Is life as humans know it really getting worse?

Question

nightdrot · Accepted Answer

Voted Yes, but it is a qualified Yes. It is, after all, in the nature of human affairs that the times will swing back and forth - at least until the pendulum stops swinging. However, to that last, we - as the Bible phrased it - "know neither the day nor the hour." We cannot know when that will be.

Indeed, this particular moment in time seems not all that different from the 1960s and 70s. Rising crime, campus radicalism, social upheaval, war. That was the "swinging 60s." Then came the 1970s and economic decline compounded the radicalism of the 60s. High inflation, rising unemployment, "stagflation."

This, it should be added, came after the largely peaceful placid 1950s. That was a period of relative - in human affairs, good and bad times are ALWAYS relative - peace, prosperity and social stability. This after people had endured the tumults of the period from 1917 to 1953.

The latter had begun with World War I. Followed by the "Forgotten Depression" and the Spanish Influenza pandemic. Then came the "Roaring 20s," a period of peace and prosperity but also social turmoil as the old Edwardian social model collapsed with the end of World War I. Then came the Great Depression and World War II. Then the Korean War.

Then after all that, the nation voted for Eisenhower and the success and stability that he represented and it settled down. However, as George Will joked, "All Eisenhower brought was peace and prosperity and that was boring." To wit, the "Swinging 60s."

At least until, as was noted, came the 1970s. At which point to social and cultural turmoil was added economic turmoil. At which point the nation turned again, as represented by the landslide election victories of Ronald Reagan, and the relative peace, stability and prosperity of the 1980s and 1990s followed.

Rinse and repeat to the present stage. In the 1960s, the campuses were filled with radical protesters who denounced American soldiers as "baby killers" and protested the Vietnam War. The parallel now is the protests against Israel and the Arab-Israeli wars. Civil rights for African-Americans was the mantra of the 60s, now it is LBGTQ rights.

Even in economics. As noted, the 1970s were high inflation and rising unemployment. The current period is experiencing relatively high inflation and unemployment is high relative to the inflation rate. Hence President Biden's low approval numbers which parallel those of President Carter in the 70s.

There is one big difference. The media technologies of the 1917 to 1990s period was a homogenizing force. Everyone read the same newspapers and newsmagazines. They listened to the same radio stations. There were four television networks - ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS. Movies were viewed in large theaters.

Thus was the mantra of the 60s. "Fight the man." "Do your own thing." The sense that there were forces fighting against independent thought. This enforcing a social consensus that was strong in the 1950s and 80s and loathed in the 1920s and 1960s.

Flash forward. The new technology is a culturally and socially splintering force. Everyone can pick up their phone or choose their cable station and hear the universe they want to hear. To which the reaction has been "wokeism" and "political correctness."

So it goes. As noted, the pendulum will swing back and forth - until it does not. However, we cannot know when that will be. Thus it is our duty to be educated and good citizens. "If you can keep your head when others about you are losing theirs', then you will be a man, my son..." to quote 19th century Rudyard Kipling

WindAtMyBack · Accepted Answer

Is there an agreed upon definition of better and worse? Some things are better and some are worse. I think in many ways the world is better for humans today than when I was young. In others, it is worse. Both are just my opinion.

Humans have survived an awful lot of shit in our history. Wars, genocides, natural disaster, dictatorships, famine, plagues - you name it. But humanity has survived it all. Why? Because most people are basically good - because for every dictator, there are people who hold the door open for the next person, just because. Because in natural disasters or war, people rise to the occasion and help others, just because. Because during famine or plague, humans comfort each other, just because.

History books tell a nasty story. But they don't tell the whole story. They don't tell the story of normal everyday people just going about their lives. Those normal everyday people are the ones who matter. They are the reason why humans have survived all the shit in our history.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

If a King sent his army to your village and burned everyone alive because a peasant killed the King's deer---
If a black plague killed a third of the world's entire population---
If you were abducted, sold, forced to go to another country as a slave for the rest of your life---
If all of your friends were sent off to fight a world war and none of them came back alive---
If you were in an office building at work overlooking the skyline on 9-11---

Every generation has had it's worst. Every generation contemplates if it can get any worse. In 2020, everyone was scratching their heads, but that wasn't the first time in history something like that had happened. Wars, plagues, political disruptions, hate, pain, suffering...these things are not unique to any one time period in history. Everyone believes their time is the worst because they are living through it and its consequences, but life is still going and moving forward. Even an alleged asteroid destroying most of the dinosaurs, did not destroy all.

CupcakeTheDestroyer · Accepted Answer

We live in a late-stage capitalist society that is not only actively widening the gap between the upper and lower class as it slowly eradicates the middle class, but the people at the top are the main reason for most problems in the world today. In the US these people who make billions of dollars off of the backs of people lucky to make $30k in a year are also the same people paying lobbyists in congress to allow them to get away with more shortcuts in business. They buy products of lesser quality, pay for work overseas where slave labor or child labor is legal, using energy sources that are actively causing the warming of the globe and making it so they can operate for the littlest cost possible to their wallets at the cost of the consumer’s wallets. Something needs to change before societies implode into nothing.

smne35 · Answer

Humans seem to be going backwards there so much I can t say here, but why do you always seem to complicate your lives for no reason, it's like you need permission just to get up in morning, or acceptance just to go outside, stop it just live you lives as you want to you need no one's permission to do so, I don't get it for all that you achieved you seem to need complications add in your daily lives, stress, worry so it and just live enjoy each day God grants you stop looking for acceptance for every step you take, be more confident in yourselves and stay getting along with each other,

420Rachel · Answer

I don’t know if it’s necessarily gotten “worse” per say, there’s always been chaos and misery throughout our existence. I’d say the bad parts of our existence has become much more visible due to the internet, the news, and social media. We’re exposed to it much more than before we had the internet.

