The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsWhat do you find is most lacking in this society?
Civility? Compassion? Common sense? Awareness (or whatever is the opposite of ignorance)? Of course there are many other possibilities, probably as many as there are DUers.
What's most lacking?
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)and grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches like Elvis & his posse enjoyed.
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)It seems like folks are less and less smart everyday.
TheMightyFavog
(13,770 posts)Easy.
Compassion and empathy on every ones part will go a looooong way to solving our problems.
Macoy
cyberswede
(26,117 posts)I agree completely. I also feel that compassion and empathy can prevent some of the other problems we have, such as incivility, selfishness, Republicans, etc.
woo me with science
(32,139 posts)We are so deep in the corporate matrix from birth that, as a society, we cannot see any other way of being.
OneGrassRoot
(22,917 posts)Earlier in GD I posted a link to a blog post dealing with the lack of empathy and compassion, especially on the part of conservatives who bemoan any safety net:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002968054
It's really hard to make compassion and empathy sexy and encourage discussion.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)People are too self-involved to be bothered to care for others.
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)"Ideally, a liberal education produces persons who are open-minded and free from provincialism, dogma, preconception, and ideology; conscious of their opinions and judgments; reflective of their actions; and aware of their place in the social and natural worlds."[3] Liberally educated people are skeptical of their own traditions; they are trained to think for themselves rather than defer to authority.[4]"
From wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_education
IMO, the emphasis on education for a specific career path has produced a less educated population. This is particularly noticeable out here in redneck-land where Faux, blech, and rushbo are the main sources of information and people are too uninformed to vote for their own economic interests.
loli phabay
(5,580 posts)OneGrassRoot
(22,917 posts)no one really wants to listen.
Let's Be Honest. What if...
loli phabay
(5,580 posts)And the wiki and google were everyone becomes an expert.
OneGrassRoot
(22,917 posts)Rambis
(7,774 posts)God damn rethug pricks lack it
ancianita
(35,812 posts)justice and law enforcement that are equally applied across socioeconomic classes is missing. I attribute this to the inertia that comes from a secret belief that the rich can play by a separate of rules that come with the rule of money.
HopeHoops
(47,675 posts)HappyMe
(20,277 posts)Sorely lacking these days.
Baitball Blogger
(46,570 posts)RedStateLiberal
(1,374 posts)Apathy sucks! Most people care more about what celebrity is banging who or how their sports team is doing or their own personal dramas. They need to pay attention to what REALLY affects their lives. Hardly anyone pays close attention to politics these days. Perhaps because it's so uncivil and divisive.
Duer 157099
(17,742 posts)And good working senses of humor (except at DU where we have at least one of those)
raccoon
(31,088 posts)Seriously, sense of community, feeling of "we're all in this together".
Also, all the things you said.
graywarrior
(59,440 posts)Wait Wut
(8,492 posts)No, that's not my answer. We have more than enough poop in society. I just wandered into the Lounge to find a thread to cheer me up and yours is the first one I saw.
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Now, my answer: Everything you mentioned along with humility. I'm going through some shit where someone I love has lost his ability to feel any of these things. Shit is tough for him, so I'm being as patient as possible. But, it has made me more keenly aware of how selfish society has become.
BUT...it's not fatal. I notice the kind acts more, appreciate the beauty of people when it shines, and cry when I see strangers reach out to help. Maybe that's our lesson. We need to work harder not only to see the good, but to point it out to those who see only the bad. One...person...at...a...time.
K. Now I'm off to find a thread with kitties or poop or sumthin'.
TheCruces
(224 posts)Tuesday Afternoon
(56,912 posts)All the qualities that make people pleasing would coincidentally make them attractive, I think.