Why is there so much "attitude" in America today?

Question

Example: I read an article in the paper today about Paul McCartney's song "When I'm 64." The critic had nothing to say about the song itself, but just proceeded to make ad hominem attacks against him. It seems that, generally, people don't criticize the substance of whatever it is, i.e., song, play, movie, etc., but just make snide remarks about the artist personally. It's like that in politics, as well. No substance and all attitude...what's up with that?

We have it so good in this country compared to others...why is there anger?

Answer 1

It's been building since the 1980s. People have been told for years and years now that "thinking is bad, nerdy, geeky" and that "you don't have to care--in fact caring makes you WEAK" by the media and the powers that be politically and socially.

Too much of our culture is hostile towards even folks who know how to write and type complete sentences even...folks would rather be inundated with that bizzarro-world SMS cell-phone babble. Yes, I've been dissed for the heinous crime of using whole words, nouns and verbs even...*lol*....

Ever since Reagan showed up and ever since politics has been about That Mass Media Browbeat, where doing what the media tells you is the only option, people have been getting more and more *hateful*.

Not just angry, which comes and goes, but *hateful*, meaning they have anger they can't DO something about. Anger at the failure of Rule of Law as regards illegal Immigration, anger at having to work at Wal-Mart because their *good* job was outsourced to some rag-head in Dubai who wants us all *dead* in his spare cycles as a Hobby, angry because elections just don't *work* anymore, they are always bought out, angry because their phones are tapped, angry because we *lost a whole damn city* and aren't allowed to care without being ridiculed, angry because we can't give a homeless guy a *damn sandwich* without being fined and arrested, angry because some work and others don't, angry because ALL who don't work are treated like the WORST members of the bunch (in spite of many Poor and Problem Citizens having *legitimate* problems mind you, that the broader society can't be bothered to spend money on), angry because *every* last penny going to the third world that Hates Us So seems to come *DIRECTLY* out of ordinary citizen's pockets, while the Top One Percenters, your CEOs and your HMOs and Evangelical Flock Leaders *always* make a killing whether they earned it or not, courtesy of that old "Greed is Good" style mugging that's only been allowed to go on for 26 YEARS and counting....

Get the Picture, or shall I go on? Am I angry? Yes, I sacrificed my whole childhood, teen years, credit rating, sanity and bodily health to get myself a Bachelor's Degree, get educated, and try to work for a living...only to have people backstab me out of every fair chance I had...

But I am not really attacking anyone, I am merely calling facts as I see them. To the parties named (and to Yahoo, by extension): Would it hurt if there weren't any truth to what I say?

Answer 2

Excellent observation! It gets a bit disgusting, right? I think it's because people feel such a need to prove themselves & end up showing their asses.
People are people..we're all in this together, what is the point of tearing one another down in the process?

Answer 3

September 11, 2001 brought the morons out of hiding.

Everyone thinks their opinions matter.

Answer 4

I think that if you look hard enough you'll see that America has ALWAYS had ATTITUDE and it's been going on since the dawn of time. All you have to have, really, is ONE person with an OPINION........

Answer 5

People are angry...