values

“If modern society may be said to foster an individual who is rational, autonomous, centered, and stable (the "reasonable man" of the law, the educated citizen of representative democracy, the calculating "economic man" of capitalism, the grade defined student of public education), then perhaps a postmodern society is emerging which nurtures forms of identity different from, even opposite to those of modernity.”

This quote really struck me because I’ve noticed a change in the behavior of people today, and what I know of the ways people behaved in the past. Values have changed. And I’m not talking like changed year to year, I mean more in the sense of the difference between generations. Respect, honor, diligence, loyalty, trust and nobility; these are all values and characteristics that come few and far between with people in my generation, and when they are apparent, they are minimal in respect to the importance which these values held to our parents generation. Why is that? Why has society changed so much? Poster would argue that its because of technology and communication which drains the physical emotions of reality from us, leaving us to build our character on pre-constructed pictures, videos, music and text. Our society today yields every new generation of children to be further and further separated from these values. Is it intentional? Debatable (conspiracy theory much?). But one thing is for sure, that some of the values ‘we as a society’ believe to be so strong have been and are continuing to be lost in the translation of what Poster would call ‘The Communications Superhighway”. Either way you cut it, its certainly noticeable. They scary part however, is where we will be in 100 years if this continues? Will we be so removed from reality that responsibility and accountability will be things of the past?

possibly