Could the fall of morals from the 1960s to now have been avoided?

[Ophiolite]

Clearly, you've mistaken me for someone who recognizes Oxford University as a universal authority on the definition of morality.

My apologies. The Oxford English Dictionary is the standard dictionary of the English Language and is recognised as such by all educated persons. I didn't realise you were in a different group.

 

[D.A. Wright]

My apologies. The Oxford English Dictionary is the standard dictionary of the English Language and is recognised as such by all educated persons. I didn't realise you were in a different group.

Well, now you know. No apology necessary. Yeah, they lost my interest when they reversed the order of definitions #s 1 & 2. I'm just a second-class (high school graduate) citizen. Don't disappoint yourself by expecting too much from me. I are'nt inteliggentlyke yooal am.

 

[Occams Barber]

The only way to stop a "freefall" of morality is to create an authority of morality, to document and promote that morality and to viciously punish people who do not conform.

You could call this 'authority of morality' the "Taliban".
OB

 

[MehGuy]

Just what happens when the mode of mass communication becomes easier. I imagine cities are more progressive than rural areas. The age of the Internet is probably speeding things up as well.

I don't view it as a negative thing.. in fact I think we have a long way to go.. lol.

 

[rjs330]

Morals are not just about crime. And while crime has decreased is some areas over the last 20 years violent crime has remained relatively steady over the last 10. Murder has stayed close as well. Rape has gone up, assault relatively the same, Burglary has decreased theft has decreased and Vehicle theft has remained about the same. Since the 60s though everything has increased per 100,000 people. It was 1887 and now is 2580 per 100,000.

As far as drugs are concerned Heroine use has claimed since 2002. Since 2015 Marijuana use has risen as well as cocaine, and Meth, LSD.

There are other moral things that have decayed in America besides crime and drugs since the 60s.

 

[Go Braves]

Morals are not just about crime. And while crime has decreased is some areas over the last 20 years violent crime has remained relatively steady over the last 10. Murder has stayed close as well. Rape has gone up, assault relatively the same, Burglary has decreased theft has decreased and Vehicle theft has remained about the same. Since the 60s though everything has increased per 100,000 people. It was 1887 and now is 2580 per 100,000.

As far as drugs are concerned Heroine use has claimed since 2002. Since 2015 Marijuana use has risen as well as cocaine, and Meth, LSD.

There are other moral things that have decayed in America besides crime and drugs since the 60s.

More folks are reporting rape, sexual assault nowadays than they did in the past.

 

[durangodawood]

More folks are reporting rape, sexual assault nowadays than they did in the past.

Yep. People arent just putting up with it like in olden days. Thats a moral improvement.

 

[miggles]

when the attack on Christianity and all it stands for came about is the cause of the moral decline.

 

[timothyu]

Not to mention the alignment with politics

 

[Pope66]

Do you think the relative freefall of morality that started around the 1960s could have been avoided? How in what kind of way?

I also don't believe we should go back to before the 1960s in all ways, but I believe the traditionalists and conservatives have a point sometimes.

Well you talking about the era of increased secularism in the 1960s.. It is hard to say but with a relative free press and relative free speech in Western nations it made the process easier.

Also there was a time when there was a mass expansion of media and the mass growth of rock music and that made a huge impact too.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Do you think the relative freefall of morality that started around the 1960s could have been avoided? How in what kind of way?

I also don't believe we should go back to before the 1960s in all ways, but I believe the traditionalists and conservatives have a point sometimes.

Avoided? I'm not sure. The act of avoiding some "thing" is typically an act taken by an individual rather than a diverse group of multi-millions upon millions.

 

[Freodin]

Well you talking about the era of increased secularism in the 1960s.. It is hard to say but with a relative free press and relative free speech in Western nations it made the process easier.

Also there was a time when there was a mass expansion of media and the mass growth of rock music and that made a huge impact too.

In a way, you are correct.
Secularism has had a major impact on the impact of religious authority, for even longer than the 1960's. The interesting thing here is that this same secularism is the garant for the "religious liberty" that the conservative religious adherents claim to support... when it suits them.

"Free speech" is another great factor, together with the secularism. The availability of information of any kind is the greatest enemy of doctrinal conformity. That's why the Internet is one of the main causes for the modern crisis in most Christian churches.

So, yes, I'd say that your analysis of the causes has it right, more or less. But I would disagree with this has resulted in a "fall" in morals.

 

[stevevw]

It is not just about moral acts becoming more prevalent but that they are becoming more depraved and evil. I heard the other day about some guy who stole a car and ended up smashing it into some other cars and got hurt. When the police came he spat blood in their face. I have heard this happening more where police and paramedics are getting spat in the face or attacked. I think the spitting is about them threatening to give the officer a disease of some sort. It makes the officer worried for a time until they can get the test back that they are clear of diseases. But in the past even crimes had some respect for authorities. They knew they were nabbed and just gave in. Now they fight and attack.

The worst is when they attack paramedics at accidents who are trying to help other people who are injured. Kids attack teachers and parents physically and there has been injury and deaths. Though people may have disrespected authority and parents to some extent in the past you would not here of the severity we see today.

 

[FireDragon76]

What fall of morals? Standards for acceptable behavior in marriage are higher. We're much more concerned about all kinds of abusive relationships. While we haven't fixed racism, we've at least started. We're finally starting to take seriously what is known about human sexuality. Morals are doing just fine.

Has nobody here seen Mad Men? The 50's was full of moral hypocrisy, relatively low standards of behavior for men, etc.

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

Has nobody here seen Mad Men? The 50's was full of moral hypocrisy, relatively low standards of behavior for men, etc.

Hypocrisy, as La Rochefoucauld said, is the tribute that vice renders virtue. At least a hypocrite has standards to fall short of...

 

[FireDragon76]

Hypocrisy, as La Rochefoucauld said, is the tribute that vice renders virtue. At least a hypocrite has standards to fall short of...

So as long as traditional morality is propitiated with a bit of mint and cumin, that's actually better than people honestly striving to find values than promote genuine human flourishing?

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

So as long as traditional morality is propitiated with a bit of mint and cumin, that's actually better than people honestly striving to find values than promote genuine human flourishing?

I've seen little of that in recent years. A thing isn't made good just because you're honestly striving for it.

 

[FireDragon76]

I've seen little of that in recent years. A thing isn't made good just because you're honestly striving for it.

I see goodness in the world every day, all without your narrow religious orthodoxies.

 

[pitabread]

Drugs came into America via the Vietnam war. This is where innocence started to diminish.

Drugs have existed in America well before the 1960's. There were opium dens in America going back to the 1800's for example. The first drug law in the U.S. was apparently passed back in 1875 (banning opium smoking in San Francisco).

Not to mention indigenous populations have used drugs for centuries themselves.

 

[Strathos]

Drugs have existed in America well before the 1960's. There were opium dens in America going back to the 1800's for example. The first drug law in the U.S. was apparently passed back in 1875 (banning opium smoking in San Francisco).

Not to mention indigenous populations have used drugs for centuries themselves.

If you study history, drugs have been used since the earliest recorded civilizations. Native Americans were using them before Europeans ever got here.