To start off, I know this isn't a well-written article, none of these are, but thank you for giving me a small audience to speak to and for your patience in my ramblings.
Well, after taking a short sabbatical, I figured it was time to get back on. Hopefully everyone had a good Christmas and New Year. I know we did.
I've been thinking about some things and one of the things that always enters my mind is common decency. Nowadays that seems to be an oxymoron because decency seems to be anything but common. As recent as 20-30 years ago society had a code. That code said that if something was defamatory, degrading, or just plain rude then you avoided those topics. If something was private, it was private. With the advent of social media there's been an influx of, in my opinion, could be called moral degradation.
Back then when someone had an embarrassing moment, it was limited to the people that witnessed it and the few people they blabbed it to. While some things got around quick, they were forgotten fairly quickly as well. People moved on with their lives. When someone had a secret they needed kept safe or an image they were trying to form, they were pretty safe as long as they kept things to themselves. Nowadays we have to look at laws addressing things like 'revenge porn'. "Hey guys, I broke up with so -and-so, just to make them look even worse here's a photo I took!" Then it's all over the Internet forever.
I remember when I was young, and I don't consider myself old by any measurement, that there were certain things that you just didn't talk about. Regardless of your religion, political affiliation, or personal views, those things were not discussed. I'm not just talking bedroom topics, I'm talking about things like others beliefs, moral issues, even things as little as jokes and stories. Now people that "break" those barriers are considered ground-breaking and visionary. What's wrong with decency? Decency doesn't always translate to prudishness.
I see videos on the Internet, I hear stories on the news, I hear people talk about things they've seen or read and wonder what happened. I know this isn't a new topic and things like this have been happening for decades. While that is true, what's wrong with a little moral conservancy? Why do I need to get on Facebook and talk bad about people? Why do I need to get on Twitter and make people look dumb?
There are a couple of things I feel that have contributed largely to this decline: political correctness and lack of respect. Everyone has a little rebel in them. I've never met someone who wasn't at least a little defiant at least once in a while. But that mindset has become so prevalent that there are people, young and old, who feel they are the only ones that matter. Did I just compare selfishness with rebellion? You bet. While fighting "the man" is good, even essential at times, it needs to be done with tact and discipline or you're just trying to get people to bend to your will. Fighting against something you disagree with doesn't have to be a battle of disrespect. You can address issues in a civil way to where everyone knows where you stand, but also have respect for you because you haven't participated in any ad-hominem.
As far as political correctness (which is a funny term in itself, when has politics been correct?) talk about a joke. It's created a generation of scared wimps. Harsh? I don't think so. How many times do you hear things like, "We can't do that, it's not PC." or "Well, we've got to be sensitive to such-and-such." What a bunch of hooey. I know there are certain things that we should show respect for (there's that word again). But to apply that to every aspect is ridiculous. And it usually stems from someone who is "sticking it to the man" in the least respectful way. One example is the Pledge. While you may claim atheism as your preferred belief system, realize you are the minority. So while you may not agree with "...Under God," know that you don't have to say that part or participate and you'll still be a good human and can still be a good citizen. To attack something so dear to the heart of so many perpetuates the fallacy of discrimination for such things. Do we need to respect things like race, religion, and freedom? Absolutely. Do we need to change our own beliefs or lives because someone might be offended? Nope. People choose to be offended and those are two of the things I choose to be offended at the most.
Let's all try to be a little more decent to each other. Can we still disagree? Yes. Can we still choose to do what we want? Yes. Remember, as you make choices, to think about the other people it may affect. If you're making the choice and it's based solely on a personal agenda, maybe re-think it. We can all be decent and raise decent children and live in a decent society, but it will take everyone.
Well, after taking a short sabbatical, I figured it was time to get back on. Hopefully everyone had a good Christmas and New Year. I know we did.
I've been thinking about some things and one of the things that always enters my mind is common decency. Nowadays that seems to be an oxymoron because decency seems to be anything but common. As recent as 20-30 years ago society had a code. That code said that if something was defamatory, degrading, or just plain rude then you avoided those topics. If something was private, it was private. With the advent of social media there's been an influx of, in my opinion, could be called moral degradation.
Back then when someone had an embarrassing moment, it was limited to the people that witnessed it and the few people they blabbed it to. While some things got around quick, they were forgotten fairly quickly as well. People moved on with their lives. When someone had a secret they needed kept safe or an image they were trying to form, they were pretty safe as long as they kept things to themselves. Nowadays we have to look at laws addressing things like 'revenge porn'. "Hey guys, I broke up with so -and-so, just to make them look even worse here's a photo I took!" Then it's all over the Internet forever.
I remember when I was young, and I don't consider myself old by any measurement, that there were certain things that you just didn't talk about. Regardless of your religion, political affiliation, or personal views, those things were not discussed. I'm not just talking bedroom topics, I'm talking about things like others beliefs, moral issues, even things as little as jokes and stories. Now people that "break" those barriers are considered ground-breaking and visionary. What's wrong with decency? Decency doesn't always translate to prudishness.
I see videos on the Internet, I hear stories on the news, I hear people talk about things they've seen or read and wonder what happened. I know this isn't a new topic and things like this have been happening for decades. While that is true, what's wrong with a little moral conservancy? Why do I need to get on Facebook and talk bad about people? Why do I need to get on Twitter and make people look dumb?
There are a couple of things I feel that have contributed largely to this decline: political correctness and lack of respect. Everyone has a little rebel in them. I've never met someone who wasn't at least a little defiant at least once in a while. But that mindset has become so prevalent that there are people, young and old, who feel they are the only ones that matter. Did I just compare selfishness with rebellion? You bet. While fighting "the man" is good, even essential at times, it needs to be done with tact and discipline or you're just trying to get people to bend to your will. Fighting against something you disagree with doesn't have to be a battle of disrespect. You can address issues in a civil way to where everyone knows where you stand, but also have respect for you because you haven't participated in any ad-hominem.
As far as political correctness (which is a funny term in itself, when has politics been correct?) talk about a joke. It's created a generation of scared wimps. Harsh? I don't think so. How many times do you hear things like, "We can't do that, it's not PC." or "Well, we've got to be sensitive to such-and-such." What a bunch of hooey. I know there are certain things that we should show respect for (there's that word again). But to apply that to every aspect is ridiculous. And it usually stems from someone who is "sticking it to the man" in the least respectful way. One example is the Pledge. While you may claim atheism as your preferred belief system, realize you are the minority. So while you may not agree with "...Under God," know that you don't have to say that part or participate and you'll still be a good human and can still be a good citizen. To attack something so dear to the heart of so many perpetuates the fallacy of discrimination for such things. Do we need to respect things like race, religion, and freedom? Absolutely. Do we need to change our own beliefs or lives because someone might be offended? Nope. People choose to be offended and those are two of the things I choose to be offended at the most.
Let's all try to be a little more decent to each other. Can we still disagree? Yes. Can we still choose to do what we want? Yes. Remember, as you make choices, to think about the other people it may affect. If you're making the choice and it's based solely on a personal agenda, maybe re-think it. We can all be decent and raise decent children and live in a decent society, but it will take everyone.
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