How have our society's values changed in the past several decades? What do you think has caused this change?
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17 comments:
I strongly think that values have changed drastically over the years. For example, using inappropriate racial slurs are very common these days; back when my mom was young, she hadn't spoken like that, let alone knew anyone who has. Hence, we lost value of racial boundaries.
In addition, I think that we've lost the value of modesty. Things that were "hush hush" subjects back in the day are almost everywhere we look now. I don't watch a lot of television, however when I do, I always see a commercial that starts off with "I have genital herpes, and I take Valtrex!" If that commerical was aired 10 years ago, they would indefinitely be sued. The world has changed a lot.
Melanie-Period 2
I completely agree. Commercials have gone way too far. Erectile disfunction drugs, STI medications, etc. they're all on there. Not to mention birth control methods like Plan B. Maybe these are all just on the cable channels I watch, but they seem to be multiplying.
I think we also have given up on modesty in other ways. Not to go completely outside of context, but at one point a bathing suit was basically a dress made out of water-friendly material. And it was unseemly for women to show too much ankle at one point in history. Now any scrap of fabric can be called a bathing suit and it's--not okay--but very common for girls thongs to be showing! But these changes have progressed over time.
We also have completely given up on "quality time." Some companies are trying to promote things like activity in children rather than have them sit and watch TV all the time, but some of them are just video games. It's almost like kids can't just run around outside anymore. Maybe we're preparing them for when we can't live outside anymore because there won't be an ozone layer at all! Seriously, at five years old kids are now playing video games instead of playing kick ball or Candyland or something. No wonder we're considered an obese nation.
That's another thing (and all my friends are groaning now because I'm starting in on my all-time favorite value grievance!): our society is so into instant gratification it's rather sickening. Just a few years ago letters were common ways of communication--my parents used to write letters! And they're not THAT old! Then it was email. And now it's AIM, or facebook or someother instant form of communication. What's next? Mind reading?? Fast food chains are thriving on our need for instant gratification. They're open 24 hours a day to satisfy our needs. We can barely stand around and wait long enough in line to get that over-processed burger, etc. without going stir crazy. Let alone wait for some Instant Mac-and-Cheese in the microwave. And forget about cooking a full-course meal from scratch. It's almost unheard of!
i just gotta say - the guys in the picture have mad wicked hair.
yeah i never thought of that -- society sees time of the essence now. we need 2 get in touch with some one NOW. have our food cooked NOW. drive faster. learn faster; live life in the fast lane, whether its something as simple as grabbing a "to-go" bar for breakfast or complex as paying an arm and a leg for the new iPhone which just makes everything easy. its insane.
My English class is currently reading "A Brave New World," which provides some interesting comments on where our society is headed and where it's already at. In the World State of the novel, COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY matter. Individuality, art, beauty, passion, violence, religion, truth, and even science are all sacrificed for the sake of happiness. People are all created in labs and test tubes (not a completely novel concept today, but it was in '32 when Huxley published the book) because there's too much emotion and therefore too much stress that comes along with mothers, fathers, families. From the embryonic stage of development conditioning begins determining to what social caste one will belong, what job one will have, and ensuring that one will love both his caste and his job. Mindless social games and "feelies" that stimulate all of one's senses, as well as promiscuous sexual activities fill up most of one's free time. If anything should ever be the matter, there is always soma, the perfect holiday drug, with which one can escape. People don't think, they are never alone, they are never idle, but they are "free to have the most wonderful time."
Our society seems to be heading this way. Sexual promiscuity is up, drug use to cover up or escape from one's problems is up, family values are down, mindless pleasure-inducing activities are very popular these days. So maybe we're headed for Huxley's odd social equilibrium of happiness. Is that a bad thing, to be happy? Well... "Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the overcompensation for misery... Stability isn't nearly as spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamor of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand." Do we want happiness? Do we want grandeur? Our social values seem to be moving towards the former.
Society has changed dramatically throughout the years. The world has become much smaller due to the innovative technology that we have. These devices have made life much easier and faster. Microwaves have made cooking more simple and quicker. The internet has allowed people to communicate with each other. Also, because of the internet, the information flow has spread drastically. Technology and society are closely intertwined. The newer innovations of technology has caused changes to society such as the automobile, and the television.
Values have changed over the years. Definitely in movies, which is no surprise, since "back in the day" having the woman in the shower in Psycho was a big ordeal. Nowadays it's no big deal. Language is also changed. In movies and TV shows, curse words and different slang terms are not censored. In PG movies, they can get away with a lot more now. I'm pretty sure 'dirtbag' was said in Spongebob episode I watched once, and was surprised. Also, I've been a fan of 'Survivor' for the past 17 seasons, and I don't remember them not censoring people when they said 'bitch'. Now they do not censor it.
Communication has changed drasitically with the advancements in cell phones too. With texting, facebook/myspace, AIM, etc, kids do not verbally speak to another as much anymore, and are losing that necessary skill needed in life. It is also a big problem with spelling and grammar, and literacy is going down too with these advancements. Kids also do not communicate with their parents as much either. I went to a restaurant this summer, and seated at a table next to mine was a family, and maybe some friends, and one girl at the end listened to her iPod the whole time and didn't speak the entire time. At other resaurants I see parents who set up portable DVD players for their children to keep them entertained. Dinner has always resembled family and communication time to me, and used to be portrayed as that in sitcoms and other TV shows. It upsets me that instead of disciplining their child, or having them communicate/listen to the conversation, they just set up a movie for their child to watch in a restaurant!
Values have definitely changed, and unfortunately I think they are for the most part changing for the worse.
