Do you feel like society has improved or worsened over the past 11 years?
 

Heavy one for a Wednesday night but I’m in one of those thread-making moods and I’ve recently been thinking about how much certain things have changed since 2010 (at least in comparison to how we were envisioning it at the beginning of that new decade).

2020 and 2021 have been write-offs (or at least not what was expected) for pretty much everyone so in theoretical terms we might as well still be at the tail-end of 2019, so if you were to envision/place yourself on or at New Year’s Eve 2019/20 (either with all the knowledge of how things would unfold within the following 22-month period or just taking the 2010s into account), how would you describe the state of society compared to ten years prior with regard to general life and social trends (e.g., broadening of L.G.B.T./gender identities, more political correctness, adult millennial culture emerging)?

It’s gone too far the other way where everything is offensive now. Therefore it’s got worse. I’d say maybe 5-6 years ago was a good place.

I feel like 2012 was the last properly decent collective year we had and even that had big problems, and was cursed ideologically from the announcement of doomsday (21/22 December that year) on.

The year or two that followed weren’t too bad but I feel like that era between the early noughties and earliest tens (up until the end of 2012) were better vibes overall. TV was closer to its prime and there was broad LGBT acceptance (admittedly to very varying extents) without people worrying about what pronouns to use for people who refuse to align with either of the two primary (aka actual) sexes.

I agree that the late aughts-mid tens were probably best for overall acceptance. It was a time where no-one gave a **** about stuff like LGBT and race. Well obviously there was the odd bigot, but all in all it was better.

There must be a reason that LGBT-acceptance is actually falling among the young, and I'd say it's not surprising it coincides with the rise of "victimhood culture" fostered by social media, and exasperation toward the "97 genders" types. And then furthered by people lynching the likes of JK Rowling for speaking up for (born) women's rights.

Have to agree that if I was to pick a 5 year span where most things were on a decent-ish track it would be 2008-2013. Far from PERFECT of course, there were obviously the issues with the financial crash and the UK was undergoing Tory austerity, but in terms of “non-government” society. There was broader acceptance than previously, but we hadn’t yet splintered into the dogma and tribalism that came “in the backlash”. Individual freedoms were considered important but not to the level of the quasi-religious hyperindividualism that’s been increasing exponentially for the last 5 years or so.

Odd for me to say those years really as I personally was absolutely dirt poor at the time. Fresh out of uni, retail cashier, first daughter was born in 2009… we were straight-up “poor people” from roughly 2009 - 2013 :umm2:

what's wrong with Avocado's?


i eat those as well, very healthy for you, loads of vitamins etc

In terms of the poll I've had to go with "too early to tell". I think things are terrible right now however I still hold onto the vague hope that all of the extreme swinging back-and-forth is teething pains that might settle into something more rational, eventually.

I find society very intolerant now, especially when it comes to political views, uncontrolled social media doesn't help either

Worsened.

I think 2016 particularly became a turning point in splitting societies and even families.

I'd say up to 2012 things were okay but even then cracks were there as to society.

From 2012 onwards however.
Intolerance has taken over, suspicion, distrust and a breakdown on lots of levels.

I don't exclude myself from that.
I have got less tolerant too.

It's actually very sad but I can't see it being repaired or rebuilt either.

Yes though, the last coming now up to 10 years have been in my view, the most divisive generated from the top down as to society.

Some aspects have improved completely beyond expectation, others have gotten worse and speaking as an old fart, that's the way it has always been

Not to sound too much like an old fogie............buuuut I really do believe Social media has to take a huge chunk of the blame for dividing people and riling people up

Social media is the cause of a lot of problems in this area. Somewhere along the line, people were made to think their surface level traits were what defined them, instead of being just another aspect of oneself.

If I were to sit down with either of my parents, and tell them I was ashamed of being gay, they'd slap my face and tell me to stop being so stupid. ALSO if I showed up swathed in rainbows and said my name was Gaygay McGay, they'd do the same thing. They understand how little **** like that matters, and how you shouldn't let biological happenstance dictate your life.

It's almost regressive how social media creates the expectation that someone should be defined by that. People figuratively leaping around saying ACCEPT ME YOU BIGOTS when no-one really cares anyway poisons the well.

And when it comes to viotrol toward people with different politics ... The idea of "Everyone I Don't Like Is Hitler" used to be a joke, as people would roll their eyes when Hitler comparisons were made, but eventually it became so commonplace that people who used that argument in earnest had decided it was antisemitic :joker:

Tbh I think the world really did end in 2012 and we've been living in Hell World ever since :joker:

bahahahaha good conspiracy theory

The avocado thing only makes sense when you consider it in the context of millennial culture. Otherwise you won’t get it.

2010-2015
Was Conservative-Lib Dem power

Then it was Conservative alone up to now
So it is not 11 Years
Redway

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conser...tion_agreement


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...nouncement.jpg



Redway Ignores who was in power from May 2010

Well the whole 2012 thing was based on prophecy etc. etc... so you could see it as, the predictions were true, it's just that it was misinterpreted, and 2012 was "the point of no return", which is an end, of sorts, just that things take a while to wind down and don't just end in an instant. Maybe 2012 is when the "show was over" and we're living in a post-credits epilogue scene :omgno:.

Except the Lib Dems were just like a figurehead voting block in that coalition.

They got no real policies implemented that were major ones.

Yes they got a few Ministerial positions and 5 years of appearing to be in power.

However it was in effect a Con government that was able to do all it liked as to its hard-line heartless policies and unnecessary reforms too, on the back of most of the 57 Lib Dem votes.

Click the Wiki link
it was a Full Conservative -LibDem Power

So its not 11 years

It was officially a coalition yes.

The policies, ALL the major ones were Con ones.
The Lib Dem votes bought for 5 years of coalition with a few crumbs as to policies given.

Anyhow it doesn't really matter, it is 11 years of CON led power.
Under a CON Prime Minister for all of it.
Any way you look at it.

It all depends what you mean by "Society"?

and then how on earth you would quantify "Better" or "worse"

We live in a society.

we live in houses, in streets, in towns, on islands on earth, in a galaxy in the universe

on top of a giant sea turtle

here is an interesting paper on judging the success of a "society" beyond GDP

https://www.oecd.org/site/progressko...t/41684236.pdf

"State of the Union Address, 3 January 1934

… Without regard to party, the overwhelming majority of our people seek a greater opportunity for
humanity to prosper and find happiness. They recognize that human welfare has not increased and does not
increase through mere materialism and luxury, but that it does progress through integrity, unselfishness,
responsibility and justice …"