Why do people in society often seem so selfish and harsh? I’ve noticed how entitled, rude, and inconsiderate many people appear to be?

[srazo]

Nowadays, people seem increasingly entitled and rude, often glued to their phones like “smartphone zombies.” Many expect special treatment but don’t show the same level of respect or honesty in return. It feels as though society has really declined.
Living in Australia, I’ve noticed what feels like a much rougher social culture. It doesn’t seem as graceful or refined as what I’ve observed in places such as Japan, Singapore, Korea, France, Greece, or Thailand.


Is there a link between Australia’s convict origins and aspects of its contemporary culture, particularly attitudes toward authority, roughness, or criminality? Some argue that Australia never fully moved beyond certain colonial or penal-colony foundations.
While being descended from convicts does not mean an individual will engage in criminal behaviour, some studies have explored whether genetics and intergenerational social factors may influence behavioural tendencies. These discussions tend to focus on a combination of historical, cultural, environmental, and social influences rather than determinism

[Telekinetic-Potato]

As a society values freedom less and safety more, the divide between rich and poor becomes increasingly stark.

The poorer you are, the harder survival is.

The harder it is to survive, the more stressed a population becomes.

The more stressed a human being is, the more they revert to primal instincts. You become less conscious, less able to process information, less able to be self aware or to put that last point another way, you'll be unable to see yourself as you truly are. (Studies are actually linking this phenomena with OS disorders and add/adhd specifically.)

Most people in developed, privledged nations behave like animals. They operate on a very simple system of gratification. They are unable to empathize with others, they ostricize people who threaten their primal sense of community even if it comes from an illogical place.

I want to be clear in saying these people aren't bad. They're just experiencing life as their body receiving inputs and they're simply experiencing the outcome and the sensations that go with it. Meaning these people actually have very little control over themselves simply because they aren't actually processing information on any sophisticated level. They're just having instinctual reactions and effectively letting the most primal subsystems who's only goals are to expend the least amount of energy possible, procreate and maintain a certain dopamine level.

They effectively are animals.

[RandomGirl42]

I believe it has something to do with geography. I live in a very small rural area where I have never locked my doors at nite, leave the keys in my Jeep at the little local store and know who my neighbors are. We are decent and respectful to each other. The further south I go into more populated areas this behavior becomes less and less and people seem colder and more interested in their phones than actually maybe smiling at anybody else they may meet.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

You see it only if you look for it. In my case, I see the opposite more often than not but that’s because I look for people like that.