I think that society's values have become more liberal in the past decades. Conservative morals of the past are almost nonexistant. Back in the 50's and 60's, private issues and problems that many people faced were kept hidden within families, and anyone who became vocal about their problems were looked down upon. Today, that almost never happens. People embrace being able to say anything they want in the public and not having to worry about social backlash from their communities. I think that this happens today partly because of the youth rebellion in the 60's, but mostly because of its acceptance today.
I think everyone has very strong points, but because of the lack of morals and values today, have we lost the value of a relationship? Everyday we see and hear about people meeting over the internet, or on "e-harmony." Have we lost the value of finding love? If you observe the typical relationships nowadays, you'll notice that people are finding it unnecessary to marry. Why? For instance; you are dating someone you met at a party (very acceptable way to meet someone) and you date for 3 years. You decide to move in together, which means sharing a bed. Because 85% of the population has sex before marriage anyway, by this couple getting married, it changes their relationship in no way. In the 60s and 70s, getting married was like a passageway into adulthood. I feel now, getting married is just something that people do because they feel they have to.
There is no doubt that values have altered drastically over the years.
One value that’s changed is the value of love. How many times throughout the day in the hallways of the school do you hear someone telling someone else, “I love you?” In the old days, the phrase meant something very high but today it just means “I like you.”
Another way the meaning and value of love has changed is through marriage and divorce. The rate of divorce has increased drastically over the past couple of years, a lot of divorcees citing “irreconcilable differences.” But in the old days, divorce was allowed only if one person in the marriage had an affair. The meaning of marriage has greatly been watered down throughout the years to now just being something people do.
Media has probably the biggest role, in my opinion, of the decreased value of love, marriage, etc. In today’s society, it is perfectly okay for movies or TV shows to show two people in bed on one night stands. In the old days, this was entirely unheard of and a violation of people’s sense of the sacredness of sex. In addition, since celebrities are infamous for getting married and shortly after divorced and whether or not we want to admit it, we are influenced by celebrities. The meaning of marriage isn’t the same.
I think another value that’s changed is courtesy and respect. People no longer say the phrases “thank you,” “please,” “excuse me.” They push and shove regardless of being polite. In addition, vulgarity has become so amazingly common in today’s world. I have actually counted about 10 instances of vulgarity within a minute when people talk. The value of respecting others through words has been practically diminished.
I think that media, literature and songs have caused this trend. It seems that every where I turn vulgarity is present which makes people think it’s absolutely okay to use vulgarity.
I completely agree! I worked at a camp for two summers with younger kids (like 1st grade) and we had to serve them lunch. Not one of them would say please or thank you. I got so annoyed that I refused to give them stuff unless they asked in a polite way. I mean, you could argue that they're young, but I worked there for weeks on end and didn't hear one of those words spoken until I started teaching them! And I KNOW I was at least LEARNING how to say those things when I was that age. I also teach 4th and 5th graders in my church's Sunday school and a few of them say please, etc. but not all of them. So respect and politeness are definitely decling.
As to what has caused this change, I think, again that it revolves around our need for instant gratification and also towards, like another blogger has mentioned, our technology. People just can't be bothered to text please or thank you, so they just stop saying it as well. I also think it speaks towards our deteriorating personal relationships. Sometimes people just stop considering that the people handing them their fast food meal out the take-out window are actually human beings! We're too involved in ourselves to appreciate what others do for us! It's actually a really sad comment on the times. Sure technology makes everything easier now, but people are getting more confused about the difference between a machine and a person.
we lost value in who were paying attention to these days - paris hilton. need i say more?
i think the changes we have made are beacuse they way people used to dress now every one has name brand clothes. nice cars and etc. so many expensive things. backthen they didnt have anything. people just wore what they had. i think those are the things they have made changes throughout the decades.
Family time has now, in our society, become a rarity due to technology, and our values in general. Today, many teenagers are ashamed of spending their friday or saturday nights with their families and going out to dinner, etc. In the past, family time was important, so this has become a huge priority change.
I also believe educational value is going down the drain. In the past, students strived so hard to maintain good grades and get into college, which many did not end up doing. Now, getting into college is pretty much a necessity in today's society. It is stll very important for our education, but I really think the value and idea of it has declined. Grade inflations in high school allow being accepted to college to be easy, and show students that it is okay to not try their best in school. So thats why I think our educational values and ideals have changed in the past decade.
I think our values have changed over the decades however, thats just how it is. Values are always going to change no matter what. An example of this would be the profane language people are using these days. Many years ago curse words herld a meaning and when they were used, it struck people in awe. If a curse word is used nowadays, its not even thought of.
Another thing is the way teenagers treat their parents today. Sometimes if my parents ask me to do somehing I ask why and they get mad and tell me that I shouldn't be asking.I can remember my dad always saying to me "If I ever said that to my mother she would get the wooden spoon and I would get a beatin on my behind" Whenever he said this I always thought it was dumb because the things that were definitly not allowed to be said to a parent back then are now said commonly.
Society to me has changed drastically over the years. Technology today is becoming more advanced then ever. It amazes me how quick everything is used such as phones ipods cars. In a way we are being spoiled with all of this new technology but it wouldnt make sense to not utilize all of these materials.
Society has been changing ever since it has begun. If there was never any change, there would be no advances, but I do feel that we have taken a turn for the worse, mostly in the area of behavior. I just do not feel that we value the same things that our parents did. Respect, that is like a foreign language to most children. I have talked about this topic with my mom many times and we think that we can pinpoint one specific cause of this change in behaviors, and that would be Nickelodeon. When they came out with this whole Kids Rule campaign, it took a different direction than I think they were hoping for. Kids cannot rule, they do not know any better than what their parents have taught them, and if they refuse to listen to them than they will never learn. It may seem like fun and games in school but when these children get out into the real world, they will surley be in for a rude awakening.
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