quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Well done!

Brings to mind a "pay it forward" philosophy which I think could dramatically reshape communities. I'm not talking about the drive thru phenomenon of paying for the person behind you, but instead I'm talking about what SC did for a total stranger. If the good people in the community "pay it forward" we'd live in a much friendlier and happier community.

We are at our best when we serve others. Be civilized.
- Ira Byock.

I've been doing quite a bit of shopping over the last month and I've noticed that people in the stores are either totally self-absorbed, or courteous and even friendly. It may be because of my elderly and decrepit look (or my shirttail has ridden up in the back).

Going to and from the stores though, there is always one-or-more assholes trying to block me from changing lanes, or speeding way above the posted limits in traffic. Traffic enforcement seems to have been abandoned years ago, and the driving assholes have no fear of a ticket.

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
What a pessimistic bunch! Sounds like No Exit where Sartre postulates that hell is other people. I guess if you listen to the news 24/7 or play Leonard Cohen again again you might feel that way. I do not think social media has anything to do with such a negative attitude.

Since you know what it ain't , tell us what it is .

It's confirmation bias. If you are a cynic and think people behave badly, that's how you'll interpret what they do.

quote:

Originally posted by Oscars father:
Hey! I really like Leonard Cohen! Sisters of Mercy. Suzanne. Banjo Song. Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye. They cause antisocial behavior?

I like him too, but how about The Future and You Want it Darker?

Well, North Korea has no social media.

So I was working in the yard, and a little old lady came driving down the road. You could hear her flat tire thumping. I waved her over and told her she had a flat. She asked if she could use my phone to call her son. Since she was 80 something, I dialed it for her, but it went to voicemail. So, I changed her tire. She finally got hold of her son (redial feature) and he came over. He looked at the car and began to scream that I had scratched it. I had to tell him, in my tactful manner, "Hey asshole, you got your 80 year old mother driving around on shit tires with no phone! Fuck your scratches!" He backed off and his mother convinced him to leave. I made several suggestions for mostly honest shops for new tires.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:

He looked at the car and began to scream that I had scratched it.

No good deed goes unpunished.

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Originally posted by V-Tail:

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Originally posted by Fredward:

He looked at the car and began to scream that I had scratched it.

No good deed goes unpunished.

And that’s no joke.

I only commented in this thread initially because when my family and I went to Iowa recently we noticed how much friendlier people were both driving and in stores.. it made me notice how poorly people behaved in my hometown.

Ok, I will give this a go.

I teach University. I also teach adults. By far my worst instances are the adults.

We have always had a-holes. My dad would not watch Happy Days, because he had a group of "fonzies" at his school and they would cut you and teachers for 'disrespecting them' (yes, the 'good ol days' just got criticized).

• 1) Society has always had A-holes, true degenerates. This is a much larger issue that has never been adequately resolved.
  
• 2) Starting a few years ago, degenerate behavior became a political statement (whether CRT, entitlement, et al).
  
• 3) This has been amplified (similar to force multiplication of a weapon platform) by social media.
  
• - put simply this amplification is both by the algorithm (uses our choices and interest to feed us items we will be engaged in. We get most engaged in the violent and degenerate (this is also an old idea, just codified in an algorithm. see: "if it bleeds, it leads") AND by serving as a powerful platform for the degenerates themselves, with hits and likes greatly compounding the problem.
  

We have always had degenerate behavior. We always will. But I believe social media is amplifying it, giving it a powerful platform, and tapping our own addictive tendencies.

Last, to echo what has already been said, We must be responsible for our own actions. I choose to only like, and subscribe, and share the creative, the positive, the building. social media is here to stay, we just need to learn how to use the tool.

I totally understand being out of sorts, having a bad day or
Not loving life ,every waking moment.

But going out of the house when you are not in the frame of mind to interact with total strangers , we'll that's not in anyone's best interest.