Are our Moral Standards in Society Degrading?

[sandmoth12]

Personally I think they are. To me it seems like moral standards were much higher in the past. Our ideas grow evermore provocative and degrading. Is it really a good thing to cast away traditional values?

And now I can finally understand why old people complain about the youths of today...

[Garnier Fructis]

Moral standards were higher in the past, true. The ancient Greeks were pretty moral. Times change. The idea that morals are slipping or whatever, is an held by those who can't accept change.

[smelltheglove]

do you have anything specific here? old world morals thought slavery was ok, so i cant really say that modern morals are worse across the board. i cant say that they are in their entirety better either

[mvaliz]

Given your last thread you created about "simple life vs Complicated life" - it sounds like you're just having a down-turn in your opinion. I'm going to respond to the last thread - and I hope it gives you a bit of light.

Long and short - don't believe the movie "God Bless America" (judging by how you speak, it sounds like it). The main protagonist could've solved every one of his problems by doing one thing - shutting his TV off.

As Groucho Marx once observed: "I found TV very educational. When somebody turns one on, I go into the other room and read a book".

[Raiju]

Apples and oranges.

[Deleted]

No. Just no. Not sure what you even want me to say to this...?
What are you referring too exactly?
Human nature is an ever present feature that will remain pretty much steady over the years, 2000 years ago saw rape / slavery / drug abuse rife. Today these things are still present, but are far less common (to the degree of he past) this is only due to a change law and restrictions in society.
The only reason to think that thy are more common today is a larger media coverage.

[Kraenen]

Personally I think they are. To me it seems like moral standards were much higher in the past. Our ideas grow evermore provocative and degrading. Is it really a good thing to cast away traditional values?

And now I can finally understand why old people complain about the youths of today...

are you more than 100 years old?
if no, you have no reason to believe this
if yes, carry on.

[Bananarez]

I think that any moral standards above general human nature are just attempts by people to control people and force them to be closed-minded.

[Underverse]

Morals are constructs. I think its more accurate to say that they are being changed, not degrading. We seem to be going in the right direction though, even while the pendulum swings both ways.

[Zoldor]

Nope morality goes up and down a bit in the eye of the general public, but in reality we are probably a little more moral than our passed selves. Still we are just as bad as we've always been. Sometimes its hidden sometimes its public and sometimes we accept it. Humanity is still itself. The idea of moral degrade is propaganda to get people to follow a specific ideal, normally fall in line and be like X.

[melodramocracy]

No, it's simply that acts that used to be hush-hush are a bit more out in the open now.

Your parents / grandparents / great grandparents generations were out doing all sorts of illicit behavior (and far worse actually, by today's standards). They were just better at keeping their mouths shut about it.

To say that we're morally degrading *now* is to turn a very blind eye to the past.

[Stormspellz]

I think mass wide spread misinformation is the main factor for the state of society

[Paliz]

Everyone always thinks that we are going backwards. Hell the Beatles were seen as a destructive force on society. It's just the Zeitgeist, nothing is inherently more or less moral it is just different. Besides this is the best time you could ever be alive in terms of quality of living. At least if you are posting this it is, maybe not for people in Somalia...

[Deadvolcanoes]

"Moral standards," and "traditional values" of the past are based on religion. It's wonderful to move away from these ideals, towards a more realistic society.

[Magpai]

Certainly they are. Mostly about refusal to take responsibility for one's own actions. You see it in the criminal justice system all the time. Related but not completely the same is the increased attitude that other people owe me and that I'm entitled to what I want even at someone else's expense.

[Deleted]

Personally I think they are. To me it seems like moral standards were much higher in the past. Our ideas grow evermore provocative and degrading. Is it really a good thing to cast away traditional values?

And now I can finally understand why old people complain about the youths of today...

I BLAME those very old people that are complaining, they failed to pass on those very values they respect. Just as I blame my generation for not bringing their kids up with the same respect and consideration we had to learn, the TV and console teaches kids more than most parents do nowadays.

[Deadvolcanoes]

the increased attitude that other people owe me and that I'm entitled to what I want even at someone else's expense.

This is incredibly rare in today's society, and it also existed in previous generations. So it wouldn't be a change, it would be a continuation.

[Seirith]

Interesting question. I would have to say no. We have so much technology these days that shows us everything negative all the time. Turn on the news tonight and look at the bad stories versus how many good ones there are. if I turn on the news it will be someone was shot, someone is on trial, something else bad happened, a few minuets of weather and sports and then back to more bad things. I don't watch the news because the majority of it is bad.

There are many good people who there, who do good things every day and live honest good lives, they are just not shown in today's media. People have and always will do bad things, just as people always have and will do good things. We as a society tend to focus on the bad.

[Deleted]

I bet some smartass said the same about the youth hundreds of years ago... and what I bet even more on the fact that he was only 20 or 30 himself.

[Deleted]

Our ideas grow evermore provocative and degrading. Is it really a good thing to cast away traditional values?

Why do I suspect that you mean "Conservative Christian Values" when you say "Traditional Values".