Progressed or regressed ?

Life moves on but is it for the better ?

I have witnessed some unbelievable crap outside my doorstep in the last couple of days.

People dumping their garbage outside, fighting because the local bakery is closed despite them posting the opening times.

Now you can be in touch with anyone 24 hours a day via your smart phones.

Shouting is what is required to be something of sorts.

"And many bow their heads in shame that used to hold them high and those those that you to say hello, simply pass you by"

Think for minute. Stop for a minute..

"Nostalgia ain't what it used to be "Parky

Drugs Alcohol Benefits obtained too easily Selfishness Bad Parenting Soft Sentencing

People thinking a flag on every lampost is a good thing. And if its upside down, it doesn't matter.

Definitely digressed. You only have to look at social media to see that.

Ptangyangkipperbang wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 5:49 am

Drugs Alcohol Benefits obtained too easily Selfishness Bad Parenting Soft Sentencing

Have you ever tried to claim benefits? It's definitely not too easy. I'm unfortunately receiving currently while I look for work and it's a job in itself to ensure you meet all the criteria so that you don't receive sanctions (a reduction/cancelling of the benefit). I asked about PIP due to my poor health and the staff said "I wouldn't bother, it's impossibly hard to get".

On sentencing, it wouldn't have to be so 'soft' if the last government hadn't taken a hatchet to the courts and prison system.

Nostalgia will always dictate the opinions and views on this

‘Not like in my day’ says every older generation to the younger

The kids of today will be saying the same thing to their kids and the world will continue to turn in peaks and troughs

People just do not give a s..t anymore ! I confronted a bell end last night that parked in a disabled spot - clearly not disabled - apart from his brain !!! That makes my blood boil. It’s selfish and lazy. The verbal abuse I got was unbelievable. BUT, all caught on camera.

So regression - in a very long way !

A 60 odd year old man told my Mum to close her legs last week when we were sat outside a pub.

Confronted him about it and got told it was just a joke. Made me feel like I was the one in the wrong.

So, people have and always will be cu,nts.

I blame social media and processed food

Tbf i'm only 40 and feel like its got a lot worse the last 20 years. Dread to think the state of this country if i make it to old age. Sort of makes me glad i haven't got kids, which is sad.

It's an 'I don't give a toss' society, and it's all ages too. I saw blokes in their mid-sixties squaring up for a fight at the weekend, and it wasn't a town centre pub either, or a what most people would class a roughen. Still think and act like they are fourteen. Pathetic.

Same with aggressive driving, tailgating, and the dog shite I see on country walks, where the vast majority of the dogwalkers tend to be middle-aged.

Dressinggown wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 2:02 am

Progressed or regressed ?

Life moves on but is it for the better ?

I have witnessed some unbelievable crap outside my doorstep in the last couple of days.

People dumping their garbage outside, fighting because the local bakery is closed despite them posting the opening times.

Now you can be in touch with anyone 24 hours a day via your smart phones.

Shouting is what is required to be something of sorts.

"And many bow their heads in shame that used to hold them high and those those that you to say hello, simply pass you by"

Think for minute. Stop for a minute..

Is that not the House Martins song.

Old_man_yells_at_cloud.img

**** breeding ****. It's societal evolution.

Enforced sterilisation for scrubbers would be a solution

GetIntoEm wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 10:57 am

**** breeding ****. It's societal evolution.

Enforced sterilisation for scrubbers would be a solution

Calm down Mussolini

On the other hand…

Increased life expectancy, lower crime rates, more disposable income, people no longer having cripple/kill themselves doing manual jobs with no health and safety, having the right to a weekend/holiday/sick pay for the majority of people, infant mortality rate lower, no longer seen as acceptable to turn a blind eye to domestic abuse, women able to work and have rights separate from their husband, people with disabilities no longer seen as ‘wrong’- being locked away and treated with horrific therapies, widespread disease no longer prevalent (TB/polio/measles etc), homosexuality no longer illegal, overt racism no longer being acceptable, people no longer having to live in slums with no electricity/heating… and as for dog sh!t well everyone tells me that dogs just used to roam the streets in the 60’s/70’s so there must have been some somewhere!

