Are we more cynical.....

[Ping898]

I will admit, by many standards I am still a youngin' and do not have that many years of experience to draw from, but I have to wonder are we as a society becoming a more cynical people than 10 or 20 years ago.

I drove by a gas station the other day and the cost of gas was $2.87, a good 10 cents cheaper than the cheap place and my first thought was SWEEEEET, but my second thought was, "I wonder if they are watering it down or advertising 2.87/gal but it is really 85 octane not 87 octane that is that price"

I freaked out this lady today at Target, she was visibly struggling with her purchases, I offered to help, she said yes, and as I started helping, she I think noticed what I was wearing, shorts and a blue Snoopy t-shirt (not standard Target wear) and asked if I worked at Target, I said no and just kept helping. Well I think I freaked her out and she said I didn't need to help, I told her it was no problem and she basically dismissed me even before I had pulled the cart to a stop at her car (she did say thank you). And though personally I found the whole thing hillarious, I am sure that she was thinking I was some sort of deranged person who was going to hurt her or try and steal her stuff.

Is this the society we have become, that we assume everything and everyone must not taken at face value?

 

[BrandiJo]

id have to say yes, my mom was telling me of when she was prg with my she ran out of gas and was trying to push her car to a side streat sot hat she could get walk to a gas station but not block traffic and a man aparched her and offerd to help push while she sat and steared... and that was totaly ok. My car died last year anda when i called my mom to see what i should do and what not she orderd me to stay in my car and roll up the windows and lock the doors and that she would be there with my dad wtih in 10 mins. Warning me unless it is a police officer do not role my window down or unlock my door. We live in a good city i have never felt uneasy anywhere but i would be a bit leary taking help from anyone now
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[MA-Caver]

Dunno about anyone else and thus speaking only for me and my experiences... I probably am more cynical than I should be. While I love looking on the bright side of things... sometimes life's experiences (and the reading/hearing of experiences of others) one just becomes cynical or at least acquires it in dribs and drabs.
Cynicism thankfully is an chosen/voluntary perspective/mood/thought/outlook.

I thought the lady's reaction to Ping's wanting to help just for the sake of wanting to help was pretty sad and a sad commentary on how a portion of our society views the other portions.
I will want to help just for helping. No expectations of a reward or anything like that... perhaps a simple and sincere "thank you" would be nice (courtesy returned) but that's all. I've done it on numerous occasions.
I'll give myself a quiet pat on the back and go on doing what-ever it was that I was enroute to do.

 

[Andrew Green]

Hard to say, I think that at a minimum where it is directed has definately shifted. That people don't trust others is definately a sad thing.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

The optimist believes we live in the best of all possible worlds, and the pessimist is afraid the optimist is right.