Are you Serious?!

[Needaripeavocado]

AIBU to think society is alot more serious than we used to be?? I know there are serious events that are to be taken seriously of course like the racism and pandemic, deaths etc, this is not what im talking about. People just in general about everyday life seem alot more laid back about everything 20 odd years ago.. everything was abit more achievable, everyone abit more friendly, less judgement,being less competitive with others.. or maybe ive just noticed it more in recent times and its always been that way

Oh dear god, is this yet another one of those “PC gone mad, you’re not allowed to say anything any more” threads?

20 years ago it was perfectly acceptable to make fun of kids like my daughter and call her a spaz. If the fact it’s unacceptable nowadays means we’re all too serious, then I’m happy with that.

If you really don’t think we should be more inclusive, and less shitty to minority groups, you need to have a fucking word with yourself.

id be quite happy if a bomb come down and blew up the whole internet system and we had to go back to talking in person, writing letters or talking on the landline, i am sure if that happened society would be a game changer, i am an old fashioned girl

You mean I would have to walk 3 houses down to chat with my best friend instead of WhatsApp?

I think the answer to your question has been proven by some of the posters here OP. YANBU by the way, a sense of humour seems to be a bad trait these days, and people are far too concerned with getting ahead in life and placing undue stress on themselves and their children and in the process they lose the ability to actually enjoy life.

I believe the cheerful folk have all but left social media. Sick of reading whinny posts, sick of being abused or belittled by entitled sods. Sick of being accused of discrimination or not being pc enough. Sick of the attention seeking.

That's a good point. I know I've been on the verge of leaving myself, real life is so much better for the soul.

YANBU. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of very important and tragic things happening in the world. But the absolute tosh that people proclaim as vile and hideous and apparently are consuming their every waking hour is baffling.

Totally agree OP. I wonder if social media has made the difference. Everyone can become keyboard warriors and the news is more accessible.
When I was younger unused to buy a paper once a week. Now it’s in my face everyday. And everyone’s angry views in my face every day!
But one thing lockdown has taught me - start to enjoy the simple things in life. I now turn my phone off more and spend more time with dc without stress. Let’s all try and lighten up!!

Social media is responsible I think- I can’t believe how people love to promote themselves on it-

Maybe the students we see look all serious and miserable because they're nursing stonking hangovers from outrageous parties the night before. That we're no longer invited to, waaaaaa!

Most of the students around the corner from me appear to be tee-total, gym-going, health freaks, who don't really have any concerns beyond whether the parents are turning up to pick up the dirty washing this weekend, or whether they are going to have to jump in the Audi and drive 'home' with it themselves.

When I was young people despaired that we drank too much, took drugs, listened to x music or whatever. Now it’s more “the young people don’t have any fun”. (I’m not yet 40 btw).
There does seem to be a real air of gloom around younger people. I think it’s social media, you’re also talking about a generation who grew up with the financial crash being shoved in our face every day- and to some degree even Brexit (if you’re 21 now that happened when you were about 16).

20 years ago I was being spat at and called a Paki in Central London due to 9/11.

a year before it happened?

That's rough

I think in part we describe things differently and exaggerate in the use of language, which makes it seem more serious than it actually is. I was hoping that one of the few positives of the pandemic would be a sense of perspective about what really is serious. It may be a vain hope.

Oppression Olympics has been a thing on MN for a few years now, hence why MN has not been representative of any major election in the UK/Europe or worldwide for over a decade.

The MN collective mindset like to think that the 'right wing' have moved in without understanding how out of touch MN is and how generally late to the game on all 'activist' points has been, MN has always had a reputation of having a hint reasonable debate that warrants larger attention, but to get to it you had to dig through a lot of 'white' middle class hysteria.

MN isn't as robust/forward thinking or different to any other forum, the majority of users look at AIBU and Chat, thats it, there is a reason why it is included in many of the memes about white middle class women thinking they are somehow the most oppressed in society.

Totally agree. You can’t say anything for fear of offending someone. Comedians and jokes will be a thing of the past soon. Everyone is offended at everything. Sad times

Probs are -
Social media which is anonymous - so everyone can be as rude and angry as they want.
We speak English like the USA and get embroiled in their anger and issues eg Trump, via social media.
24hour news with colour newsreel, so much we didn't actually witness in the past, now everything is on giant screens in your living room - depressing.

I was speaking to a young person the other day .

She was fed up with the negativity in the media , including the news and newspapers and also fed up with nasty extreme arguments and opinions on SM . She said she is avoiding them all because it’s so depressing .

So it’s not just us oldies that are fed up with it all at the moment.

She was intelligent enough to see even positive news is turned round to be a negative to prove some sort of point .

It’s relentless .

Even today , not celebrating a drug that has had intensive trials rushed through . The headline is the lives that could have been saved if used earlier . FFS.

Yeah I have to admit my DC (age range 12-18) are not like this. They're "into" various things - gaming and stuff, but they've not taken to the selfie obsessed/instagram/over-woke culture. (Yet. Long may this continue)

I've been thinking this a lot.

I know it's not ideal but I recall when it felt like hardly anyone I knew voted. Not everyone is a political activist, it's one extreme to the other.

I think it's social media giving everyone a perceived soap box to shout from.

I strongly disagree with the idea that if we're respectful to everyone "there'll be nothing left to laugh at". On the contrary, I've been a big fan of comedy all my life, and there's a wealth of humorous possibilities without laughing "at" someone.

I know that many things have improved for the better, the 'banter' women had to put up with be it in the office or walking past a building site, the use of racist language and disgusting name calling of disabled people. All these are certainly better than they were. I would certainly not advocate that we go back to these times. But far far too many people are being 'offended' by very small things. My two most recent in a local face book group include one meme of the statue of Grey Friars Bobby (a dog!) suggesting his statue should be removed because he was a cat hater! - not an acceptable joke apparently- what are people on to be offended by a joke about a dog statue?

Hah!
You’re looking at 20yrs ago through rose tinted glasses.
Back then, religious suicide cults were killing themselves because the apocalypse was due. The Y2K doomsayers were sure civilisation would collapse. Terrorism was reappearing with bombings and embassy attacks. There was also a stock market crash and faltering economy with high unemployment.
People weren’t laid back, they just had bigger problems.

People just in general about everyday life seem alot more laid back about everything 20 odd years ago.. everything was abit more achievable, everyone abit more friendly, less judgement,being less competitive with others.

If you stay off forums like MN and social media in general, life is much more laid back.

yes prob was looking at life through rose tinted glasses years ago, lived in a bubble with what i thought was the perfect family.... with my rose tinted glass mother, was always told i would grow up and get married then have children of my own.. but i wouldnt need to work because the husband usually goes out and earns the money and i could stay home looking after the kids... as back then thats what many women did, so yes i thought my life was panned out..according to my mother that is what was happening so i trusted that theory, i was in for a big shock... of reality..

@sekactao

People just in general about everyday life seem alot more laid back about everything 20 odd years ago.. everything was abit more achievable, everyone abit more friendly, less judgement,being less competitive with others.

If you stay off forums like MN and social media in general, life is much more laid back.

thats true and i did remove myself from most social media years ago, you tend to meet the social media people in real life so you cant get away from the charming marvellous people its worse when you have to interact with them in real life because you cant just block them lol