are we becoming too self-centered?

nice hat dude! said:

That word works better for me but that's only my opinion and it doesn't have any bearing on the subject anyways.How have you been?you sound a little more cheerful?

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Thanks for asking, you are consistently kind and not self-centered or self-absorbed. I still feel the same as far as being relatively alone (where I live) in my appreciation of the past, but I've been channeling my energy into creative and productive (I hope) ways which is helping.

PrettySquareGal said:

Thanks for asking, you are consistently kind and not self-centered or self-absorbed. I still feel the same as far as being relatively alone (where I live) in my appreciation of the past, but I've been channeling my energy into creative and productive (I hope) ways which is helping.

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It's a very simple philosophy I try to live by,life is to short to spend it worrying about what you have or don't cause you can't take it with you anyway and there are far more important issues to be worried about than always thinking about #1.Just remember to take time to smell the flowers on occasion instead of rushing through life.I'm glad to hear that things are on the upswing at least a bit.

nice hat dude! said:

It's a very simple philosophy I try to live by,life is to short to spend it worrying about what you have or don't cause you can't take it with you anyway and there are far more important issues to be worried about than always thinking about #1.Just remember to take time to smell the flowers on occasion instead of rushing through life.I'm glad to hear that things are on the upswing at least a bit.

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I love my life and have it good and have always been community-service oriented. Isolation and fleeting loneliness, especially when "different," is a normal part of the human experience. Thanks.

PrettySquareGal said:

I love my life and have it good and have always been community-service oriented. Isolation and fleeting loneliness, especially when "different," is a normal part of the human experience. Thanks.

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Yea when life throws lemons break out the tequila and make margaritas(haha)

I have seen this article on other sources and have to agree 100%. there's that old saying that a happy people are a stupid people, or "ignorance is bliss". It takes wisdom and intelligence to be able to truly assess ones worth, and most people today do not have time to do that, and are raised to believe they are all special and unique from birth. This is not true, we may all have talents and the like, but there are those of us born to do great things and those of us who are born for more mundane tasks. I don't consider myself in the former category, but i feel this is definitely a problem with a lot of college students- we are raised to believe that a BA means something, as it did 30 or 40 years ago, but it doesn't. It is not a job guarantee, and life and opportunity isn't going to lead anyone by the hand. Its entitlement, and its something i think the next few generations are going to learn to overcome.. the hard way as our living standard and general place in the world economy declines.

Maguire said:

I have seen this article on other sources and have to agree 100%. there's that old saying that a happy people are a stupid people, or "ignorance is bliss". It takes wisdom and intelligence to be able to truly assess ones worth, and most people today do not have time to do that, and are raised to believe they are all special and unique from birth. This is not true, we may all have talents and the like, but there are those of us born to do great things and those of us who are born for more mundane tasks. I don't consider myself in the former category, but i feel this is definitely a problem with a lot of college students- we are raised to believe that a BA means something, as it did 30 or 40 years ago, but it doesn't. It is not a job guarantee, and life and opportunity isn't going to lead anyone by the hand. Its entitlement, and its something i think the next few generations are going to learn to overcome.. the hard way as our living standard and general place in the world economy declines.

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Just to add Mr.Maguire with the population at least double that of 30-40 years ago this means more competition in everything ie;employment,schooling,sports ect this would possibly be another reason for your BA or PHD not to have the same clout it did years in the past?

nice hat dude! said:

Just to add Mr.Maguire with the population at least double that of 30-40 years ago this means more competition in everything ie;employment,schooling,sports ect this would possibly be another reason for your BA or PHD not to have the same clout it did years in the past?

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A BA or BS is the new High school diploma.

John in Covina said:

A BA or BS is the new High school diploma.

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John would you say more than likely due to more competition?

nice hat dude! said:

John would you say more than likely due to more competition?

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What about the fact that degrees can be earned online now?

PrettySquareGal said:

What about the fact that degrees can be earned online now?

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Which in my opinion just adds to the competition?

nice hat dude! said:

Which in my opinion just adds to the competition?

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Yes, but also many are not held to the same academic standards, mostly the for-profit colleges, some of which have faced lawsuits because of it.

PrettySquareGal said:

Yes, but also many are not held to the same academic standards, mostly the for-profit colleges, some of which have faced lawsuits because of it.

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But an employer just sees BA BS PHD and only if he's diligent will he look up from where obtained.Those letters look good on an employers dosier no matter what and as far as not being equal that's a job for the Minister Of Education?

nice hat dude! said:

But an employer just sees BA BS PHD and only if he's diligent will he look up from where obtained.Those letters look good on an employers dosier no matter what and as far as not being equal that's a job for the Minister Of Education?

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Thanks to the Internet, it's easy to be "diligent." HR routinely googlestalks applicants.

College is a business, we all know- and while there are more of us now than before, this generation is proportionally smaller than the ones preceeding it (the baby boomer generation) so what we should have is a lack of manpower. The fact is our education standards have seriously declined, and the expectation that "everyone goes to college" means the value of a college degree goes down. Its not always a nice thing to think, but not everyone belongs in college, some people are better suited elsewhere, and there is nothing wrong with that. If everyone was a nuclear physicist, we'd be an ultra intelligent society that was also on the verge of mass starvation with no functioning eletric power or plumbing.