I mean I’m not saying everything’s perfect but let’s have some perspective!

Clovius Boofus wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 9:27 am

It's an 'I don't give a toss' society, and it's all ages too. I saw blokes in their mid-sixties squaring up for a fight at the weekend, and it wasn't a town centre pub either, or a what most people would class a roughen. Still think and act like they are fourteen. Pathetic.

Same with aggressive driving, tailgating, and the dog shite I see on country walks, where the vast majority of the dogwalkers tend to be middle-aged.

You're right. I remember reading an article that stated empathy and alexithymia is at it's lowest since the 1980s.

Every generation is worse than the previous one.

Life is good

ollieclarets8 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 11:27 am

You're right. I remember reading an article that stated empathy and alexithymia is at it's lowest since the 1980s.

Every generation is worse than the previous one.

Social contract has been broken. Most are working 3-5 months of the year for free (as it all goes to the tax man) to get worse services and next to no opportunities for personal growth.

Successive government’s have bred this attitude by poor policy.

Depends where you live !

GetIntoEm wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 10:57 am

**** breeding ****. It's societal evolution.

Enforced sterilisation for scrubbers would be a solution

Family-friendly post of the week.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 11:34 am

Social contract has been broken. Most are working 3-5 months of the year for free (as it all goes to the tax man) to get worse services and next to no opportunities for personal growth.

Successive government’s have bred this attitude by poor policy.

I also think every generation is dumber than the previous one. With AI doing a lot of thinking now for people this is only going to accelerate.

ollieclarets8 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 11:39 am

I also think every generation is dumber than the previous one. With AI doing a lot of thinking now for people this is only going to accelerate.

If anything every generation is getting smarter because the improvements in technology.
I think it’s naive to suggest otherwise.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 11:41 am

If anything every generation is getting smarter because the improvements in technology.
I think it’s naive to suggest otherwise.

Then we agree to disagree.

ollieclarets8 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 11:46 am

Then we agree to disagree.

I also have to disagree with you.

I state to my original post ... every generation believes the next generation are screwed ... yet the world still turns ...

You ask 16 - 18 year old's to read this topic and some of the things stated on here they they would certainly say most are out of touch with today and stuck in the past. arguing among themselves.

The worst people I have encountered in society have been middle aged men that think they have all the answers - unwilling to adjust or bend to anything ... even if it's for their own good.

The Shire Claret wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 12:05 pm

I also have to disagree with you.

I state to my original post ... every generation believes the next generation are screwed ... yes the world still turns ...

You ask 16 - 18 year old's to read this topic and some of the things stated on here they they would certainly say most are out of touch with today and stuck in the past.

That's cool. It's not really worth debating though as neither of us will change our minds will we. I've worked in digital marketing for 25 years and in my experience, the people working now are less intelligent than back then.

I know people who can't do anything unless Gemini helps them. To change a bit of programming code they ask Gemini. To come up with ideas or ways to do X, Y or Z, they don't use their own brains - they ask AI.

And even before AI became such a big thing, common sense? A thing of the past.

Sutton-Claret wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 9:13 am

I blame social media and processed food

And Brexit…

ollieclarets8 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 11:39 am

I also think every generation is dumber than the previous one. With AI doing a lot of thinking now for people this is only going to accelerate.

That is not true at all.
Are all the children in your family dumber than their parents or grandparents?

It all started to go wrong when we scrapped discipline in schools…

Sutton-Claret wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 9:13 am

I blame social media and processed food

Definitely two factors, I agree.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 11:41 am

If anything every generation is getting smarter because the improvements in technology.
I think it’s naive to suggest otherwise.

