I think you're somewhat off base. It's hard, because some of your examples are correct, others are not, but in general most of them (in my estimation) have diff

I think you're somewhat off base. It's hard, because some of your examples are correct, others are not, but in general most of them (in my estimation) have different causes, and should be treated as individual cases rather than as part of a general statement. As you note, some things are getting better. A good theory would have to fit both the positives and the negatives. One reason I don't agree is that I try not to say "good" or "bad" when thinking about big, systemic things like that. It's more useful to describe the way things have changed. I'm not talking about moral relativism, I'm talking about inputs and outputs: by looking at what has changed, you can sometimes trace it back to a cause, and then try to figure out how to change it again. But just saying things have gotten worse seems a capitulation to inevitable forces outside anyone's control. Like an apple, rotting, rather than a boat with a hole in it: You can fix the boat if you find the hole. Anyway, I think it's an extremely complicated question. I'm probably a bit more conservative than a lot of HN. My kneejerk reaction to many things is that, yeah, people suck more now. But, that's a dangerously convenient intuition which should be examined very carefully — like almost everything else in life.