What is wrong with America?

[GoNavy]

Consumerism; Celebrity Deism; Tabloid culture; Corporate control; Special Interest Congress; Narcissism; Pervasive politically correct to the point of labeling people racist or sexist or bullies when they just disagree with you; Internet replacing God; Excessivism (food, tattoos, vulgarity, TV channels, bandwidth, shoes, purses); Talking and yelling over each other instead of just listening; women who want sex god / baby daddies instead of patient, caring, selfless, dedicated, 50 year anniversary husbands; Emerging Oligarchy social class, pornographic complacency, divorce epidemic, SCHOOL SHOOTINGS !!! ... and so many more ...

Back in 1945, America wanted very little and gave so much. There was almost no welfare, bullies at school were all dealt with the same way (by punching them square in the face), people took PRIDE in their education and country, there was almost no obesity to speak of, humble living was normal, women wanted families instead of 50% divorce settlements, pornography was maybe 1% of what it is now, and there were no school shootings.

What happened?

What is our system of morals and values NOW - in 2015 ??

Are these issues all connected or has the liberal media convinced you that they are isolated issues?

 

[SMTA]

Consumerism, Celebrity Deism, Tabloid culture, Corporate control, Special Interest Congress, Narcissism, Pervasive politically correct to the point of labeling people racist or sexist or bullies when they just disagree with you, Internet replacing God, Excessivism (food, tattoos, vulgarity, TV channels, bandwidth, shoes, purses), Talking and yelling over each other instead of just listening, women who want sex god baby daddies instead of patient caring selfless dedicated 50 year anniversary husbands, Emerging Oligarchy social class, pornographic complacency, divorce epidemic, SCHOOL SHOOTINGS !!! ... and so many more ...

Back in 1945, America wanted very little and gave so much. There was almost no welfare, bullies at school were all dealt with the same way (by punching them square in the face), people took PRIDE in their education and country, there was almost no obesity to speak of, humble living was normal, women wanted families instead of 50% divorce settlements, pornography was maybe 1% of what it is now, and there were no school shootings.

What happened?

What is our system of morals and values NOW - in 2015 ??

Godless nation.

 

[clownboy]

Fruits of the tree of secular humanism.

 

[WCH]

Godless nation.

Exactly...with Satan leading the way.

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first” (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

The 'falling away' is occurring.

 

[Paleocon]

Consumerism; Celebrity Deism; Tabloid culture; Corporate control; Special Interest Congress; Narcissism; Pervasive politically correct to the point of labeling people racist or sexist or bullies when they just disagree with you; Internet replacing God; Excessivism (food, tattoos, vulgarity, TV channels, bandwidth, shoes, purses); Talking and yelling over each other instead of just listening; women who want sex god / baby daddies instead of patient, caring, selfless, dedicated, 50 year anniversary husbands; Emerging Oligarchy social class, pornographic complacency, divorce epidemic, SCHOOL SHOOTINGS !!! ... and so many more ...

Back in 1945, America wanted very little and gave so much. There was almost no welfare, bullies at school were all dealt with the same way (by punching them square in the face), people took PRIDE in their education and country, there was almost no obesity to speak of, humble living was normal, women wanted families instead of 50% divorce settlements, pornography was maybe 1% of what it is now, and there were no school shootings.

What happened?

What is our system of morals and values NOW - in 2015 ??

Are these issues all connected or has the liberal media convinced you that they are isolated issues?

The Sixties. The complete abandonment of morals by the public.

 

[betuadollar]

Without humility there with always be those who allow ego to self empower, whether expressed as self righteous indignation: "What? You're a heterosexual and you don't like same sex marriage?" Or superior intellect: "What? You're a scientist and you don't believe in global warming?"

Egotism.

When everyone finally agrees there is no God, then they'll be pulling out their bibles again, pointing to scripture, saying: "2000 years and no one has ever determined what Holy Spirit is! But I know! I know! Because I am an intellectually superior being. And it's right here in the book." And we'll start the process all over again.

