Quoting from 13:03, 7th Dec 2005
No more of these "moral decline" arguments? Why not? Doesn't moral decline exist?
An increase in casual sex. Lax attitudes towards said sex. Rises in abortion. Ridiculous limits on points at which babies can be aborted. The increasing prevalence of pornography which encourages abuse of minors and exploitation of women. The shocking sexualisation of young girls. Decreased respect for human life. Increased acceptance of euthanasia. Rises in hate crimes, rape, murder, gun crimes, knife crimes, arson, physical violence, drunk and disorderly behaviour. Cities and countries pushing to legalise prostitution. Student-focused promotions/nights/events which positively encourage one-night stands. Cutthroat capitalistic practices. The growing divide between rich and poor. Mercenary business techniques. Increases in bullying at schools, in the workplace, and in the home. More internet scams, identity theft, drug and people trafficking, tax evasion, benefit cheats, sex scandals and consumerism than ever before.
Note I'm not addressing sex specifically here. All I want to address here is the implication that social morality isn't in decline. You can't say that the items mentioned above aren't based on morality on some level. So don't imply that this society isn't careering towards moral bankruptcy.
I think that one needs to address each of your points on their individual merit before rebutting the argument of a decline in social morality (and whether it exists).
1. "An increase in casual sex. Lax attitudes towards said sex. "
I like sex in a casual manner. I have never physically harmed anyone by it. I have never caused irrevocable emotional damage by it. By not caring about the supposed "moral implications" I have not caused harm to my self or other people. It is certainly true that people can become emotional about it but they can become emotional about anything and ant the end of the day doesn't it suck to be unfeeling? That may be just me.
2. "Rises in abortion. Ridiculous limits on points at which babies can be aborted."
This is a terrible simplification of an incredibly complex issue. It is certainly a point of opinion and not concrete fact that this is causing moral decay.
3. " The increasing prevalence of pornography which encourages abuse of minors and exploitation of women. The shocking sexualization of young girls."
By law people appearing in pornographic films or posing in picture must be consenting adults. If one were to say that they pornographers get away with using minors anyway that is an issue of enforcement and not the morals of a society. And like I said before they are consenting adults not exploited children. Also there are quite a few men in pornographic films. Are they being exploited? How exactly would that directly lead to the abuse of children? Before you go after pornography you would probably first have to go after parents who spank their children. On the issue of sexualized young girls such is the style of the time. Would you rather a girl wears what she feels to be comfortable that she likes to wear or would her.
4. "Decreased respect for human life. Increased acceptance of euthanasia."
If you are talking about general war, killing, and capitol punishment I would agree with you there. Not that it shows moral decay but that those are all bad things. On the issue of euthanasia that is another complex subject which has just been relegated a sentence. If somebody is in so much pain that they do not want to live anymore and there is no medical way to dull it why is it a bad thing?
5. "Rises in hate crimes, rape, murder, gun crimes, knife crimes, arson, physical violence, drunk and disorderly behavior."
If you think hate crimes are bad now you should have been in the souther US in the 40's and 50's or in Nazi Germany. As for other things I would agree that they are all bad. Are you sure that they are on the rise though? It would be interesting to see figures on that. At any rate I think there is once again there is a difference between social acceptance and enforcement measures.
6. "Cities and countries pushing to legalize prostitution."
Why not? once you legalize something you can control it. That way health standards can be enforced and everyone is better off in the end. Certainly the idea of being forced into prostitution is bad whether it be by force of personal circumstance. But that is more an issue of enforcement and economics. If somebody finds it to be a lucrative profession who are they hurting? Don't say the family of some guy who uses them because it is he who is hurting his family, not the prostitute.
7. " Student-focused promotions/nights/events which positively encourage one-night stands."
Once again why not? I have had one night stands before where my self and the woman in question both come out of the experience satisfied with the outcome. It is true that they can go wrong as well on an emotional level but how is that the fault of the promotion?
8. " Cutthroat capitalistic practices. The growing divide between rich and poor. Mercenary business techniques."
I will agree with you there. There are some business practices that need to be stopped which do not benefit society as a whole. Those along with other factors have led to a growing divide between the rich and the poor. that said things aren't nearly as bad as they were a century ago.
9. " Increases in bullying at schools, in the workplace, and in the home. More internet scams, identity theft, drug and people trafficking, tax evasion, benefit cheats, sex scandals and consumerism than ever before."
These are all enforcement issues and not social ones. That said sex scandals are a lot over nothing. There is no reason why anyone else should get worked up about somebody's private life beyond mild amusement. It is certainly no reason to get angry at somebody else unless you are one of the parties involved. I suppose though that you could put blame on people who expose and exploit such things.
All in all I agree with some of your points but the vast majority seem to be motivated by a Judeo-Christian mindset. I would argue that most of the things you describe are bad according to your morals but not to other peoples morels. Also a lot of the things you describe have either been going on for a while or are in the decline. If wee are all going to hell in a hand basket so are countless generation before us (and probably in much larger numbers). Also what does all of that have to do with same sex couples getting legal recoognition of their relationship like a straight couple would?