study finds decline of empathy among young peope in us

[bcbm]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-me-care

[Tablo]

Not surprising with the hostile environment and values we are raised with. I bet parents don't even teach their children sharing and playing nice anymore. :(

[Impulse97]

Frankly it doesn't surprise me. Look at capitalism. Buy, buy, buy. Christmas? Buy me this buy me that. Giving is taken a back seat to getting. Hell. When I was little the only time my mom used the gift receipts was if something didn't fit or was obviously defective. Now I hear stories of people taking all the gifts they don't like back and getting cash for them. I mean shit. The person that gave it to you most likely put some thought into it and wanted to see you enjoy it. Instead you put on a happy face and when they leave you get rid of it for cash.

Frankly, I feel consumerism breeds selfishness. Hell look at the typical conservatives argument. It's all me, me, me, mine, I etc. etc.





No gay marriage – Homosexuality makes me uncomfortable (due to misguided religious influence or poor upbringing or both) so gay people should be punished because of my beliefs. Stoopid homos…
No welfare, food stamps or Medicaid – I’m not poor enough to qualify for these programs so my tax dollars shouldn’t pay for it. Stoopid poor people and by poor I really mean black…
No health care reform – Why should I help pay for other people who are sick when I’m not? Stoopid sick people…
No environmental protection – Environmental laws makes things more expensive for me and that’s bad. I also don’t understand the concept of long term impact; I want cheap gas and gadgets now! Stoopid…ah, you get the idea…
Don’t raise my taxes – EVER. The government can find its own money to pay for stuff.
Medicare – Young conservatives: Why should I help pay for old people and the disabled? Older conservatives: Keep your government hands off my Medicare!
Social Security – Young conservatives: Sacrifices need to be made, people should take care of themselves, not depend on handouts from people like me. Older conservatives: Sacrifices need to be made BUT DON’T YOU TOUCH MY SOCIAL SECURITY!
No abortion – The government should tell women what to do with their bodies because I don’t like abortion.
No prayer in school? – GOVERNMENT OVERREACH!! I like The Jesus™ so everyone should have to listen to my prayers. No Muslim prayers, though. That’s indoctrination.

This list goes on for some time. The more I thought about it, the more obvious it became. A conservative society is a borderline sociopathic society.

Sorry to use xmas but it's an easy example.:hammersickle::che::hammersickle:

[Amphictyonis]

Capitalism has created a culture of selfishness and competition. This is the most obvious thing I've ever said.

4u8HL3Bjygw

[#FF0000]

Let's be more specific than the stale "rarararar its all capitalism rararrar". People have been buying shit for hundreds of years and Christmas as we know it is just as old.

The article brings up that people nowadays are more isolated than ever, which I think is true. There's really no such thing as a community in a lot of places anymore, especially, for example, in poor neighborhoods, where things like section 8 move poor folks out into the suburbs, which sort of helps, I guess, but leaves desolate, broken up neighborhoods back in the cities.

This might be unpopular, but I also think that things like videogames have something to do with it. I'm not one of those folks that believes playing GTA will make you shoot someone, but playing a game where using violence against other people with no repercussion with black/white morality in play is probably going to affect how someone looks at the world. Then again, this is probably only really true in cases where kids are sitting there, playing certain videogames during most of their freetime with little other social interaction.

[The Vegan Marxist]

I don't think consumerism is bad, per se. Consumerism is only bad under our current society due to its profit motive. We eliminate the profit motive, and rather worry more towards the well-being of our people, I see no reason why consumerism should be opposed.

[Os Cangaceiros]

The article brings up that people nowadays are more isolated than ever, which I think is true. There's really no such thing as a community in a lot of places anymore, especially, for example, in poor neighborhoods

I actually think that there's a lot of community left in certain poor neighbors. Of course it varies.

This is kind of going off on a minor tangent, but I think criticism is sorely lacking in today's society. I read an article about this topic recently, and I agree with it. Of course, you can go on any number of places on the net and have people call you a "fag" or whatever, but that's not really criticism. That's just being insulted. Constructive criticism results when someone who genuinely cares about someone else's wellbeing tells them exactly how they're fucking up in life, and offers advice/support etc. A lot of people are so wrapped up in themselves that they don't want to hear that (including myself at times, unfortunately). Of course, we have less people around to tell us that we're fucking up, as studies recently have shown that Americans have less friends on average than they did fifty years ago, and the means of communication (through electronic means like texting, e-mail & networking, etc.) aren't really condusive in getting your point across that you, sir or ma'am, are a fuck-up. That can only really be effectively done in person.

But that's just my opinion.

[Political_Chucky]

I woulda smacked the shit outta that kid at 3:40 of the video

[#FF0000]

I actually think that there's a lot of community left in certain poor neighbors. Of course it varies.

This is kind of going off on a minor tangent, but I think criticism is sorely lacking in today's society. I read an article about this topic recently, and I agree with it. Of course, you can go on any number of places on the net and have people call you a "fag" or whatever, but that's not really criticism. That's just being insulted. Constructive criticism results when someone who genuinely cares about someone else's wellbeing tells them exactly how they're fucking up in life, and offers advice/support etc. A lot of people are so wrapped up in themselves that they don't want to hear that (including myself at times, unfortunately). Of course, we have less people around to tell us that we're fucking up, as studies recently have shown that Americans have less friends on average than they did fifty years ago, and the means of communication (through electronic means like texting, e-mail & networking, etc.) aren't really condusive in getting your point across that you, sir or ma'am, are a fuck-up. That can only really be effectively done in person.