These people today can't be humbled; they'll press their issues even when wrong. Because it's about elitism, superiority, and ego.

 

[gdgyva]

Consumerism; Celebrity Deism; Tabloid culture; Corporate control; Special Interest Congress; Narcissism; Pervasive politically correct to the point of labeling people racist or sexist or bullies when they just disagree with you; Internet replacing God; Excessivism (food, tattoos, vulgarity, TV channels, bandwidth, shoes, purses); Talking and yelling over each other instead of just listening; women who want sex god / baby daddies instead of patient, caring, selfless, dedicated, 50 year anniversary husbands; Emerging Oligarchy social class, pornographic complacency, divorce epidemic, SCHOOL SHOOTINGS !!! ... and so many more ...

Back in 1945, America wanted very little and gave so much. There was almost no welfare, bullies at school were all dealt with the same way (by punching them square in the face), people took PRIDE in their education and country, there was almost no obesity to speak of, humble living was normal, women wanted families instead of 50% divorce settlements, pornography was maybe 1% of what it is now, and there were no school shootings.

What happened?

What is our system of morals and values NOW - in 2015 ??

Are these issues all connected or has the liberal media convinced you that they are isolated issues?

you missed a few things that me and the wife have noticed

work ethic....

personal responsibility....

community....

family values....

core things we were taught....that nothing comes free....that anything is possible if you work hard enough....and a relationship/marriage is work, and must be "worked" on consistently....

 

[Grand Mal]

Torx-head screws. I'll never forgive America for torx-headed screws.

 

[GoNavy]

I thought I alluded to them ... regardless ... I totally agree. Hit the nail on the head. Well done.

 

[Paleocon]

I thought I alluded to them ... regardless ... I totally agree. Hit the nail on the head. Well done.

Did you mean what caused the sixties?

 

[haymarket]

The two things that stand out as the center of many of our problems today would be
1- people who seem to not understand that living in a society means balancing the individual with the larger social group and crafting a society in which both can thrive and not one at the expense of the other.
2- a fixation with the short term rather than the long term. Corporations are locked into this caring only about quarterly reports so that executives can exercise stock options and get a bigger golden parachute when the leave like hookers at a truck stop going from one big rig to another. And the working class does this also shopping at non-union places like Wal Mart when they should be fighting for a union and boycotting places like that. But I guess ten cents off on a roll of toilet paper is more important than moving on up on the ladder.

 

[Medusa]

I cant see a link

 

[Ben K.]

What is wrong with America?

There's a mess of an op here. Consumerism is an ideology that causes something and school shootings are an effect of something.

 

[David_N]

Liburulllllssss. Atheiustss.

 

[HenryChinaski]

Yes let's reminisce about the good ole days. There were junkies, winos, pimps and whores in 1945 as there are today. There was also segregation, Terrorism by the Klan. There were still murders, robbery, larceny, rape(little justice for rape victims then). Times haven't changed that much. Ya'll been watching too much Andy Griffith show and leave it to beaver.

 

[GoNavy]

I never said they were perfect. But if you seriously are suggesting that the relative percentage of murders, rape, and all-around violence is the same ... then yeah ... I don't think so.

 

[Captain America]

Consumerism; Celebrity Deism; Tabloid culture; Corporate control; Special Interest Congress; Narcissism; Pervasive politically correct to the point of labeling people racist or sexist or bullies when they just disagree with you; Internet replacing God; Excessivism (food, tattoos, vulgarity, TV channels, bandwidth, shoes, purses); Talking and yelling over each other instead of just listening; women who want sex god / baby daddies instead of patient, caring, selfless, dedicated, 50 year anniversary husbands; Emerging Oligarchy social class, pornographic complacency, divorce epidemic, SCHOOL SHOOTINGS !!! ... and so many more ...

Back in 1945, America wanted very little and gave so much. There was almost no welfare, bullies at school were all dealt with the same way (by punching them square in the face), people took PRIDE in their education and country, there was almost no obesity to speak of, humble living was normal, women wanted families instead of 50% divorce settlements, pornography was maybe 1% of what it is now, and there were no school shootings.

