AIBU to think we now live in a society where nobody cares about other people’s experiences in social spaces?

I also think years ago that more people, including children, would be reading something, book, newspaper, magazine, doing the crossword or sudoku. Nobody is interested in those things now.

I was watching a documentary from the 1960s on YouTube the other day. It was just of ordinary people talking and they were so quiet and measured in their presentation. They could speak properly with no exaggeration or heightened emotion and their vocabulary was good. The pitch of their voices was softer and they spoke rather more slowly than people do now.

People seem so loud now and they speak faster, I suppose to get it out before the other person loses interest.

There are cultural differences. We were on holiday in Snowdonia one time and I was walking down a high street in a small town whilst the others visited a castle. Suddenly there was a loud noise from a group of Americans with their harried looking guide trying to keep order. The noise was something to behold and the other people on the street stopped and stared until they'd gone by and into the castle.

I read on the train(and whenever else I have the chance), I just do it on my phone.

Nah it’s not just young people. Was at a musical/comedy show a while ago and a chap who must have been in his 40’s filmed nearly the whole hour on snapchat and was sending it bit by bit to his friends. He seemed a bit weird so didn’t like to say anything.

The cinema doesn't make sense. How can you watch the film and be on the phone at the same time. Perhaps cinemas should collect your phone on the way in and you get it back on the way out. As usual we aren't strong enough with people.

No it isn’t.

I know my newsfeed is giving me an antisocial youngster algorithm, but I am regularly surprised by what young people are getting up to up and down the country. We are storing up a huge amount of problems if we don’t do something about the kids that will be adults in the next decade.

It’s definitely not just young people. The worst offenders on the buses where I live are women in their forties-sixties.

What are they up to? Not the boom boxes on the shoulder?!

We were in a predominantly Asian area last week and I was in a small shop with my child picking some snacks. He whispered to me that the men were having an argument. I looked up and the guy behind the counter was having an animated conversation with three other men (friends I assume) about parking I think. There was an obvious relaying of a story in Bangladesh I think. I could pick up the subtley but from my child’s point of view the raised voices and cadence just sounded like they were having a row.

Antisocial behaviour certainly isn’t new and yes I remember people smoking on the bus (actually saw someone jacking up on the top deck of a bus once 🤮).

I think what’s changed is the complete lack of recognition of what the acceptable standards of behaviour are.

When people brought boomboxes on the bus, or booze or cigarettes they knew they were crossing a line but had decided they could get away with it. They were “sticking it to the man” or whatever but they knew they were out of order.

People watching TikTok on the bus seem completely nonplussed when you point out to them that no one wants to have it inflicted on them. I’ve pulled a few people up for it and no one has pushed back really they have just looked at me like I was speaking Swahili. They had no concept of random noise overload being a problematic thing.

It makes me think that they are growing up in households where everyone is on a different device 24/7 playing this aural soup and their brains have adjusted to it.

So if someone challenges it they think its weird and controlling.

Yes African people are the worst for the loud speakerphone calls and scrolling videos loudly. My best mate is African and she does it, she says it’s normal for them. I always say what must it be like on a bus over there when they’re all doing it 😂

This is why I’d quite like to be rich - you could insulate yourself from this type of behaviour to some extent. Since I’m not, I do wear headphones as much as possible when out.