But that's just my opinion.

You know, my friend pointed out something very similar. It seems like you see people giving really sarcastic or passive aggressive answers very, very often.

Person 1 will say "Hey, why don't you do this thing?"

Person 2 responds "Yeah, that's a great idea." :rolleyes: or something like that.

And you're def. right about there being some communities left in some places. I was talking to Mel about this awhile ago, and he brought up something that I think is interesting. It seems (to us), that most of this community is centered around churches. Even in my neighborhood, that's the only place you really see groups of people congregate together in this sparsely populated area that isn't work or school.

I also noticed that they get a lot of members via community outreach. One local church, for example, was very, very small when it started, but because of the volunteer work they do, they ended up getting a lot of people to donate money or join the church, and now they've built themselves a pretty nice building and have a sizeable congregation, made up mostly of people who were helped by the church's outreach activities.

Anyway, I bring this up because I think it's something that I'd like to see communist organizations maybe try. Advocating for the working class politically is one thing, but I don't think the average worker (In America, at least) is going to take a group that proclaims it's "for the workers" when they're only playing the political or the activist game.

I think I rambled for a bit there but yeah.

[ZeroNowhere]

The only significantly disturbing thing about this article is the decline in reading, although in actuality even that has a positive aspect, as if people are turned off from most of what qualifies as popular modern literature, there's hope for them yet. That's not a political observation, though, just some personal cultural snobbery. Otherwise, "I believe that the justification of art is the internal combustion it ignites in the hearts of men and not its shallow, externalized, public manifestations." The reading may matter, the rest does not.


Now I hear stories of people taking all the gifts they don't like back and getting cash for them. I mean shit. The person that gave it to you most likely put some thought into it and wanted to see you enjoy it. Instead you put on a happy face and when they leave you get rid of it for cash.That seems perfectly reasonable. What, would it be more honest to 'put on a happy face' for something you didn't like, and then just leave it to fust unused?


No gay marriage – Homosexuality makes me uncomfortable (due to misguided religious influence or poor upbringing or both) so gay people should be punished because of my beliefs. Stoopid homos..I think that you'll find that conservatives will generally argue that it is due to negative effects of homosexuality on society. Of course, you can always try to read their minds, but then one may as well do the same for communists, or really anything (torture makes me uncomfortable). And, after all, the working class is made up of individuals. And a fair few of these are conservative, which is certainly not very selfish of them.

Really, your sophisticated operation to show the 'selfishness' of conservative moral arguments could be applied to just about any moral viewpoint.

[#FF0000]

The only significantly disturbing thing about this article is the decline in reading, although in actuality even that has a positive aspect, as if people are turned off from most of what qualifies as popular modern literature, there's hope for them yet. Otherwise, "I believe that the justification of art is the internal combustion it ignites in the hearts of men and not its shallow, externalized, public manifestations." So that's alright, then.

There are also some really, really great shows on television now.

[Tablo]

Let's be more specific than the stale "rarararar its all capitalism rararrar". People have been buying shit for hundreds of years and Christmas as we know it is just as old.

The article brings up that people nowadays are more isolated than ever, which I think is true. There's really no such thing as a community in a lot of places anymore, especially, for example, in poor neighborhoods, where things like section 8 move poor folks out into the suburbs, which sort of helps, I guess, but leaves desolate, broken up neighborhoods back in the cities.

This might be unpopular, but I also think that things like videogames have something to do with it. I'm not one of those folks that believes playing GTA will make you shoot someone, but playing a game where using violence against other people with no repercussion with black/white morality in play is probably going to affect how someone looks at the world. Then again, this is probably only really true in cases where kids are sitting there, playing certain videogames during most of their freetime with little other social interaction.
I think it is fair to say most of this is at least indirectly a result of Capitalism. With socialism we would like live in communes since this is the most efficient and, in my opinion, most social arrangement.

As far as videogames go I think that could be a contributing factor. I love games, but I've played a lot of them I would never ever want to let children near. GTA is amongst them fro sure. There have also been times of isolation I have spent on the internet like after a break up or the death of a family member that have hurt my abilities to properly socially interact with other people.

[Dimentio]

Actually, I think that a lack of bonding between parents and child could be somewhat of a cause for it. That and sites like 4chan, humiliation programmes on TV and gore videos.

[#FF0000]

I think it is fair to say most of this is at least indirectly a result of Capitalism. With socialism we would like live in communes since this is the most efficient and, in my opinion, most social arrangement.

Oh, of course, but I think just saying "its capitalism" without going into detail isn't helpful and just kinda looks dumb.


Actually, I think that a lack of bonding between parents and child could be somewhat of a cause for it. That and sites like 4chan, humiliation programmes on TV and gore videos.

This sounds like it could be a factor. Parents are working more and more hours and kids are left with digital babysitters more and more, which is a pretty awful thing when you consider that most parents don't know anything about computers, and what a kid could find.

[Tablo]

I think you're right. It is certainly better to do an in depth analysis.

[La Comédie Noire]

I don't think the conditions of isolation we are subjected to can ever kill that spark of empathy inside of us. Life is just so fast paced and hectic now and after a long day all we want to do is retire to our houses and relax. But have any of you ever talked to a customer at work or been in a situation where that hectic pace gets interrupted? It's amazing how things change, like I was waiting in line at a Dunkin Donuts and something was wrong with the coffee machine so everyone ended up having to wait a while and then we began talking. It was weird at first, but then it felt really good, almost like it was right. The only way I can describe it is it's like quenching a thirst you didn't know you have.