AngryCarl2 · Answer

It's definitely worse now than it was 25 years ago. Some things have improved a little, but overall life is worse now.

Consider. Most people's standard of living has got worse, economic crisis is endemic, we have major conflicts breaking out across the globe. Politics has become more radicalized, racism is increasing. We have food shortages, wildfires, floods, an unceasing succession of violent storms. Our jobs are being taken away by robots and AI, and to cap it all the TV has gone to crap.

dynamicyandere · Answer

As technology advances, some problems are solved, which other problems are created.

The internet for example. It enables the communication and spread of useful information.

But, it also enables so many bad things as well like misinformation and illegal trade.

I wouldn’t say things are getting worse. But, they are getting increasingly complex.

People have been doing bad things to other people since the beginning of time.

normalice · Answer

I think the things that traditionally make life awful are being brought to light more frequently. And I also think a lot of the media, especially right wing media, is being extra negative just because we have a democrat as president. But by the numbers things are improving pretty much across the board in the US.

menina · Answer

Yes, I would say it is. Our world has always been chaotic and unfair but it's definitely getting worse. People are losing respect for each other, losing values and disrespecting Nature. Now we're seeing the consequences, but it might get worse in the future. I hate to think like that, but that's what I see.

prettyfacegoodtaste · Answer

considering how much i know at this age vs how much my grandparents knew at my age, i’d say i can use all this information that i am privileged enough to have access to, to make better choices than they did.
outside forces make the future seem grim, but what era of humans didn’t go through the same threats. imho 💕

whirled_up_girl · Answer

I think it depends on what we're talking about here and in what country. For instance I live in the U. S and there are certain cities in the U. S that have higher costs of living, more violence etc. Then there are parts of the country that experience more natural disasters. So I would take those things into consideration of whether life is getting worse.

DarkWinterNights · Answer

Sort of, I think the 80’s and 90’s were probably the best time to be alive, but the results of poor diet, poor health, high stress and drugs of the 2000’s have led to a reversal and a growing decline. I think this will continue to get worse for the foreseeable future.

Meropatrick · Answer

Yes we r much worse. People are becoming wimpy. Afraid. Conecpts of manhood and chivarly is dying. We glorify and reward broken misfits and punish perfection and good healthy people and exclude them. We hire and employ losers and keep winners on the side just bcs of their gender or race. I dont want to talk more about that

Anonymous · Answer

Yes and no.

Yes from the perspective that we are getting weaker mentally and physically. Studies on reaction times going back a century prove that people are getting less intelligent. It's pretty obvious we're less resilient too.

But technology continues to make life "better" than it was. Not just technology but global trade too. We have never been able to outsource all the shitty jobs no one wants before. 300 years ago it would be you who spent your life in a factory or in a mine for pennies. Now it's an Indonesian or Indian.

Anonymous · Answer

Things have been just as bad all through human history. We had a quiet happy period from 1946 to around 1992 so people think life is supposed to be easy and happy. And then we have celebrities rubbing the good life in our face all the time, though even they are falling apart now. The difference is, they're still rich after they fall apart.

andreasderjuengere · Answer

No it isn't. Mainly... because contemporary (younger) humans have: a - a distorted knowledge of life and b - life cannot be blamed for unqualified participants in it. :D

jshm2 · Answer

Depends how you define "better" or "worse"  Humans are living longer than before and are able to travel more and quicker than before. But health for most is shit and family cohesion is worse.

coachTanthony · Answer

Yes if you don't know how to adapt. Most people will never adapt and think it's just unfair instead of figuring out shit changes from time to time. It always has.

exitseven · Answer

Things have gotten bad since Biden has been president. Inflation, crime, illegal aliens, shortages, foreign wars and government overreach.

Lynx122 · Answer

Not for me but in general I do think there's a lot of bad things going on mainly corruption is the biggest one.

DreamLife7 · Answer

I don't know about all that but I enjoy life. I'm just very cautious on what I focus my energy on and who I engage with. Life is what you make it

zagor · Answer

Not in the long-term sense. The vast majority of humans through history have lived lives that were short and brutal. But things are starting to deteriorate, partly as a result of too damn many of us.

MemeSupreme · Answer

i mean didn't people a lot of die just a hundred years ago from toothaches lmao now its rare

Dargil · Answer

For now, but there are always cultural swings. There will be good days again after the coming fireworks.

PresidentLucia · Answer

For men? Lmao, fucking absolutely. For women? Nah. We've always been forced to sniff shit.

ProbablyClueless · Answer

Seems like it... peak humanity happened at around 2010, maybe a little later

Charliefretz329 · Answer

Compared to what and when? It’s always been an ebb and flow… the good parts and bad parts change. The world balances

Anonymous · Answer

Overpopulation and the planet heating up, it'll get bad until the elites clear the problem of around 5billion too many

Aiko_E_Lara · Answer

No. We actually have it easier than medieval royal families.

Apple1996 · Answer

Life has always been bad

FunkyMonkee · Answer

It sure as fuck is for me!!

ItsALongWayToTheTop · Answer

It sure seems like it.

loveslongnails · Answer

Sure seems that way.

DWornock · Answer

In the near term, it is. Long term it is not.

Pterodon · Answer

Under biden definatly

Fuentes · Answer

Yeah it's getting pretty bad

BLP11520 · Answer

Quality of life is not good

Anonymous · Answer

It will only get worse

Luopio27 · Answer

Yes becsuse of wars.

Is life as humans know it really getting worse?

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