It seems like scams, widespread corruption, and sticking it to the other guy first even in the face of what might make the most sense is prevalent and only increasing. It affects nearly all aspects of our lives (politics, business, sports etc)… Are living by values and having integrity outdated concepts by which one can live their life?
Happiness is tied to wealth. And since happiness is good, getting wealth must be good. Many persons believe that they only way other people get wealth is through dishonest means, then it must acceptable. No one wants to wrk for their wealth anymore.
I don’t think any of those things are more prevalent now a days. In fact I’d bet they are less prevalent if anything. However, now they are just instantly publicized through 24/7 cable news or the internet.
It seems like scams, widespread corruption, and sticking it to the other guy first even in the face of what might make the most sense is prevalent and only increasing. It affects nearly all aspects of our lives (politics, business, sports etc)… Are living by values >and having integrity outdated concepts by which one can live their life?
It may seem that way, but is it actually? There’s always a sense that things were better in the “good old days,” but using any objective measure, it’s hard to find exactly when the good old days were.
Read something recently that talked about the reticence of young people to make value judgements at all, preferring instead to the idea that “well, I wouldn’t do that, but if they think it’s okay for them, who am I to say otherwise” approach to almost everything short of murder or rape. The same non-judgemental character that is celebrated for helping gays to move ahead on rights, or the like, is pervasive. Too much of a good thing?..I don’t know.
*I don’t think any of those things are more prevalent now a days. In fact I’d bet they are less prevalent if anything. However, now they are just instantly publicized through 24/7 cable news or the internet. *
I don’t know it seems to me that there are both more and the scale is larger/more widespread. It almost seems that a large part of our financial system (e.g., insider trading among others) is really a scam stacked against the many to enrich the few. Also winning the political infighting is put before the good of the people. The consequences are larger now due to the size, speed and complexity of things now.
However, now they are just instantly publicized through 24/7 cable news or the internet.
I would say that it is this condition that makes scams, dishonesty, etc etc MORE prevalent not less.
I think it’s much easier these days to lie, cheat, steal etc because you no longer have to have interaction with the people you’re bending over.
Being anonymous on the net, hiding behind text messages etc etc allow one to be a complete ass without facing the people they are being an ass to.
Like anything the more you do something the easier it becomes to do. There was an article mentioned on the radio the other day claiming that racism, obscene language, bullying etc was on the rise among teens and largely because of this effect.
Act like a racist while texting for 50% of your day, do that for a while and suddenly acting like a racist in the real world doesn’t seem “All that bad”.
~Matt
Quel is right. Snake oil salesman have been around for centuries. The internet has given them more access to victims and 24/7 news cycle has made them seem more active.
It almost seems that a large part of our financial system (e.g., insider trading among others) is really a scam stacked against the many to enrich the few.
I think the largest “Scam” in the financial system is not really as much of a scam as much as the likelhood that a few groups are “Leading” the masses and getting rich because they are the only ones who know where they are going to go.
Get enough people to believe in something and they will “Trade” on that belief. You know they will be trading based on that belief and you act before they do.
~Matt
From a recent article in the Times ( UK)…
This came from an article written by Lord Jonathan Sacks….I thought it covered it nicely…
“Too much of contemporary society has taken a vacation from responsibility. Children have been the victims of our self serving belief that you can have partnerships without the responsibility of marriage, children without the responsibility of parenthood, social order without the responsibility of citizenship, liberty without the responsibility of morality, and self-esteem without the responsibility of hard work and achievement”
The focus on values has diminished due to these behaviours.
I think it has always been this way
It seems like scams, widespread corruption, and sticking it to the other guy first even in the face of what might make the most sense is prevalent and only increasing. It affects nearly all aspects of our lives (politics, business, sports etc)… Are living by values and having integrity outdated concepts by which one can live their life?
Quel is right. Snake oil salesman have been around for centuries. The internet has given them more access to victims and 24/7 news cycle has made them seem more active.
The access to non face-to-face interaction encourages irresponsibility and makes unethical behavior easier to rationalize. Media ‘cheapens’ human interaction.
