“We show that the perception of moral decline is pervasive, perdurable, unfounded and easily produced, and suggest that this illusion has implications for research on the misallocation of scarce resources, the underuse of social support and social influence.”
I think EVERYONE should read this… it is so easy for media to manipulate people into thinking that the world is somehow darker, weirder, or more dangerous than it was before… I think this article will help people think critically about what inflammatory news tells them
“The world has grown old, does not enjoy that strength which it formerly enjoyed, and does not flourish with the same vigor and strength with which it formerly prevailed … The farmer is vanishing and disappearing in the fields, the sailor on the sea, the soldier in the camp, innocence in the marketplace, justice in the courts, harmony among friendships, skill among the arts, discipline in morals.”
-- Cyprian of Carthage, c. 250 CE
“Same as it ever was”
-- Talking Heads
I bet they were having these sorts of conversations when someone invented the flintstone hand axe.