ThirstyFish

"...All the things I'm pissed off about". That's how many youth and young college gradates feel.

Once upon a time, our parents, our religion, our schools and society in general taught us to abide by the rules, be honest, don't lie, and work hard to get ahead in life. "Nothing can stop you, if you follow these" they said, and they for the most part believed it. I'm not sure anyone truly believes that any longer.

It seems those who break all the rules, rig the game, lie, and abuse their advantage are having their heyday - of course, so long as they do not get caught. The new (un)ethical ideology has become "don't get caught". In a twist of irony, those who played by the rules are finding themselves left behind, and seeking the "understanding" and "compassion" of those who cheated to get ahead. Nada. It's never going to happen, they are never going to show empathy - after all, they got there because they were "both tough and compliant" while everyone else was "naive".

It was never perfect in the past, but I'm not so sure that social decay was ever this bad. Will we reverse course and go back to our values, and reward - rather than punish - those who play by the rules and work hard, I don't know.

Professor Noam Chomsky illustrates this decay in a lecture titled "How to ruin an economy; Some simple steps".