Are living by values and having integrity outdated concepts by which one can live their life?
i would contend that there has never been any human* that didnt have values.
*i mean anyone who can function, not a child or severly mentally retarded.
Snake oil salesman have been around for centuries.
Yes but snake oil salesmen used to have to go door to door, or have a shop. In any case their “Scam” was limited to the amount of individuals they could sell face to face with and blunted somewhat by the human interaction.
Today those “Snake oil salesmen” have nearly unlimited and instant access to everyone and they don’t have that pesky conscientious to deal with because it’s easier to dismiss an E-mail than a person you have standing in front of you.
I think the two above create not only more scams per scammer, but have the tendency to allow those that otherwise might not have the balls to scam someone to become scammers.
End results more scammers, more scams.
You can apply the same thought process to people acting like asses, racists or any negative human behavior that can occur or eventually become habit while acting in that manner in the digital world.
~Matt
*I don’t think any of those things are more prevalent now a days. In fact I’d bet they are less prevalent if anything. However, now they are just instantly publicized through 24/7 cable news or the internet. *
I don’t know it seems to me that there are both more and the scale is larger/more widespread. It almost seems that a large part of our financial system (e.g., insider trading among others) is really a scam stacked against the many to enrich the few. Also winning the political infighting is put before the good of the people. The consequences are larger now due to the size, speed and complexity of things now.
No surprise, really. We teach our young folks in high school and college that American values are out-dated or worse, that there are no absolute morals. Instead of real morals, we teach them that legal contracts can be voided or got around. We teach them that Value is defined as achievement and getting ahead. It’s the same in our politics. As a society, we go on to get rid of God and morality in public. Then, we wonder why our “best and brightest”, the “smartest guys in the room” on Wall Street and at our largest firms are arrested for fudging the numbers to show profits or lying to get ahead?
Instead of real morals
can you list any moral that isnt a real moral? people have different morals but that doesnt mean that they arent real. moral arguments can be made to justify a terrible action that would normally go against your morals, does that mean that your morals arent real?
we go on to get rid of God and morality in public
can you name of anyone who wants to get rid of morality in public or private?
I do think we are in a phase in this country where everyone is in it for themselves - to take what the can. Hopefully, it is just a phase in our history.
Instead of real morals
can you list any moral that isnt a real moral? people have different morals but that doesnt mean that they arent real. moral arguments can be made to justify a terrible action that would normally go against your morals, does that mean that your morals arent real?
we go on to get rid of God and morality in public
can you name of anyone who wants to get rid of morality in public or private?
I already mentioned how certain groups want to get rid of any mention of the 10 Commandments. FreedomfromReligion.org comes to mind. There are also teachers who hold that we can not prescribe morality for society (which is a contradictory thought, if you think about it!). Others give in to floating morality or moral relativism, ie. whatever is expedient according to mans’ conscience. Once you get away from absolute morality in a Godly framework, values will disintegrate. After 30+ years of moral decline, we are just beginning to see the effects in society.
To answer your first question, the mere mention of morality brings in the question of God immediately. People who use morality to do terrible actions are forgetting God and the Creation made in His image.
gurudriver, perhaps you could open mspaint, and draw us a sketch graph of how you feel the generally moralness of say, the united states, has proceeded over time.
then we can look at eras where it was supposedly high and evaluate if it was really so, from history.
I think we have strong evidence that religiosity has declined a bit over time, but I’m not sure if general morality has.
Higher religiosity in the past did not prevent american’s from owning slaves
or denying women the same rights as men
segregation
the american corporate leaders of old used to shoot workers that went on strike and burn the factories of competitors
this whole concept is VERY hard to measure which of course is why people will tend to jump to the convenient conclusion.
so, how can we measure the sum total morality of societies over time?
violent crime has been trending down for decades. that is good, but may just reflect higher prison populations.
the mere mention of morality brings in the question of God immediately.
not interested in going round and round with this one again!
People who use morality to do terrible actions are forgetting God and the Creation made in His image.
does not follow.