Depends what you define as intelligence really

If it’s thinking for yourself, researching things, making things, engineering skills, tradesmen skills, teachers, etc then I’d say it’s pretty naive to think that generationally we going anywhere other than backwards

Claretfanatic1982 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 12:14 pm

That is not true at all.
Are all the children in your family dumber than their parents or grandparents?

Read the thread title - I'm talking society in general. And it's also down to opinions. I don't rate today's society at all. But of course, it might be because of the line of work I'm in.

Big Vinny K wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 12:25 pm

Depends what you define as intelligence really

If it’s thinking for yourself, researching things, making things, engineering skills, tradesmen skills, teachers, etc then I’d say it’s pretty naive to think that generationally we going anywhere other than backwards

a few hundred years ago - Most humans knew how to hunt / farm / preserve / start fires ....

now hardly any do ...

It's not due to lack of intelligence ... it's due to lack of need and advances 'due' to intelligent people.

it's the same with current generations, they are not less intelligent ... we have never been more advanced....

priority of knowledge just exists elsewhere

Big Vinny K wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 12:25 pm

Depends what you define as intelligence really

If it’s thinking for yourself, researching things, making things, engineering skills, tradesmen skills, teachers, etc then I’d say it’s pretty naive to think that generationally we going anywhere other than backwards

We are making breakthroughs in physics, chemistry, maths, IT almost every year.

We are getting that intelligent that Engineering skills, tradesmen skills, teachers are going to be redundant in the next 10-20 years as AI takes over everything.

It's a culmination of many things, but I'd add there is little to no reward for working hard, the minimum wage is just what it says on the tin, and very little consequences for being an idle *******. Any system like that is going to generate a selfish, couldn't care less attitude.
Society starts breaking down quickly when people think, What is the point?

As ever, the mainstream media is as much to blame for the current state of things as anyone else. Add in social media and AI, and it's become a cocktail of disaster. No one has their own opinion anymore. Those putting up St George flags everywhere is a wonderful example of following the herd rather than engaging your brain - "don't call us racists" they cry! It amazes me that any of them genuinely think it's being done for any other reason than to cause unrest and division among the general public. We live in a troubled and confused world when people don't understand why they're doing what they're being asked to do!

It starts with poor parenting, and continues through school, and into adult life. Without buy in from parents many kids just don't bother with school, after all, "school never did anything" for their parents. The kids fail, blame the school, struggle with building a meaningful life as an adult, and fall perfectly in line for the likes of Farage and Tommy Robinson to tell them the reason they're skint is because of immigrant in boats... not because of their own actions. It's rinse and repeat with each generation. Obviously, this is a very simplified ideal, and I'm not suggesting everyone is like this, but you get the idea.

What every generation fails to grasp is that voting for the BNP twenty years ago, Brexit 10 years ago, or Reform today, is like Turkey's voting for Christmas. Farage is currently on the wrong side of every vote going - sick pay, protection for pregnant workers, zero-hour contracts, fire and rehire. You name it, he votes in a way that will hurt the very people who believe he's a saviour, and he gets away with it because he will stop the boats. It's a systematic attempt to destabilise society. It's how he will eventually become PM, which will be the final nail in our coffin.

jlup1980 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 1:09 pm

As ever, the mainstream media is as much to blame for the current state of things as anyone else. Add in social media and AI, and it's become a cocktail of disaster. No one has their own opinion anymore. Those putting up St George flags everywhere is a wonderful example of following the herd rather than engaging your brain - "don't call us racists" they cry! It amazes me that any of them genuinely think it's being done for any other reason than to cause unrest and division among the general public. We live in a troubled and confused world when people don't understand why they're doing what they're being asked to do!

It starts with poor parenting, and continues through school, and into adult life. Without buy in from parents many kids just don't bother with school, after all, "school never did anything" for their parents. The kids fail, blame the school, struggle with building a meaningful life as an adult, and fall perfectly in line for the likes of Farage and Tommy Robinson to tell them the reason they're skint is because of immigrant in boats... not because of their own actions. It's rinse and repeat with each generation. Obviously, this is a very simplified ideal, and I'm not suggesting everyone is like this, but you get the idea.

