Is our society today more rude and unpolished, or less rude and unpolished than it was 25
years ago?
Presently, the many pressures of modern society are bearing down on individuals more so
than ever before. The prevalence of demanding situations such as attempting to deal with the
present economic crisis coupled with the typical stressors of everyday life have caused society to
lose track of the common values and standards which used to be commonplace 25 years ago.
“Stress is defined as an organism’s total response to environmental demands or pressures. In
human beings, it results from interactions between individuals and the environment that they
occupy which they perceive as threatening their well-being” (Barry, 2010). Because of this
increased stress, people have literally become less tolerant of those around them causing them to
be rude, impatient, unpolished and uncaring.
A quarter century ago, life was less hectic, there were fewer technological advancements
to intrude on individual’s daily lives, there was a common sense of unity and togetherness and
people were more likely to stop what they were doing to assist another person in need. Today,
the prevalence of unpolished personas and attitudes has overwhelmed society not simply in large
metropolitan areas but in rural locations as well. Manners are a thing of the past in most
instances and most oftentimes, individuals who exhibit a sense of caring and understanding are
only attempting to be “politically correct” in order to avoid being labeled as prejudice.
As previously stated, people simply do not feel as if they have the time to attend to social
graces as they did in the past. Possibly, the most obvious reason for this shift is simply due to the
changing times of the world in general. The advent of the Internet and the other numerous
technological advancements which have recently been introduced to society have allowed
society to become “electronic” in nature; people have lost the art of communication because they
are not required to actually talk, face to fact, to other people. This has produced a society of rude
and unpolished individuals as compared to 25 years ago, and there does not seem to be an end in
sight to this societal dilemma.
References
Barry, M. (2010, October 12). Stress and Anxiety in Post-Modern Society | Cures For Panic
Attacks. Cures for Panic Attacks. Retrieved October 26, 2010, from
http://www.curesforpanicattacksx.com/stress-and-anxiety-in-post-modern-society