The Student Room Group

Are people getting more rude these days?

Than, say, 20 years ago? I'm not just referring to young people, I'm referring to people of all ages. Limited to British society though as it's the only society I'm familiar with.


When I grew up, I knew that my mum would hit me with a stick if I was rude to her so I feared her and was too afraid to be rude. Of course it would now be illegal for a parent to do that. It is also now illegal for teachers to throw blackboard erasers at students who answer back. So, in my opinion, answering back is a lot more common now. I've seen people answer back to police before too! :mad:

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Yes. It's really embarrassing e.g. in school with some of my friends who don't respect anyone. Talking back to teachers really makes me cringe or when children talk back to their parents... and the parents take it!!
Some of my form can be really embarrassing because of their rudeness... D:

Then outside of school when I'm going somewhere with people they don't watch what they're doing or think about the fact that they're not the only ones there. I'm also being patronised a lot more which is... annoying. :s-smilie:

Gah. I understand what you mean. :tongue:

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(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by karmacrunch
Yes. It's really embarrassing e.g. in school with some of my friends who don't respect anyone. Talking back to teachers really makes me cringe or when children talk back to their parents... and the parents take it!!
Some of my form can be really embarrassing because of their rudeness... D:

Then outside of school when I'm going somewhere with people they don't watch what they're doing or think about the fact that they're not the only ones there. I'm also being patronised a lot more which is... annoying. :s-smilie:

Gah. I understand what you mean. :tongue:

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Also add to the list of annoyances people who never say 'please' or 'thank you' or who have not been taught to hold the door open when someone is directly behind you.

Also people who say 'move' instead of 'excuse me' are rude. I even get spoken to like this by students sometimes.
Reply 3
"Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”

Socrates
Reply 4
I think so. I didn't and still wouldn't answer back to my parents, or anyone else for that matter. Yet I've seen people who just seem to have zero respect for others and will just be so rude, answer back or swear at others and I just think to myself, how can people be like that towards others without even any reason sometimes?

Not even that though, some people seem to forget their please and thank yous which annoys me the most, it's a simple thing that'll take two seconds and mean a lot to whoever is on the receiving end and yet some people just can't be bothered to take a second to say it.
Original post by Autistic Merit
Also add to the list of annoyances people who never say 'please' or 'thank you' or who have not been taught to hold the door open when someone is directly behind you.

Also people who say 'move' instead of 'excuse me' are rude. I even get spoken to like this by students sometimes.


Yes! Especially young children. It drives me crazy! D: Where I'm working, when they don't say thank you, I just look at them before giving them their work and say- 'What do you say...?" :colonhash:

People say that to teachers? Wow. :lolwut:
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Reply 6
To add to the list: people who just go to the front of the queue. :mad:
Original post by llys
To add to the list: people who just go to the front of the queue. :mad:


Where does this happen?
Reply 8
nothing wrong with answering back to be honest depending on the situation

its the swearing in every sentence that gets me
Reply 9
Original post by Autistic Merit
Where does this happen?


Happened to me three times now in London. Once in a Prêt a Manger (when I complained she just sniggered - I really shouldn't have said anything...), once in a Santander branch (although there it was a failed attempt: one of the women working there was trying to get the two people in front of her in the queue to state their business in front of everyone to make them go outside to the ATM machine so she could push her client through to the counter - so unprofessional, and happily the ATM was not an option in either case, so she had to wait like everyone else, ha) and once in a supermarket.
Original post by sdotd
nothing wrong with answering back to be honest depending on the situation



In what situations would you deem it acceptable?
Yes some random idiot swore at me when he drove his car back so I spat on his back windscreen as he went past......the spotty lanky skinny c*** that he was drove sped up when I told him to get out and face me....I mean why provoke people in the first place I was minding my own business
Original post by neal95
Yes some random idiot swore at me when he drove his car back so I spat on his back windscreen as he went past......the spotty lanky skinny c*** that he was drove sped up when I told him to get out and face me....I mean why provoke people in the first place I was minding my own business


You are VERY hypocritical. :lolwut:

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Reply 13
Original post by Autistic Merit
In what situations would you deem it acceptable?


if for example you did nothing wrong and you are trying to explain that
Original post by Autistic Merit
Where does this happen?