What every generation fails to grasp is that voting for the BNP twenty years ago, Brexit 10 years ago, or Reform today, is like Turkey's voting for Christmas. Farage is currently on the wrong side of every vote going - sick pay, protection for pregnant workers, zero-hour contracts, fire and rehire. You name it, he votes in a way that will hurt the very people who believe he's a saviour, and he gets away with it because he will stop the boats. It's a systematic attempt to destabilise society. It's how he will eventually become PM, which will be the final nail in our coffin.

Would love to hear your thoughts on a better option?

There was an old saying "I blame the parents".

I think this needs to be tweaked to "I blame the grandparents" judging by some of the stuff we see in life or on line from people aged 50+!

In an ideal world, people would need to prove themselves before reproducing.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 12:30 pm

We are making breakthroughs in physics, chemistry, maths, IT almost every year.

We are getting that intelligent that Engineering skills, tradesmen skills, teachers are going to be redundant in the next 10-20 years as AI takes over everything.

Tradies aren't going anywhere.

Unless we fundamentally change battery technology, we definitely aren't going to get a robot in 10-20 years that will ever have sufficient battery capability to move around, bend/lift/drill/hammer/walk/crouch, etc, with the processing power needed to do such a job in dynamic & novel environments.

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 3:25 pm

Tradies aren't going anywhere.

Unless we fundamentally change battery technology, we definitely aren't going to get a robot in 10-20 years that will ever have sufficient battery capability to move around, bend/lift/drill/hammer/walk/crouch, etc, with the processing power needed to do such a job in dynamic & novel environments.

Possibly a little bit longer but there are masses of trials happening across the world right now of machines doing bricklaying, carpentry and plastering.

I saw a demo in China where this robot plastered a wall with expert precision and speed.

I certainly wouldn’t rule it out especially the speed in which technology is developing.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 3:44 pm

Possibly a little bit longer but there are masses of trials happening across the world right now of machines doing bricklaying, carpentry and plastering.

I saw a demo in China where this robot plastered a wall with expert precision and speed.

I certainly wouldn’t rule it out especially the speed in which technology is developing.

Yes - in a controlled environment, on modular builds. They will have been able to do that for years.

Entirely different than turning up to a random site / house with random crap all over the place.

I'm 70 and think of Kids today are very different because you can't make comparisons with yourself at a comparable age.

Colour TV wasn't really around until after I left school and we rarely watched it anyway. Outside was our escape with no boundaries on where we could roam as long as we were back by dark. Parents now often won't allow their kids to be out of sight of the house because the big baddie is just waiting to snatch them away. It must be difficult being a parent today because every incident is immediately all over the social platforms.

Very few kids watch a TV programme instead preferring to jump around different platforms showing youths switching from one subject to another in rapid succession whilst constantly screaming 'Oh My God' as loudly as possible. I think this is a major factor in many kids being hyperactive and lacking concentration rather than this diagnosis of ADHD. Take this away from them and they would probably improve rapidly.

Education priority is completely different, we were brow beaten over Spelling, Maths and Geography. History, Music, Art Religeous Instruction and Technical Drawing were important. We were taught practical things like Chemistry, Woodwork and Metalwork. They must have been important because they all merited the same punishment for failing to apply yourself. Every Teacher at Rosegrove Secondary Modern had it in them to be a Sadist.

I couldn't tell you what subjects are taught now and a lot have been grouped together. Prioity has definitely changed, maybe not at the top of the education ladder but certainly below. It seems no longer important to be able to spell with consistency, know where places are on a map or know the Capitals of Countries because if you really need this information, you can get it at the touch of a button.

