is the rapaciosness of the current economic system behind the disintegration of peoples moral character?
957405
The corporate mentality is that anything is ok that reaps a profit. There is no morality at the upper levels of corporate existance. Those in the upper levels expect their subordinates to conform to the corporate ethic to the exclusion of all else. So, yes. The corporate mind in MOST corporations is contributing to the downfall of morality worldwide.
788967
It has become a less moral nation after 6 years of Republican rule.
473387
When people stop caring about their communities and their neighbors you can't expect the values to remain in tact.  The values today compared to those of only a few decades ago are atrocious to say the least.  When disaster strikes most are in to reep the rewards and then they sit behind their closed doors incapable of helping their own neighbors out of selfishness and lack of individual morals.  It isn't until something happens in "their family" does it play of any importance to their daily lives or how they view others.  \n\nWhen people stopped standing up for themselves and their homes they stopped doing for themselves and their families by placing the moral majority in charge of their decisions.  Bring back the morals and pride citizens once felt and you have the values that are needed for the country to stand alone on.
1034216
Well, it seems that part of the morality of people could be attributed to what is beneficial to the species, what will keep us going.  Kind of  a pack mentality. But what is beneficial for the species isn't always conducive to harmonious sharing of the planet.  That's where what we teach our children comes in, how to live and function as a part of society.  Morals could be seen as the grease that helps us slide through life without any major snags, like prison, being ostracized, or a painful, lonely existence.
689448
The adjective form of "corrupt" is just that, "corrupt." Maybe the world is corrupt because of grammatically incorrect people like you. \n\nJust kidding... But I still don't agree with your sentiment. People like you (hint: Karl Marx) talked about a Utopia, where everyone "got along" - they were COMMUNISTS, for God's sake!\nMy point is that in practice, this Utopian society doesn't work. People are by nature self-serving and corrupt at times, and the best society is one that takes that into account - Capitalism, for instance. We all want to work for our own wages and do our own thing, but no man is an island, and we all need each other to survive. We just don't, for the most part, WANT each other. \n\nYou're right - the world will never be perfect - and I hope it never is. Be happy with it the way it is. Who knows - in a couple years, we could destroy ourselves with the nuclear bomb, and then there'll BE no world to call corrupt and greedy. I'm not telling you to be happy with the status quo and never think about revolution, but understand that perfection is unattainable and probably undesirable.
49946
I see very little outside of the United States, so I will limit my remarks to my country.  Our culture has become very diverse.  As a consequence, there seems to be a wider span of beliefs and thoughts about the proper and socially acceptable behavior.\nOn one hand are those who are steeped in traditional moral value, but have been lead to believe that military action in the middle east is acceptable behavior.  On the other hand are the rising minorities who are coming to the realization that the “American Dream” may remain just a dream for them.\nToo far?  We, as a society, are too divided to solve our own problems.  We are rapidly building walls between ourselves and each other as well as the rest of the world.  We seem to have forgotten tolerance in favor of getting “in each other’s face.”  The seeds that we sow now shall be reaped at some future time, perhaps when our national debt is owed to the rest of the world.
321841
Criminals have one thing going for them: They know how to gain ones trust. This skill helps them the achieve their ultimate goal. That is why I believe a bit of skepticism when you meet people for the first time is OK. I don't think social morals are dying out, rather, they are changing. Although I don't think that murder and theft will ever be accepted in the literal sense, people have changed their ideas about right and wrong, and to the extent of which what is right and wrong measures. An example of this could be music and piracy laws (stealing), and murdering while depressed, etc. (my thought is murder is murder, and depression should not be used as an excuse, but I was brought up in old school beliefs). You can expect a lot of things to change. In 50 years, someone else is going to be asking the exact same question.
