Different topic, I guess.

 

We no longer burn witches at the stake. No more public executions -- in the open air, although we all knew when Timothy McVeigh was killed, none of us were there to witness it directly (even the families of the deceased saw it through a camera, if that.) No more slavery. I don't believe in abortion, but I'm sure there was far more of it back when than there is now, and by far less humane methods.

 

Still, we have crime, but murder rates and rape rates are (we think) down over historical levels because of greater reporting procedures and scientific advances in detection.

 

As a society, I think we as a nation have a long way to go, but I also think we've made progress in a lot of very real ways. Sure, I'd like cleaner lyrics to songs, etc., but this country has given me a choice to go with what I like and eschew that which I don't.

 

I believe the atrocities described in a couple of threads that are active at this time are examples of problems that must be stamped out and resolved. But they are not the heart of the nation. I think they get our attention because they are not the heart of our nation, but actually are the antithesis of it's heart.

 

DS