What happened?

What is our system of morals and values NOW - in 2015 ??

Are these issues all connected or has the liberal media convinced you that they are isolated issues?

I'm thinking 24 hour cable news coverage. Not so much consideration given, regarding liberal or right-wing bias, (as one might argue the conservative media is at fault,) because there is plenty of evidence, to convince any objective thinker, that both ideologies strongly engage in the art of persuasive propaganda.

I would check the stats, to see if time's are really that much worse or if we are just more aware of it before I came to any conclusions. These days, they are turning over every rock for news and when the news supply gets slow, they create their own. Not like in 1945 when the best you got was 30 minutes worth of news a day, if you're lucky, often from a single source.

But this is a very good question. Makes me want to Google and study up on it more.

 

[KevinKohler]

What's changed?

Self centered outlook from the majority of people in this country.

This is the effect of the "me" generation, group after group of kids growing up thinking the world revolves around them, and the idea that "I gotta get mine" no matter what. Get rich or die trying. Etc. Me me me me me me me me me me me me me.

It's affected the way we conduct our business, from large to small, the way we behave as individuals and as groups, the way we view our politics and craft our laws, etc etc etc.


Me me me me me. Mine. My needs. My wants. My problems.


Which, don't get me wrong, the individual is important...but not at the exclusion and the expense of everyone and everything else.

 

[Linc]

Imagine how wrong America would be if McCain/Palin had followed Bush/Cheney .

 

[PIPEWRENCH]

I never said they were perfect. But if you seriously are suggesting that the relative percentage of murders, rape, and all-around violence is the same ... then yeah ... I don't think so.

I think we were much more violent in the past as well as accepting of it as being OK. I think today what are serious crimes weren't even reported in the past.

Today you push someone and you are up on assault charges. There is no comparing the past to today. Just look as child abuse as well as the hitting of women. In the past a lot of the time the thought was the victim deserved it. Look at drunk driving and accidents past vs present. Take animal abuse past vs present. 40 years ago if I took my dog out and shot it there would never been any charges. Do we even have to mention the treatment of blacks and immigrants. Just look at the hitting and paddling of kids is school in the past. We were forced to put our hands out while the nun stuck our knuckles with a ruler. Could you imagine what the consequences of such punishment today.

 

[bg85]

what's wrong with America? not nearly as much as what is right with America, i'll tell you what.

 

[Captain America]

I never said they were perfect. But if you seriously are suggesting that the relative percentage of murders, rape, and all-around violence is the same ... then yeah ... I don't think so.

Almost without exception, Americans believe that violent crime is increasing. In the short run, they are right: Violent crime did increase between 1985 and 1990. But what really worries most people is not the short-run trend but their sense that violent crime has been climbing steadily for a long time and that the future will only bring further increases. Such worries are linked to anxiety about drugs, permissive childrearing, hedonism, declining academic standards, the growth of the ghetto underclass, and our collective inability to compete with the Japanese. Taken together, these fears have convinced many sensible people that American society is on the skids. <snip>

In 1989 the murder rate was higher than it had been from 1983 to 1988, lower than it had been from 1972 to 1982, and higher than it had been from 1950 to 1972. Victimization surveys -- that is, surveys asking people whether they have been the victims of crimes -- suggest that non-lethal violence has followed the same trajectory. Furthermore, black-white differences in the incidence of violence have been diminishing, not increasing. <snip>

Is Violent Crime Increasing?

In 1945 the homocide rate per 100,000 population was 5.7
In 2015 the homocide rate per 100,000 population is 5.0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate_by_decade#1940s

Yeah, I'm leaning that it's the media, hungry to incite and propagate news, in a competitive manner, has us all convinced we're going to hell in a hand basket. Perhaps, the gullible will.

But we have the gift of critical thought, if we so choose to use it, to see through this media fog.

