Pet Hates........or FFS

[Marco]

Must have been confusing it with the World Cup.

Come to think of it that was the one where we didn't qualify but the Jocks did.

Just more proof of how the world has changed so radically.

Not really, the English are still banging on about 1966!

Marco.

[Macca]

Not really, the English are still banging on about 1966!

Marco.

Fifty-two years of hurt....

[Barry]

I live in a completely different world now compared to my childhood. Before - small community, everyone knew everyone and anyone could tell you off, teachers and policeman evident and largely respected, heavy influence of church/chapel, plenty of jobs ( degree education limited to middle and upper classes), almost no cars on the roads - we used to play cricket in the street. Now - high level of anonymity, everyone thinks they can get away with bad behaviour, little respect for the law, lots of unemployment and poor job security, Internet paedos, churches virtually empty, congested streets full of parked cars and turbo-charged maniacs weaving in between them. OK I'm laying it on a bit thick but now it is more important than ever that parents and adults in general step up to the mark.

Astute observation Mark, and one with which I concur.

[alphaGT]

The world underwent a drastic change around the turn of the century, the previous one. Before 1900, if you kissed a girl you intended to marry her, horses were the main mode of transportation and chances are you did the same job your father did. Then came factory jobs, automobiles, and airplanes, a world war! Mechanized warfare, people changed suddenly. Flappers and gangsters, movies! All these things had a major affect on life. I’m sure the old folks who died in the 1930’s were simply shocked at how the world had gone to the crapper.

Speed ahead to the 1980’s. The IBM 8080 computer, Apple, making home computers, I wondered what would anyone even want one for? Cable TV! Suddenly programmers weren’t saddled with the censors of the three big networks, and I went to school and learned computers, and at work I saw the Internet come to life. And at first you had to be an expert to get on it. Then, Web Browsers and search engines opened it up for the masses! And what was the first thing to happen? Porno! Yep, the Internet was flooded with porno! Could you look up useful information? No, but there was free porn everywhere you looked! A friend of mine always refers to his computer as, “The Evil Box”, and I think he’s right. Other than AOS of course, computers have been the downfall of civilization. All of a sudden it’s Ok to be a weirdo, surely you can find others just as weird online? It has become too easy to be immoral, and hide behind your avatar. And it has become very easy to bash anything you like without fear of getting your mouth mashed in. I have seen a direct correlation between the proliferation of technology and the downfall of morality. Plus a few other factors that I won’t get into right here, but it makes me wonder if we were better off before the internet?

Russell

[Pigmy Pony]

Some very good points Russell.

I once heard someone say that if all the porn was removed from the internet there would be only one website. And it would be called "Bring back the Porn".

The internet has enabled us to do a lot of things we couldn't do before. It's also enabled us to do things we really shouldn't be doing. Anonymity gives the not-rights freedom to be as obnoxious/depraved as they like, but addressing this would also impinge on our civil liberties. What to, what to do, what to do....

[struth]

Deliver me from that god who's face is that of a hound, but who's skin is that of a man, as he liveth within the damned forever, digesting human hearts .....

[Marco]

It has become too easy to be immoral, and hide behind your avatar. And it has become very easy to bash anything you like without fear of getting your mouth mashed in. I have seen a direct correlation between the proliferation of technology and the downfall of morality.

Spot on, Russell (your whole post), but in particular the bit above. I've often said that one of the worst things about the Internet was giving a 'voice' to all the loons/social misfits/dregs of society, who previously had rightfully been gagged!

Now they've become 'trolls', turning anyone who doesn't 'fit' with their world, and shows up their upbringing-induced inadequacies/insecurities, into a target of their ire. However, in terms of the bit in bold, certain chickens will soon be coming home to roost

Marco.

[Pigmy Pony]

Deliver me from that god who's face is that of a hound, but who's skin is that of a man, as he liveth within the damned forever, digesting human hearts .....

Yes I blame the politicians too

[Macca]

I thought he was talking about Fred Basset

[alphaGT]

While I’m on a roll, the other thing that has had severe unforeseen consequences on society was birth control. Invented and released to the public in the 1960’s, it freed all women from the shackles of child rearing. Free to pursue their passions and careers. Seemed like such a great thing! Inspired the generation of, “Free Love”, in the 60’s. But by the 1980’s new and killer STD’s were not only in the fringes of society, but anyone from any walk of life may contract some rather terrible illnesses. And the long term effect is that smart people have used birth control, while stupid people have not! And in a few short generations the stupid people outnumber the smart people by a significant margin! Before birth control, smart people and dump people procreated at the same pace, but now while smart people have confined themselves to one or two children, some even no children, the dregs of society have continued to proliferate at the old rates! And sadly, we have engineered the weapon of our own demise. Now, the smart people are mixing with the dumb people, so now the few smart offspring are diluted, and the ratio keeps slipping off the shallow end of the gene pool. Combine these less than smart people with the social pollution of my last post, and you see the problem is compounding.

Russell