In many places in America Muslims are trying to force Sharia laws on us in our children and grandchildrens schools, etc. And the LGBT groups are forcing their Agendas on Store owners, in our Schools again, in our Churches, in our parks and buildings, etc that display Christian symbols. There are many other things going on right now that is going to bring changes we are not going to like at all. Many people feel unless it affects them personally then they don't care what is happening...but the changes that are happening now are going to affect all of us sooner or later, and if we don't stand up to these things... it will be to late to do anything about it when it becomes law.
I do think the internet can help people such as support groups. There is information out there that people would never find. For example a lady from Germany posted a free scarf pattern on Ravelry. I made the scarf and then posted the picture of my finished item on Ravelry with her pattern. People are connected in all kinds of good ways through the internet. Unfortunately it also brings out the worst. Such as mean and hurtful posts people seem fine posting behind some computer or phone screen. They would never do this literally to another person and I have to ask 'is this who they really are?' See this a lot of sites like YouTube.
Looking at a short historical view, I would say that American society has gotten worse over the past century but looking at a longer historical view, there were times in our history when we were far worse than we are now. A lot of people treated a lot of people horribly at different times in our history. Desperation, greed, fear and opportunity hasn't always brought out the best in us.
When I lived in Long Beach, I had a duplex on Beach Boulevard, across the street from Cherry Beach. Since I worked the graveyard shift, I would come home and sleep for a few hours, then sometimes take a walk on the beach, which wasn't the prettiest or the most popular beach in Southern California. After getting home from working the Friday shift, I got up one Saturday and walked down the steps to the beach. Before I reached the beach I could see that there were far more people there than usual, particularly before noon. So I was sort of wondering what was going on. As I reached the beach and was walking toward the ocean, I noticed that most of these people looked pretty strange, even for Californians. Then I noticed that they were almost all guys and some of them were kissing. I decided that I wasn't going to spend my Saturday on the beach after all. Then, as I began walking back home, going up the steps I saw a larger banner that I hadn't noticed on my way down. It read, 6TH ANNUAL GAY PICNIC.
Worse. More conflict, PC, violence, vulgarity,dreadful HIV, I still miss the old terms we used in our 'innocence', like gay,queer,fag and the like that have been removed from our common day vernacular. To my way of thinking things got worse when we had to start to lock our doors and it became an offense to leave your car unlocked. It's certainly a sign of the times now when teacher is a dangerous job.
Every generation, I fear, believes that things are getting worse every day. But if you look back in history, beyond the 50-70 years that most of us have experienced, you'll soon realize that there were worse times. While the first century of US history was surely exciting for some, most people were simply toiling day by day, trying to eke out a simple existence, and it was pretty easy to wake up dead. I'm thinking those weren't the best of times for people who were black or Native America, or any of a string of nationalities who were treated pretty shabbily. I do believe, however, that our best times are behind us, as far as our treatment of one another. Race relations have been in a tailspin since Obama was elected to office in 2008, and our societal breakdown began even before that.
I love history, & a study of it reveals that a lot of alternate versions of what is real is out there. I'm very afraid of America as it stands today. As for the Internet being a cause of hate, it's a case of you'll probably get back what you seek. The crazies have always been out there, the electronic world is not unique that way. I love a free Internet, but that is rapidly becoming a myth. I fully support net neutrality. Oh, by the way, as far as rewriting history goes, I do believe that if a lie is repeated long enough it becomes the truth. Today's hateful American environment sucks. Sadly, I hate it.
I don't think Americans or other people have gotten better or worse since the beginning. We have always been a cruel species. It has always been kill or be killed. Even Cain slew his brother Abel.
When put that way it could be said we are a product of a loving God. Kill or be killed, survival of the fittest. Maybe a product of the times in which we lived, according to personality and invironment, followers, following some strong personality, which changes as one dies off and a new one enters, much like the climate. It has been said we all are made up of good and evil, perhaps because of stories like Cain and Abel. I guess I agree, more or less, with the previous Speaker. Today's hateful American environment sucks. Sadly, I hate it. (So do I, Spencer.)
I agree with the above quotes, my experience of the past 70 odd years is that in my daily life not much has changed, except because I am now in my dotage and probably exude frailty, people I meet seem generally kinder. The internet, the news and social media paint a picture of divided families and nations, and lots of anger around, so yes from the apparently twisted truth of the news, it's all getting worse and the end is nigh. Personally I have felt we are in the endgame for the human race pretty much all my life, but we are still here and have been through worse I am sure, though memory itself is unreliable. I can't really speak for the US because I have to rely on news, which is inevitably biased, but in saying that my experience on American based forums is that people are more or less living their lives as usual, with it's ups and downs, I find lots of love and kindness around my interactions with other members. In my travels around the world, people are the same whichever country you are in. The good and bad, yin and yang, love and hate aspects, have always been present in humans, I feel the balance is still there, and we do in my opinion have a choice in which aspect we focus on........read all the bad news and let it influence you and you will see the world as an evil scary place...........ignore the news and simply observe the part of the world you are in, with an open heart and mind and you will see much goodness in people. .......as many have said: "We only see what we want to see; we only hear what we want to hear". Our belief system is just like a mirror that only shows us what we believe. Don Miguel Ruiz “Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.” Edgar Allen Poe “All things are subject to interpretation. Whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche