The Death of Chivalry?

[Sefton]

The thing about being polite to people is we were all taught that strangers are evil, I mean try and spark a conversation with a stranger while standing in line and they think you want something from them or that you are a freak.
LD

Sadly, you're right. Especially in the bigger cities. We (I include,quite guiltily,myself) often cut someone off when we think that they are trying to either ask for money or sell us something or enlist us to some cause.
When you're always in a hurry you can miss out on the chance to offer some kindness or help. The Lounge is my daily reminder to think about issues like this so that I don't inadvertantly become like one of those louts at Mc D's...

 

[Twitch]

Beside the just plain ignorance quotent of people rising these days they also simply have been conditioned by repeated media floggings to "don't get involved, lock your doors and windows, don't give out personal information," and so on to infinity.

We've become a society of wary worry warts who are taught from infancy to be afraid of strangers. Why would we assist those who might be bad folks? You never know, right? There is, if you stretch it, a legitimate concern of someone being sued over attempting to assist another person if some harm ultimately comes to that person. If you'd slipped and fallen you could have said it was the person helping you who actually caused your fall. And if you had fallen and been hurt medical professionals are afraid to touch you or offer direction for aid for the same reasons of fear of lawsuit.

Yeah I would have helped you but I sincerely believe the vast majority, of my kids' generation have been conditioned to not get involved with strangers. Good samaritan acts are often turned around and innocents are fleeced so why risk it?

We've become a bunch of scardy-cat ignoramouses who are entertained by the misfortunes of others. One look at the popular "reality" TV shows will confirm how being denigrated and abused for network profit and Romanesque entertainment is the chic thing today. Sad, huh?