Respect has certainly deteriorated in Society, a lot of outside influence is to blame but the main reason lays elsewhere, home being a good starting point. People who claim to have nothing seem to have enough to spend on Tattoo's, Phones, Sportswear, hair and nails.
the perception being anti-social kids come from these families. I reckong there are plenty from all walks of society.

Drugs of course are a major factor and responsible for much of today's soceital problems.

It isn't all gloom and doom though, the things I talk about aren't the normal for everyone everywhere and there are still brilliant families with nothing and respectful kids who might only wear hand me downs and eat processed crap.

Big Vinny K wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 12:25 pm

Depends what you define as intelligence really

If it’s thinking for yourself, researching things, making things, engineering skills, tradesmen skills, teachers, etc then I’d say it’s pretty naive to think that generationally we going anywhere other than backwards

This is a weird take and just smacks of the "things were better in the good old days".

Engineering skills are obviously way more advanced now than any previous generation. Just because there isn't a bloke with a slide rule doesn't mean that skills haven't progressed hugely. Similarly with making things.

There's still a snobbish view that internet research (or more lately AI) isn't proper research rather than recognising it as a skill in itself. There's such a huge volume of information at everyone's fingertips that how you deal with it, and the value of learning things by rote, has to change.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 12:30 pm

We are making breakthroughs in physics, chemistry, maths, IT almost every year.

We are getting that intelligent that Engineering skills, tradesmen skills, teachers are going to be redundant in the next 10-20 years as AI takes over everything.

Will AI repair your toilet? etc.

The only way to find out for sure would be to turn off the internet for a few weeks.

( remembers South Park episode )

Lu-tze wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 11:18 am

On the other hand…

Increased life expectancy, lower crime rates, more disposable income, people no longer having cripple/kill themselves doing manual jobs with no health and safety, having the right to a weekend/holiday/sick pay for the majority of people, infant mortality rate lower, no longer seen as acceptable to turn a blind eye to domestic abuse, women able to work and have rights separate from their husband, people with disabilities no longer seen as ‘wrong’- being locked away and treated with horrific therapies, widespread disease no longer prevalent (TB/polio/measles etc), homosexuality no longer illegal, overt racism no longer being acceptable, people no longer having to live in slums with no electricity/heating… and as for dog sh!t well everyone tells me that dogs just used to roam the streets in the 60’s/70’s so there must have been some somewhere!

I mean I’m not saying everything’s perfect but let’s have some perspective!

I can agree with most of that but 3 of them are purely down to scientific advances in medecinal care which has gone on forever.
Lower crime rates is because people can’t be arsed to report it cos the police are to short-handed and therefore busy to respond.
Absolutely agree with women having the right to work and lead the life of their choice but we have reached the point where they HAVE to work to support the family income. The downside being they are not at home for their children and as most Grand-parents are still working they are fobbed off on a stranger or child care at great expense, vicious circle.
I wish racism was no longer acceptable but you are blinkered if you don't think painting the flag of St. George or hanging it from lamp posts doesn’t have an underlying message from the raging, raving right wing.
As for housing we are going back to the 30s with damp, squalid, over-priced homes where folk can’t afford to pay their gas/electric bills.
I know many will disagree but the start of the downfall was Thatchers governments that made greed top priority. House prices soared, selling shares to people that didn’t know what to do with them, selling off school playing fields(therefore ending school sport). For me the last point is the main factor behind the overweight generation that followed.
My two concerns with the current generation are the easy access to drugs and the violence which I believe started with the Arnie, Sly Stallone, Bruce Willis movies from the 80s. Now everybody thinks they can take on the world single-handed.
It just makes me sad.

ecc wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 11:38 am

Family-friendly post of the week.

Can't feed em, don't breed em

GetIntoEm wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 28, 2025 4:40 pm

Can't feed em, don't breed em

Like I say, Ideally you'd need to prove yourself before you breed. But then that's another problem - the people making the decision. We can't trust people to make that decision. Humans will kill themselves eventually.