Problems with society

[Daz223]

Everywhere I go, I see people being selfish. Nobody gives a damn any more. And yet, our society is rooted with problems because of this. Rampant crime, people dying etc. Maybe this isn't the place to air this type of issue but why not? You are people after all.

It can't be easy being tradesmen and DIY people, I understand that. Your job can be frustrating and pointless sometimes, I'm sure, as well as occasionally rewarding. I know this because I've been in the trenches enough times during my lifetime.

Will you people join me in making this world a better place? I doubt it, and that's no disrespect to you people. Everyone is the same, including myself sometimes. It's all too easy to turn a blind eye, to do the easy thing rather than the right thing. And yet, if we do nothing, the problems will continue. Crime will continue as before, violence and hatred as before, unless we try to find a middle ground.

I'm not so naive as to say that EVERYTHING can be solved this way, sometimes there will always be conflict, that's human nature. And perhaps rightly so. But lack of understanding, genuine compassion, and failure to compromise, accounts for a lot of anger and bad feeling in society today.

Your comments please.

 

[Trazor]

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)

 

[Daz223]

Good quote, seriously.

 

[markie]

It's easy-er and safer to keep quiet, years ago you could tell off a group of teens and you would get no back chat, but now you'll be lucky not to get stabed it's the fear factor theses days, years ago there would be twiching at cirtains and a phone call to the police, now there might be twiching but the call to the police is limited. head in the sand springs to mind

 

[Spark123]

Couldn't agree more, the whole country has gone down hill big time. Once upon a year we used to lock criminals up. Now we re-habilitate them in the comunity or just tell them not to do it again. I don't blame the police for it, its the whole system. The police are probably just as annoyed as everyone else. I just read this yesterday: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/6960166.stm.
If the courts are going to let this sort of scum walk the streets then what hope have we of them locking up any lesser criminals?

Yeah Markie, there is a fear factor i.e. I don't want my car vandalised or windows put through, so where is the deterrent?

 

[Softus]

It isn't the "system". It isn't the police, or the government, the prison system, or the reform policy.

It isn't the schools, the teachers, the children, the immigrants, the immigration policy, or religion.

It isn't even the criminals, the drugs, or the drugs barons. It isn't movie makers, program makers, Channel 4, Anne Robinson or Simon Cowell.

It's the rest of us. It's the ordinary people. It's the same people who supported the rise of Thatcherism and the extra pound in their pocket instead of envisaging the effect of unfettered capitalism on our sense of community.

It's the people who regard buy-to-let homes as a financial opportunity, instead of the erosion of the ability of first-time buyers to own even one home. It's the belief that everything that happens is someone else's fault; the fledgling foray into becoming a litigious society, which feathers nobody's nest other than those of lawyers.

Worst of all, it's the belief that only tough, strict, new and wide-ranging powers and laws will make a difference. That punishing people for doing what they want to do will make a difference to everyone else.

Well it won't. There's only one answer - treat everyone else the way that you would like to be treated. This is no new idea, no revelation, and the fact that it's a core Christian doctrine is neither here or there.

It's the only civilised option. It's common sense.

But we're human, and fallible, and it isn't easy, and that's the problem.

IMHO.

 

[big-all]

It isn't the "system". It isn't the police, or the government, the prison system, or the reform policy.

It isn't the schools, the teachers, the children, the immigrants, the immigration policy, or religion.

It isn't even the criminals, the drugs, or the drugs barons. It isn't movie makers, program makers, Channel 4, Anne Robinson or Simon Cowell.

It's the rest of us. It's the ordinary people. It's the same people who supported the rise of Thatcherism and the extra pound in their pocket instead of envisaging the effect of unfettered capitalism on our sense of community.

It's the people who regard buy-to-let homes as a financial opportunity, instead of the erosion of the ability of first-time buyers to own even one home. It's the belief that everything that happens is someone else's fault; the fledgling foray into becoming a litigious society, which feathers nobody's nest other than those of lawyers.

Worst of all, it's the belief that only tough, strict, new and wide-ranging powers and laws will make a difference. That punishing people for doing what they want to do will make a difference to everyone else.

