I dont think people have changed

Looking at human history, we have always had phases, the pendulum has always swung from consciously motivated societies to power motivated societies. In the HUMAN history we are no worse. IN the Recent history though, from my grandparents lifetime to mine,, people have become ALOT less mannerly or respectful of each other and alot less willing to accept responsibility or stigma for anything they do or dont do.

IMHO things are better now than they have been though out most of history. However, here in the good ol USA our best time was the 1950s and 60s. FDR's "New Deal" allowed more people to prosper than any other time. Things are not as god now.

As for violence, it's actually been going down over the last 20 years or so. But, news coverage of it is going up. This gives the illusion that things are far worse than they really are.

I am going to add to my previous response. Although I believe manners and self respect are on a decline, I am grateful for the decline of blatant racism that has happened in my lifetime. In spite of human behavior declining, the overall stigma of racism has gotten greater, which is a good thing.

No I don't if we look back through the ages everything is a cycle. I mean if we want to look at something that was horrific in history take a look at the Romans, Anglo Saxons, Vikings, the list goes on and on. I think what makes it different today is how fast information is spread. Something happens across the world and in a matter of minutes the whole world knows.

So instead of a scandle of let's say Tiger Woods being just neighborhood gossip it is world wide.

I do think people with so much at their fingertips are more likely bored easier.

Should we really expect humane behavior from humans,
Thats rich!!

I think as population grows and Earth is evermore crowded.
behavior will only get worse.
With a few exceptions.. I find that most people are very willing to lie, cheat and steal to get what they want.

actually, crime is on the decline...

http://ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvict.htm

and human nature does not change, only cultural acceptance of new ideas... (think about it)...

actually from what i've heard from older people "we have it made now"

That is a lot of the cause of obesity, People use to have to work their butts off to survive, and some of us still do.
A good honest hards days work, most people don't know what real hard work is!
Thinking that anything we do is hard..
Work ethic is out the window,
Morals is out the window and
common sense is extinct for most people.

I wish life could/would be what it was in the 1800's and early 1900's...It was WAY different and more real!

In many ways I would like that, too. Except that I would find the clothes too binding.

you could always go Ahmish,but i think the "you didn't know what you had till you lose it"would take over.

Dont think I would care much for the separate drinking fountains,,,,but the styles were modest.

(a few years back)........(I'll try to "readers digest" this down)

I was walking down the hill for a sunset surf session. I noticed what were obvious teenagers walking up. They were "mock" fighting. One pushed the other into street making a driver slam on his brakes.

They were displaying "gangsta-ish" poses.....these privaledged 13/14 year olds in a well to do CA beach community. I thought to myself "WHAT LITTLE PUNKS".

In the foreground I noticed a seemingly confused little old lady, scared to cross the street.

Before I could get to her these "PUNKS" set down their surf boards and helped her across the street to her "retirement building". They gently helped her all of the way to the front door.....and then proceeded to be "kids".

I "RE-LEARNED" to suspend judgment and a bit of my faith in humanity was restored.

I have had similar experiences.

I also worked with youth at risk of joining gangs for about 4 years and I saw them do and say things that made me rethink how I perceived them.

Come to think of it....they didn't treat blacks or witches very well. I guess we'd both be in a world of hurt.

I tend to think times have changed - and it's not because I'm getting older :)

The digital age has a lot to do with it - it's the age of instant data and "life" sharing.
Consider something like Facebook (or Mingle), where people can [instantly share
ideas and thoughts and get instant recognition. I jumped on Facebook for a while,
then dropped off - I found that it seemed to be a "me" site, where people bragged
about themselves for the sake of attention.

(A couple of evenings ago, I was discussing with my daughter (in college) that
I was interviewing for a company in a town about 2.5 hours away and she asked
how long the job was for and I said, it would be permanent, *if* I got the position.
The next morning, I got phone calls from family members because my daughter
posted on FB that I was moving).

I also think the media has a lot to do with it, most especially the "reality" shows
(if you want to call them that). The things they do on those shows expose a lot
to the younger generation, that maybe they shouldn't be exposed to. I know there's
the other side of the coin - that younger people can see how things are done
when you're older with responsibilities.

Also concerning the media - they tend (understatement) to hype up news that
is irrelevant for sensationalism and I think the younger generation tends to
latch onto it as meaningful.

I also think we're seeing "more of the bad" because of the media, most especially
when it's sensational news - look at the recent saga on Tiger Woods. I've read
reports that show that "tiger woods" is the most requested search term at
Google and Yahoo. People are feeding off the unimportant events - it's as if they
are looking for the dirt.

I also think that most of today's parents are spoiling their kids too much and not
giving them responsibilities. A lot of the kids at the local high school - and I'm
talking about 16 year olds, are driving brand new cars - I'm not talking about
Honda Civics - I'm talking high-end Mustangs and full-size trucks. And these
kids do nothing in return. Mine are just as bad - my EX calls me complaining that
the kids aren't doing their chores (all teens), but can spend hours gaming. (Of course,
we know why that is - just kick them out of the chair and tell them to take care of
their responsibilities). There's too much sheltering going on too.

Okay, I'm done :)

lol, guess so. Thats why I say there was never a universal 'good old days' in america....but we can always learn and grow.

Yep!

Plus society always changes and grows... so there will always be something to complain about!

Well in my imaginary world, all are loved.