What's wrong with people?
There is so much negativity nowadays, miserable faces, complaining, anger and fault finding for no apparent reason. Is this what society has become? Where is the care and attention?
What's going on?
I think it's because we live in a highly stressful, highly developed, very competitive society, with more and more rules, meddling and micro-management from both the state and employers. This inevitably causes increased angry, short tempers and frustration.
There may also be other issues at work too, of course.
Good question!
I think people are basically encouraged to be selfish in our consumer society. There's an underlying dog eat dog attitude that's driven by the fear of being a have-not.
I really think that if you just think about yourself the whole time, as opposed to others, then you're only sewing the seeds of your own misery.
Lying , cheating and stealing never made anyone happy. Trying to get one over on someone is never going to end well.
Let's say for example I buy some designer bags cheap down the market and then try and knock them out on sales corner for a tidy profit, that's my shout. It doesn't necessarily make me a bad person. But, if I'm dishonest and lie about where the bags came from, saying that they came from Harrods to justify my selling price , that would be dishonest. I would actively be trying to decieve people in my own interest. That sort of attitude is just not going to lead to a positive experience for anyone and it's always going to backfire. That's my experience.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
I also think looking outside for the causes of blame is a big mistake. We are all the authors of our own suffering.
People don't look inside to see what is wrong with the world. They just naturally assume that they are right and the problem must lie with someone else.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Well said. I agree!Originally Posted by seikopath
I don't just think it is down to individuals. At the risk of being overtly political (apologies) I think we are all suffering the results of some very poor policies from all political parties over the last ten years.
And what do you think the next generation will say about us?
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Social media doesn't help many. I think my wife suffers from this one, where she sees what people are sharing on social media and comparing it to her life. But she has the untidy house, piles of washing created by two young boys as well etc. Etc. I try to explain everyone has these issues and people share on Facebook what they want you to see
Social media seems to fuel a growing feeling that everyone else has better, more successful lives than us. The higher our expectations the more miserable we are with our lot.
Nail, head answers above, esp re blaming others, society etc for one's problems. You reap what you saw. Eventually.
Fas est ab hoste doceri
It's all down to Jeremy Kyle and the kardashians.
I dread to think.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Spot on.
I don't think people are worse now than any other time, just that there's more places to show it, or less places to hide, and like SteveR said, staged photographs on social media creating false impressions of a perfect life.
Don't you just want to shake some people and scream 'wake up!'
Last edited by trainspanner; 5th December 2016 at 08:44.
There's alot of research that says participating in social media actually does make people more unhappy.
I actually would extend this to consuming the media as a whole actually. It's a fact (albeit one I've made up) that 90% of news stories are negative, and some of them almost over whelmingly so . How can anyone not be depressed when they hear the latest about the war in Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan, or the latest outbreak of cholera in Haiti or ebola in Africa, or the latest natural disaster? If we stop to consider even for a moment the actual effects of these events on the people involved and try and put ourselves in their shoes, how can we possibly not be affected?
That's why I think it can be good not to watch TV or read the news. Ignorance sometimes literally is bliss.
I can see some might argue that by doing that you're just sticking your head in the sand. But if you are actually getting to grips with your own issues (and yes, we ALL have them) and tackling areas that need to be addressed instead of just ignoring them then that simply isn't the case.
When dealing with the outside world, we can make the difference even if that difference is as simple as not being a grumpy bastard in the morning.
As a wise man once said " Why worry about anything? There's no point worrying about things you can change, because you can change them. There's also absolutely no point worrying about things you can't change, because you can't change them anyway"
We need to see the difference that we can make and work on the things that we can change. Obviously these aren't going to be the big things, like world poverty for example, or climate change. That is why we have to start small . Small things can have a big effect. That is a scientific principle.
"it is better to light a single candle than curse the darkness'
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
This....and its´staring them in the face but they still don´t get it...I´ve just started noticing TV ads exhorting facebook users to come up with more user generated content, all under the guise of showing off their special talent(singing, dancing, magic, juggling whatever)...when will people get it....it´s infantile and inauthentic and a substitute for genuine human interaction....the social equivalent of fast food...does a good job of distracting people from analysis of their real problems though.
Social media, complete misnomer.
I don't know what people are so bloody miserable about. This is a Golden Age.
In our society, maybe: in others not.
Visit poorer societies and you'll see a marked difference: happier, friendlier, more caring and accepting of life's problems. Yet by our criteria they should be extremely negative: harder life, poorer, iller, less possessions,...
ISTM we have become a culture of entitlement: that we expect far more and when our own perception of what we should have isn't met then we become unhappy, angry and then look for something to blame.
It's not society that's at fault, it's us as individuals.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Yet we seek to replace their view with ours. We call that development
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
But we have so many beautiful shiny things. How can it not be better for them?
You can't eat shiny things
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Good. It'll help me get those abs I saw on Instagram. I'll get at least 40 likes for that.
- - - Updated - - -
Good. It'll help me get those abs I saw on Instagram. I'll get at least 40 likes for that.
Just Whoosh...
To entitlement I´d add instant gratification and near constant entertainment or perhaps more accurately distraction, which of course along with our busy lives is another barrier to thought and self examination.
Part and parcel of our consumerist narcissistic society. All of which keeps the debt based money machine whirring along to the no doubt vast amusement and enrichment of a tiny minority.
