I am not a cynic, but there has been a rise in bad behavior. Things trending up are homicides, increased gun carrying, suicides, aggressive driving and auto deaths, addiction and overdoses, aggressive and anti-social behavior, people ignoring health and safety rules. What's trending down? Giving to charities and church attendance. You can't blame this on a leader who believes the rules do not apply to him, that you can violently disagree with people and politeness is optional. Bad behavior was already trending up. The US is known for it's individualism and sometimes that is a weakness. Studies have show we are a nation of narcissists. Not good for group cohesion. Maybe that is the answer. Maybe the narcissism has grown to the point where seeing other's needs is weakness and being disconnected from social ties has caused increased depression and anger. Maybe you can't see it and have a better answer.
Narcissism is not a good quality to have but it's not a behavior. Treating people beneath you because of your narcissism is. Besides individual there is collective narcissism. That is a member of a group feels their group is superior. They have a sense of entitlement and can become aggressive with any criticism of the group. They idealize their group and can see other groups as threatening. There are some fine examples of that behavior on this very site. I can prove it's a metaphor.
It probably looked a lot more like end time when Genghis Khan was on the horizon, black death was killing one third of Europe, etc. The problem with church attendance being down is religion can no longer pass off fake claims that conflict with science. Increased legal gun carrying is a good thing. You can turn the other cheek if attacked. I will not. Your doom and gloom about car wrecks, overdoses, and the like is not supported by average life expectancy which is currently a little down due to Covid, but really at an all time high. For women in America the life expectancy is 81, for men it is 77.
I believe that you hit the nail on the head. The problem isn’t our freedoms, it’s the culture of violent people.
One man taught us a valuable lesson. He taught us how fragile a democracy can be and how close we came to loosing it. We got set back on our heels but we'll be o.k. and as well as stronger for it.
Do you need a loan? I don't think religion losing the conflict with science is the problem. The US has always been an outlier among developed countries in its religiosity. We are twice as religious as the UK. Younger people are driving the trend of being less religious in the US and Europe. I don't think that makes them any less moral. Carrying a gun is a bad thing. Not turning the other cheek will get you dead. If packing is a measure of your virility then you have issues, if it's out of fear you've got issues. I can prove every trend mentioned, but you won't believe it until life expectancy averages change? That seems a rationalization to deny the numbers that effect your quality of life.
I have a fire extinguisher. Am I afraid of a fire? I have a seat belt. Am I afraid of a car wreck? I know four people who have experienced a home invasion. They were happy to own guns. You comment about "packing" and virility was a straw man fallacy and a sign of too much liberal indoctrination. But as far as virility goes I have a rifle and a gun - one is for fighting, the other for fun. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=this+is+my+rifle+this+is+my+gun&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kU0XCVey_U
So fear seems to be the answer. I would call it an exaggerated concern for your safety, but given the extremely low statistical probability that you would know four people who suffered home invasions maybe you have cause to be fearful. BTW my use of virility was not any more a straw man than my use of fear. Oh, and "as far as virility goes I have a rifle and a gun" You are the one associating guns and virility now.
If you have never experienced or witnessed an act of violence you have led a sheltered life or been very lucky. Being prepared for self defense does not reflect an exaggerated concern for safety. Perhaps you try to rationalize your fear of being unable to defend yourself and your family by telling yourself it can never happen to you. The people in this story probably thought what happened to them was a low statistical probability like you do. https://nypost.com/2014/09/28/it-never-goes-away-man-still-haunted-by-gruesome-home-invasion/ "The answer" to use your words is being prepared for the bad things that can happen in life and not being in a state of denial. I invite you to discuss this further in the gun control section of PF. A good place would be my "Who needs a gun, just call the police" thread.
So, it's a kinda virile fear? I live in a mixed race urban setting, two blocks from section 8 apartments in a city with a per capita homicide rate greater than Chicago's. I don't have a gun and I don't fear a home invasion because the odds are much lower than me getting hit by a car. Yes, I look both ways before I cross the street and I lock my doors and have a dog. I don't buy drugs or associate with known felons so I have little need for a gun and possessing one increases the chances of it being used on friends, family or myself. Speaking of the gun control section you will find some fine examples of collective narcissism. Collective narcissism can be defined as an exaggerated view of the importance, or ‘greatness,’ of the group to which the individual belongs. These defenders of 2A take any criticism as an assault on American values, deny any evidence that diminishes the value of an armed populace and believe they are the defenders of freedom.
Anything in your politics or 'social justice' which enables narcissism - ie, the idea that your every mood will be catered to, and every 'weakness' supported. That you're entitled to all sorts of things just because you exist, and that everything you believe about yourself must be honoured and feted - is responsible for starting this plague. And those who support it, are helping speed up the trip to hell.