Happened to me twice in train stations recently, on the one journey. My ticket wasn't letting me in the barrier so queue to speak to the people on them. Wait patiently whilst they deal with the person already there and when they look at me just as I start speaking older women just push in front with their tickets. Unbelievable. :unimpressed:
Original post by karmacrunch
You are VERY hypocritical. :lolwut:

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We'll I'm sorry but if someone deliberately targets me I'm not going to sit there like a mouse am I? I'm obviously going to retaliate, I'm not a pushover and neither should I be! You are also very judgmental and stereotypical
Reply 16
Why you gotta be so rood?

I'm a nice person :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:
Original post by Hydroxy
Age of entitlement.

Everyone is owed the world and can act however they feel comfortable rather than showing restraint. In their view, it's their fundamental human right. After all there is no law against being rude.


I think this sums it up, there's an entitlement culture amongst a lot of young people and a lot are very much 'me first'.

The general attitude is it's a free country so I'm gonna do what I want, say what I want, and if you don't like it that's your problem.

You see it a lot in university situations, some students will want to be noisy and when they want an all night party and blare music out then that's everyone else's problem, if other students complain they will say well you're at uni, what did you expect? If they are in a residential area and the neighbours who are local residents complain they will say well you chose to live in a student area didn't you? The concept of trying to respect other people won't occur to them, the default position is I am in the right and you're the one with the problem.

Same in situations of shared living, that shows a lot about peoples' character. Some live in a spirit of respecting each other but quite a fair proportion see shared living as maximising what they can get out and minimising what they put in, you know the type, leave mess everywhere but disappear when people are cleaning, always drop short of their contribution on the bills because they "can't afford it" or have some argument "well I was away 2 weekends of that quarter so I should have a reduction" or "just don't pay it lol don't give a forwarding address, they'll never find you".

And when it comes to exams if they come out with a 2:2 overall they will start cursing and screaming at the university, making special circumstances appeals, blaming the university for poor quality teaching and so on, despite the fact they've slacked around. It's all about me, me, I am entitled to live how I want and I should get what I want out of it.

I remember this being what put me off online dating the time I had a look at it out of curiosity wondering if I wanted to have a go at it: a lot of the womens' profiles were full of attitude like "well I am me, you have to deal with me for what I am, I won't change for nobody, if you can't handle that then jog along little boy", I would think pfft what a nightmare going on dates with someone like that...
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by neal95
We'll I'm sorry but if someone deliberately targets me I'm not going to sit there like a mouse am I? I'm obviously going to retaliate, I'm not a pushover and neither should I be! You are also very judgmental and stereotypical


Well of course not but spitting at someone and then calling them a really rude name isn't exactly polite either. Both actions were unnecessary. You're a hypocrite because you said 'some random idiot swore at me'... Then you swore at him.

I'm not judgmental, I'm telling you the truth. Why would I be stereotypical? That doesn't make sense here. :/

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Original post by Autistic Merit
Than, say, 20 years ago? I'm not just referring to young people, I'm referring to people of all ages. Limited to British society though as it's the only society I'm familiar with.


When I grew up, I knew that my mum would hit me with a stick if I was rude to her so I feared her and was too afraid to be rude. Of course it would now be illegal for a parent to do that. It is also now illegal for teachers to throw blackboard erasers at students who answer back. So, in my opinion, answering back is a lot more common now. I've seen people answer back to police before too! :mad:


Yes, people are far more rude due to being socially inept and unaware of what is socially acceptable.
The causes;
a) broken family homes - they have never actually seen or been raised in a normal or functional home.
b) texting and forums. People have been sheltered on forums by socially inept moderators who prevent rude people to be challenged, and texting has prevented people from learning social standards.


This is causing a major issue with hiring people for jobs as many students now fail interviews.

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