Well it won't. There's only one answer - treat everyone else the way that you would like to be treated. This is no new idea, no revelation, and the fact that it's a core Christian doctrine is neither here or there.

It's the only civilised option. It's common sense.

But we're human, and fallible, and it isn't easy, and that's the problem.

IMHO.

absolutly brilliant answer

there are only 4 things that can stir me into a violent reaction

one is thatcher i hate her with a vengance for what she did she made i ok to sh1t on people
two is selfish people who dont care about society as a whole
three is evil wicked biggoted racists who seem to lack a complete rounded argument and stick to completly non existant steriotypes
four people who dont care about there neibours or there fellow man

 

[oilman]

Unfortunately when one party was removed from power we got Bliar who is a Thatcherite through and through, so this doctrine has been stoked for nearly a generation. I agree with the sentiments in softus's post, but the normal nit-picking over other peoples posts seems to contradict those sentiments. Why do it?

 

[Softus]

That's an entirely different topic oilman.

 

[oilman]

You're still the same person, (unless you have a split personality). On the one hand you display admirable sentiments, on the other you tear people to shreds if you can find a chink in their armour. Um....The smiling viper

OMG, I wrote "chink" there and the effin auto censor jumps into action and decides it's racist

And it seems someone round here is altering my posts without the decency to say so. I wonder how many other posts he/she is altering.

 

[Daz223]

It isn't the "system". It isn't the police, or the government, the prison system, or the reform policy.

It isn't the schools, the teachers, the children, the immigrants, the immigration policy, or religion.

It isn't even the criminals, the drugs, or the drugs barons. It isn't movie makers, program makers, Channel 4, Anne Robinson or Simon Cowell.

It's the rest of us. It's the ordinary people. It's the same people who supported the rise of Thatcherism and the extra pound in their pocket instead of envisaging the effect of unfettered capitalism on our sense of community.

It's the people who regard buy-to-let homes as a financial opportunity, instead of the erosion of the ability of first-time buyers to own even one home. It's the belief that everything that happens is someone else's fault; the fledgling foray into becoming a litigious society, which feathers nobody's nest other than those of lawyers.

Worst of all, it's the belief that only tough, strict, new and wide-ranging powers and laws will make a difference. That punishing people for doing what they want to do will make a difference to everyone else.

Well it won't. There's only one answer - treat everyone else the way that you would like to be treated. This is no new idea, no revelation, and the fact that it's a core Christian doctrine is neither here or there.

It's the only civilised option. It's common sense.

But we're human, and fallible, and it isn't easy, and that's the problem.

IMHO.

I would disagree with this. I think it's everyone, including the "system", the police, the government, the prison system, the reform policy (whatever that is, lol).

As well as the schools, the teachers, the children, the immigrants, the immigration policy, and religion.

It is the criminals, the drugs, or the drugs barons. It is movie makers, program makers, Channel 4, Anne Robinson and Simon Cowell.

AND the rest of us.

I don't think this is a political issue as such, more of a social one.

Labour have been in power for 10 years now, and we've still got people dying on the streets and rampant crime, just as when the Tories were in before them.

I think you'll find just as many selfish people in the Labour Party as in the Tory Party, people are just looking out for their own interests.

I'm not a Christian, but I do agree with treating SOME people the way you would like to be treated. How many people actually practice this for real though? When was the last time you did it? Not just for your own personal gain, but because you looked at an individual and recognised that they deserved it.

Way I see it, most people I meet are so selfish that they always ask for consideration and respect, but they're not willing to do the same in return. That's hypocrisy. So....I usually carry on like everyone else, because who wants to be a doormat?

 

[oilman]

I would disagree with this. I think it's everyone, including the "system", the police, the government, the prison system, the reform policy (whatever that is, lol).

The "systems" are not people, they are an abstract. Softus has implied that it is everyone because "the rest of us" will include everyone when they are not performing they role in what ever part of the system might give the impression that they are not included in "the rest of us".

I don't think this is a political issue as such, more of a social one.

Poilcy? Social? Social policy? Politics? it's all the same. The question "what are we going to do about it?" means we need, (for want of a better word) a policy.

Labour have been in power for 10 years now, and we've still got people dying on the streets and rampant crime, just as when the Tories were in before them.