And here in California the competition is compounded by the fact that this state is considered by many to be a desirable place to live which means that employers can afford to be more choosy. They even have a name for it: It's called The Sunshine Factor.

You're all seriously discussing online diplomas? I can't believe it! Nobody takes a degree from the University of Phoenix or Devry very seriously. It's more to prove that you are capable, not to prove that you're qualified as an expert in a particular area. And to respond to another poster's comment, you don't exactly have to be "diligent" to see where someone got their college diploma. It says right on there, usually on the top in huge letters!

I continually hear people lamenting how a college degree doesn't guarantee you a job like it used to, but I suppose I've grown up knowing that (I'm attending university presently and shall graduate in a little over a year) with my intelligence and a diploma too I can get a job, but that's no guarantee I'll be comfortably wealthy. To do that, you've got to come up with something, whether it's an invention or launching a business or making a wise investment, you've got to do more than just work and collect a salary. This is all straying from the topic though....so let me return.

To answer the original question requires a particular definition of "self-centered," a term which I think can be vague on its own. I see a VERY alarming trend away from individualism. No force is greater than the will of the individual, and if you look all around you it's easy to see all the great things - both art and technology - that humans have created. But as the population has gotten bigger, we've gotten exceedingly good at selling things to each other. Obviously, anyone selling something wants to sell to as many people as possible, so they design products and advertising campaigns that will make the product appear attractive to as many people as possible. Like they wisely observed in Mad Men, "advertising is based on one thing: happiness. And you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It's freedom from fear. It's a billboard on the side of the road that screams reassurance that whatever you are doing is okay. You are okay. " We've gotten so good at marketing that huge chunks of the population are lumped into single giant demographics, where everyone in that demographic is exactly the same. Individuality gets lost as nearly everybody suddenly has the same set of products. Dr Pepper's even got an ad about how everyone is different and unique, and it's a drink for all those people who are all different and unique. What happened to liking Dr Pepper just because it tastes good?

One of my favourite brands of all time is Jordan automobiles; their advertising was even better than their cars, constantly edgy and weaving in elements of risque adventurism. The sort of people who would like this stuff really loved it, and the sort who wouldn't didn't care for it at all. BUT THAT'S GOOD. I'd rather make a product that has 1000 fans who're absolutely enamoured of it - not to mention a product that I'm very proud of producing, too - than 100,000 people who feel so-so about it and that I am not personally enthusiastic about either. You can debate the economics of this, but I can sell the product to the thousand people for a lot more per unit because they're willing to pay more for it. It may not be the same gross profit I'd have made off the more popular but less-adored product, but I don't care: I'm in business to make money, but I don't value every last cent I can squeeze out above quality.

Southern Comfort's doing a similar campaign to Dr Pepper's wherein they are reinforcing the idea that their product is for individuals, it's for folks who march to the beat of their own drum. However it's much more daring than Dr Pepper's, which tries to include absolutely everybody and is anvilicious in doing so. SoCo, like Jordan, is out to attract those whom it wants, and it doesn't care if you don't like it. The lyrics to the song send the perfect message for people today, who I think frequently feel lost in the size of the world and have insecurity about not "fitting in" somehow: quit trying to be everyone else, and just be you.

[video=youtube;ygeWsoYYMuQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygeWsoYYMuQ[/video]

Maguire said:

College is a business, we all know- and while there are more of us now than before, this generation is proportionally smaller than the ones preceeding it (the baby boomer generation) so what we should have is a lack of manpower. The fact is our education standards have seriously declined, and the expectation that "everyone goes to college" means the value of a college degree goes down. Its not always a nice thing to think, but not everyone belongs in college, some people are better suited elsewhere, and there is nothing wrong with that. If everyone was a nuclear physicist, we'd be an ultra intelligent society that was also on the verge of mass starvation with no functioning eletric power or plumbing.

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Great post, Maguire. I agree that there is a serious decline in the quality of U.S. education. It is also unfortunate that there is such pressure to attend college at this point in time, more than ever. The mass proliferation of college degrees in this generation is decreasing the value of one, especially a bachelor degree. It is true that not everyone is meant for the college experience, even though that is not a pleasant thought. I am still trying to think about what sort of investment I am making by attending my university, or if I will lose more money through it than there is to gain from it.

I agree that as a whole, people are very self-centered, perhaps more so than years ago. It is the younger generation that I am especially worried for, as they are being brought up to possibly become worse than many of their parents in this regard. I would like to think that I am not so self-centered in general, although I will admit that I am from time to time, due to the imperfection of human nature.

Self centred?

MOI???

Are we becoming too self-centered? Depends on who "we" is, I suppose. If you mean "we" as Americans (and I realize that many members here are not American), I would have to say that "we" have been self-centered for a very long time. This question should have been asked 50 years ago.