@mattsheffield@mastodon.social
2026-09-10 22:20 UTC
Cultural decline narratives are so easy to believe because the past is a story whose ending has been spoiled. The present is one that hasn't even ended.
People have complained about "kids these days" forever. Today's "get off my lawn" people are yesterday's youthful degenerates.
This paper illustrates the phenomenon very well with an opening quote that seems written by a crotchety reactionary from today. But no, it was written by the Roman historian Livy:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06137-x
Replies (1)
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@mattsheffield@mastodon.social 2026-09-10 22:40
None of this means that culture can't change over time, but it ought to give great pause to us whenever we're tempted to think things are uniquely horrible in our present day. The world has always been filled with people who made reactionaries uncomfortable. Take joy in being one today. And help people instead of complaining about them.