Stay calm.

Relax.

View attachment 67191436

 

[bg85]

I never said they were perfect. But if you seriously are suggesting that the relative percentage of murders, rape, and all-around violence is the same ... then yeah ... I don't think so.

do you have any links to data on the subject?

 

[bg85]

Almost without exception, Americans believe that violent crime is increasing. In the short run, they are right: Violent crime did increase between 1985 and 1990. But what really worries most people is not the short-run trend but their sense that violent crime has been climbing steadily for a long time and that the future will only bring further increases. Such worries are linked to anxiety about drugs, permissive childrearing, hedonism, declining academic standards, the growth of the ghetto underclass, and our collective inability to compete with the Japanese. Taken together, these fears have convinced many sensible people that American society is on the skids. <snip>

In 1989 the murder rate was higher than it had been from 1983 to 1988, lower than it had been from 1972 to 1982, and higher than it had been from 1950 to 1972. Victimization surveys -- that is, surveys asking people whether they have been the victims of crimes -- suggest that non-lethal violence has followed the same trajectory. Furthermore, black-white differences in the incidence of violence have been diminishing, not increasing. <snip>

Is Violent Crime Increasing?

In 1945 the homocide rate per 100,000 population was 5.7
In 2015 the homocide rate per 100,000 population is 5.0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate_by_decade#1940s

Yeah, I'm leaning that it's the media, hungry to incite and propagate news, in a competitive manner, has us all convinced we're going to hell in a hand basket. Perhaps, the gullible will.

But we have the gift of critical thought, if we so choose to use it, to see through this media fog.

Stay calm.

Relax.

(image snipped)

whoa, pretty interesting when you go all the way back to 1900. the homicide rate increased something like 800% (gradually) from 1900 to 1929. makes you kinda think about the whole prohibition thing, eh? also the industrial revolution. crazy.

 

[SmokeAndMirrors]

Consumerism; Celebrity Deism; Tabloid culture; Corporate control; Special Interest Congress; Narcissism; Pervasive politically correct to the point of labeling people racist or sexist or bullies when they just disagree with you; Internet replacing God; Excessivism (food, tattoos, vulgarity, TV channels, bandwidth, shoes, purses); Talking and yelling over each other instead of just listening; women who want sex god / baby daddies instead of patient, caring, selfless, dedicated, 50 year anniversary husbands; Emerging Oligarchy social class, pornographic complacency, divorce epidemic, SCHOOL SHOOTINGS !!! ... and so many more ...

Back in 1945, America wanted very little and gave so much. There was almost no welfare, bullies at school were all dealt with the same way (by punching them square in the face), people took PRIDE in their education and country, there was almost no obesity to speak of, humble living was normal, women wanted families instead of 50% divorce settlements, pornography was maybe 1% of what it is now, and there were no school shootings.

What happened?

What is our system of morals and values NOW - in 2015 ??

Are these issues all connected or has the liberal media convinced you that they are isolated issues?

In 1945, we also hung black people, shrugged our shoulders when wives were beaten or raped, and aggressively ostracised the most vulnerable members of society: the mentally ill, the eccentric, the poor. It was an entire society composed of bullies.

The modern era has many problems, but we actually have much less overall violence, rape, and illiteracy. People are generally kinder, more educated, more tolerant. The newest generation is also probably the LEAST materialistic for nearly 100 years.

It is not "bad" for people to want more from life than to wind up married to whoever's standing nearest when they graduate high school, and spend their lives keeping up with the Jones, grinning superficially over their clipped grass and trying to avoid to conversation of what goes on behind closed doors.

That's not a recipe for happiness. Delayed marriage is, actually. The later a couple marries, the more likely they are to be happy. They know their needs better, they're more settled in who they are, and they have had time to explore life -- all common shortcomings of the common 1945 dead, loveless marriage. Believe it or not, do you know who the happiest partners are? Older polyamorous people. So much for tradition being some kind of ideal.

The world is changing. Mostly for the better.