"The unexamined life is not worth living" Socrates.
As to who´s fault I think its six of one and half a dozen of the other, although it´s up to us as individuals to make changes.
Last edited by Passenger; 5th December 2016 at 10:16. Reason: more blether
Nail hit on the head.
👌
Arguably social media is the best driver of consumption going as it creates the dissatisfaction which can then attempted to be filled by new shiny baubles (often debt financed)...and the people willingly sign up to be made miserable by other people ("friends" in facebook parlance) and so it goes on.... evil genius really.
Never mind social media - which yes doesn't help with the lemming/sheep/herd mentality
I find the OPs observation of everyone long faced, pessimistic and pissed off is just being called BRITISH- and I'm proud of it!
And the last generation will always think about the "good old days".
Yeah it's not like Britain hasn't been an essentially grumpy place since a long long time before social media. I wonder when the turning point was. During the Wars of the Roses?
I think most commentators problems could be solved by moving out of London. It's a weird bubble whereby those within work harder and harder to stay afloat and afford 'the house' and send the kids to 'the school' and wear 'the coat'... Materialism is covered above, but throw in city life and it's an incredibly damaging spiral and feedback loop.
I'm becoming more of a hippy in my old age I think.
Obviously I'm kidding -I think movies such as wolf of Wall Street promote such resentment and adoration for complete disgusting consumerism - and yet here we all are discussing the woes of the product of capitalism on a jolly old man Jewellery forum !!
I resent facebook and the analogy of infantile fast food human interaction is just a staggeringly on point observation.
As one comment stated about his wife being untidy piles of clothes that is my wife to a tee - she is a sister of a cardiac ward and works extremely hard yet finds time to airbrush the shit out of the 'home scene' of how it really looks and gloss it up with stupid selfies - its all instant gratifying and arse kissing mostly by competitive women. Bunch of sad acts / shouldn't even have time for that garbage considering we have four children !!
I've often thought about doing a 'brutal and honest face book profile' sort of the anti thesis of what is out there .
- but then I'd be involved in that circle so no
Last edited by bond; 5th December 2016 at 11:02.
Are we lumping YouTube into social media as well or even google images - it really affects my consumer side - blasted Archie luxury - he's such a influential pig and reflective of what we are talking about
Do people really look at what the Kardashians and their 'friends' on Facebook have and get angry about it?
The Queen lives in castles and palaces and has all her life.
Harry Redknapp used to live in a small house in West Moors, near my parent's (nicer) house, but now lives in Sandbanks.
I don't feel envy or anger about either of those situations - Some people have more than others, I have a lot more than some, and less than others, that's how it is. I don't believe others are inherently 'worth' more than me because they have more, some worked for it, others got it by luck or inheritance.
If people DO feel envy at others having things they don't (and anger because of it), why is that?
Surely social media isn't responsible for their reaction to this, it's simply informing them of something, but surely nothing new?
M
Not helped by the media driving huge wedges between society either and whipping up resentment with hate filled messages.
Are we in danger of straying into political discussion here?
I had a long reply typed, but realised it's not for G&D and I can't be bothered with the Bear Pit.
M
Yes it does seek to be veering off on a political tangent slightly
Well, it's the collective of individuals that makes up society and their collective behavior is culture. As such the culture of entitlement which your so correctly identify is a product of society.
The individual does have a choice of course but basically only within the boundaries of the culture he/she is living in. Being happy with what you have or more accurately what you have not goes outside the boundaries.
Just look at this watch forum. At he peer fluffing about Veblen products whether cars, shoes, jackets, shirts or watches.
Well said.
"A man of little significance"
I take your points and yes, there is plenty of evidence here and as everywhere else.
Not just about acquisitions though, but also the attitude of some when it comes to others less fortunate than themselves. Again, in this I see quite a difference between poor and wealthy societies.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Yes, I agree.
Not sure about others, but what depresses and annoys me are people who believe that have a right to interfere, or have a say, in how I live my life.
Also the weather, Christmas and the impending visit of the MiL is not improving my own personal mood.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Generally,
Society concentrates too much on individual rights,
Not enough on personal responsibilities.
Andy
That's an interesting point. Would it be any different if we were talking about, say, designer sunglasses instead of designer bags?
I wonder about the affect of advertising in increasing materialism, it's been around much longer than computer-based social media. Personally I like to think I'm fairly immune to it, but sometimes I have my doubts. I remember my father's horror when his bank first sent him a credit card, it went against all his principles regarding debt and spending. Now their use is second nature to most people, what has changed our attitudes?
Now there's a constant deluge of adverts in the papers, on the internet and on our televisions, all aimed at manipulating our aspirations. How effective is advertising? When you look at how much companies spend on it you might think the answer is "Very!"
True.
I think over the last few years there has definitely been a lot of "keep up with the Jones's" posts on here.
Cheers,
Neil.
I truly believe "social" media is eroding the human spirit. Constantly remind people about what they should / can't have, what they can / can't do and you wonder why they live beyond their means, become frustrated, disillusioned and get angry.
Last edited by Chinnock; 5th December 2016 at 16:24.
We now live in the age of narcissism.
Note how popular interest free credit is.
There is a simple paradigm shift to cure that: become the Jones's, i.e. accept that what you already have is all that you need and all that you want.
For most of us, what we already have is more than enough of what we need: it's the 'want' that becomes the fool's errand.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
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