250776
i don't think human beings are a rational social partner. our economy is at the pinnacle and yet a simple subject as race is still every ones fear
426951
most economic/political systems can be successful models if followed to their definitions, but the fact is humans follow them thus they change and evolve into something else casted by human natural greed and evil, soviet union fell down though it was a communist system, china now has product of all sorts being sold all over the world from silly toys to electronics to cars u name it, any growing power has to be hated by other powers since it becomes a potential economic threat (if not consist other forms of threats as well)\n\nthis is the way i see it from the outside, takes someone living inside china to tell u how it works from the inside regarding how people feel and stuff, me i never been there, but i know one thing, i admire chinese culture in the sense that they originated a lot of good things (martial arts,homeopathic medicines and chinese food-yum)
813936
It's legal here in Canada and not much has changed so far.  But we're so wrapped up in looking at immediate oucomes and quick fixes that we fail to see the long term effects of our actions.  I think it's unfortunate how far we keep stretching our moral boundaries.  In fact, we dont really have any unified sense of morality anymore.. which IMO, is very scary.
1141513
It's not only reasonable, it's necessary.  Like all good things, capitalism becomes detrimental when taken to extremes.  Specifically, a completely unfettered market inevitably tends toward a concentration of economic and political power into the hands of fewer and fewer people, until the system becomes undemocratic and oppressive.
666757
Depends on your idea of morality. Our society is certainly more tolerant about matters like sex outside of marriage and homosexuality. And our commitment to some ideals of economic justice has definitely diminished. But we have become much less tolerant of domestic violence, drunk driving, and racial discrimination. The lists could go on and on and on. Like in every other age and time, some things get 'better' while some get 'worse'.
110717
there is some amount of guilt involved.  Today's rich countries have become so by the rape and plundering of poorer nations.
724321
It's partly true, our most base instincts can lead us to perversion and even murder, as in 'The Lord of the Flies'.\nBut Freedom is essential because our leaders like G W Bush who would take away our freedoms from us are also sinners, and restricting the freedoms of the masses does not do away with those freedoms, but gives them to the Leader. Decisions are still made, but as more power is invested in fewer people we see historically and currently an increase in the perversity of the leaders. \nTake for instance sexual perversion in the Republican Party of the USA and the Sadism of Bush and his troops. Only by spreading freedom and therefore power out as broadly as possible among all people can those who would lead us into perversion, violence and corruption be kept in check.
1018748
I agree that there is too much of we're the bad guys syndrome going on in America. Compared to most countries outside the western world not only are we more economically well off, but have freedoms the majority of the world only dreams of. I hope that we can once again gain a sense of pride in not only who we are, but what we have achieved. In psychology not only can we project on the world, but also project upon ourselves. Let's try projecting something positive for a change.
168699
we, as a species, put aside our social quirks & paranoias and base our thoughts on rationality, inteligence & common sense. this way the propoganda (ie: sex in advertising & art(books,movies,tv) which is designed to keep the lower 90% of humans rutting to insure a bigger taxable base & soldiers for the wars.) and social sects cant take root in our psyche. next is drafting a system that would allow a 'free' country/republic to exist impartial to any group. then money, an economy that would stabilize (bolster at first) failing economies until all are based on actual wealth rather than variables(stock markets, interest rates, inflations,projected(assumed) quarterly production/value). this would cause money to be worth something. then, everyone has actual wealth & is able to buy, sell & employ, creating more wealth spread over a wider base. intresest rates & inflation would disappear making the money stronger. \nthen we can work on the social issues; religion, mental segregation(music,location, attire,race,orgin, affiliation), class (social ladders, economic(poor,middle,rich), ect
170037
Communism:\nPROs:  Proclaims equal distribution of goods amongst all men\nCONs:  Humanity---men will become lazy if they do not have to work for things and the redistribution of goods is pu in the hand of a governemnt that will inevitably become corrupt.\n\nFascism:\nPros:  An absolute authority with far-sweeping powers and control of most major arenas of commerce can bring a nation back to its feet and keep an economy rolling along smoothly.\nCons:  Humanity--as George Orwell said:  Absolute power corrupts absolutely.\nCapitalism:\nPros:  Minimal governemnt intrusion into the public arena.  Businesses can operate freely and, theoretically, people are more mobile in the social hierarchy.\nCons:  Humanity---in the above two instances it was the corruption of the governemnt, but now it is the corruption and possible cold-heartedness of the capitalists.  It basically becomes a second feudalism where fieifs are granted based on money and the serfs can do little to escape their status.