I think you'll find just as many selfish people in the Labour Party as in the Tory Party, people are just looking out for their own interests.

There is no difference between Blair and Thatcher except the genitals.

I'm not a Christian, ......

Just as well, some of the most horrific things in history have been done in the name of "Christianity".

Way I see it, most people I meet are so selfish that they always ask for consideration and respect, but they're not willing to do the same in return. That's hypocrisy. So....I usually carry on like everyone else, because who wants to be a doormat?

Then go and mix with the type of people who don't ask for consideration and respect. You'll probably find you get it then, (unless you don't deserve it).

Spend some time sharpening your chisel to perfection, then post a picture on the woodwork forums (like "ukworkshop") you'll get loads of welcomes and encouraging comments, and if you post a picture of an almost transparent shaving that you have managed to cut off the end of a piece of wood, well, you really will get respect. If you try one of the Australian ones, you even get a "respect" rating as you go.

 

[masona]

Well it won't. There's only one answer - treat everyone else the way that you would like to be treated. This is no new idea, no revelation, and the fact that it's a core Christian doctrine is neither here or there.

I always have done and it does make a difference to life. The problem I think is greed as in "money is the root of all evil".

The number one argument in couple is money then the high stress kick in, then the road rage problem then rude people etc

It does get me down with all this depressing news and there's not a lot we can do about it or is there?

 

[notb665]

I feel that part of my everyday struggle with life is not to get dragged down or even join into this society and what Daz223 is describing. It would be so easy to give up emotions and feelings and altruism and concentrate on materialistic things and subscribe to the dog-eat-dog mentality. (Indeed, my wife and I’s disagreement on this partly led to our separation - even she said, about me "I couldn't cope with modern life".) I believe that most people are unhappy/ill/fat/have allergies because sub-consciously or otherwise they have allowed themselves to get beaten down by materialism and selfishness, and even joined into it. I do not think anyone wants to be like this really, so they harden themselves and ‘die’ in their minds and this leads to a want for excitement/release of any kind, including drug-taking, over-eating, pornography, risk-taking (driving like idiots, crime) and promiscuity to name a few.

Since my separation, my project is my girlfriend and our kids, not the house and the next money-making project.

 

[Softus]

You're still the same person, (unless you have a split personality). On the one hand you display admirable sentiments, on the other you tear people to shreds if you can find a **** in their armour. Um....The smiling viper

Point duly taken on board.

I would disagree with this. I think it's everyone, including the "system", the police, the government, the prison system, the reform policy (whatever that is, lol).

oilman has accurately reflected my intended meaning more succinctly than I ever could have done.

As well as the schools, the teachers, the children, the immigrants, the immigration policy, and religion.

It is the criminals, the drugs, or the drugs barons. It is movie makers, program makers, Channel 4, Anne Robinson and Simon Cowell.

AND the rest of us.

As above.

I don't think this is a political issue as such, more of a social one.

Labour have been in power for 10 years now, and we've still got people dying on the streets and rampant crime, just as when the Tories were in before them.

I think you'll find just as many selfish people in the Labour Party as in the Tory Party, people are just looking out for their own interests.

I completely agree. If you interpreted my points as being political ones, then you read it in a way that I didn't intend. I apologise for being unclear.

I'm not a Christian, but I do agree with treating SOME people the way you would like to be treated. How many people actually practice this for real though? When was the last time you did it? Not just for your own personal gain, but because you looked at an individual and recognised that they deserved it.

As it happens, it was about three hours ago. I helped a woman who was panicking outside a violin shop that had closed, and she needed to collect her rehaired bow. Coincidentally I know someone who knows the proprietor, so I made the call and pleaded the case. Everyone's a winner.

And last Wednesday I rescued two women in broken down cars - one was out of diesel. I don't want anything in return for those acts - I have reservations about even mentioning them. I'm just illustrating that there are things that cost me very little that were worth an awful lot to other people.

Way I see it, most people I meet are so selfish that they always ask for consideration and respect, but they're not willing to do the same in return. That's hypocrisy. So....I usually carry on like everyone else, because who wants to be a doormat?

That's the very reason that nothing will change - because we all want someone else to take the first step.

The old saying was never more true - we're only ever three meals away from anarchy.