Social Activity

This page is about how our social activities have changed, whether for the worse or for the better, over the years.

A helping-hand

When driving in the rain, in the olden days, if a person saw someone walking, they would offer them a lift, at least to the end of the road, and the other person would accept gratefully. Many times, the simplest way to reach a place was by "hitchhiking" - walking in the direction of the destination, with the thumb raised to indicate the need for a "lift". I have personally hitch-hiked across Australia from Melbourne to Perth and back, a distance of over 3400KM each way.
But now (a) the driver often won't stop for fear of being attacked and having their car stolen or worse; and (b) a person walking would assume - often correctly - that a driver has some evil intent in offering a ride. The term "Stranger-danger" was coined to refer to these types of events.

There are also many legal cases in recent years, where a person who tried to render help has been accused, either rightly or wrongly, of having caused the problem. A common example is when someone moves a person with a back injury, and causes spinal damage by doing so. This has resulted in "good Samaritan laws" in some countries, where a person rendering help is given immunity from prosecution related to the incident.

A more encouraging behaviour pattern has been the way in which people have united to bring comfort and happiness to those affected by natural disasters like fires and floods, or the corona virus, with many instances of selfless acts to help others, even as their own circumstances became dire. This has occurred in many countries, which I find very heart-warming!

May Day

On 1st May each year, May Day has for many years been, and is still celebrated in towns, schools and churches. It celebrates the end of winter in the northern hemisphere.

A wooden pole, usually about 3m tall is erected in an open area, and cloth ribbons of various colours dangled to the ground from the top of it. Children (and sometimes adults) each take hold of a ribbon and skip around the pole, singing the Maypole song. Alternate children go in opposite directions, weaving in and out. The ribbons form a pattern around the pole.

There is also a May Day parade in many towns, with all the children in their brightest clothes parading down the street. The effect on community spirit is very positive and real.

Foo was here

There was a very popular graffiti figure that stayed around for many years. It showed a half-face, usually looking over a fence, and was drawn on trains, fences - anywhere where there was a blank space, really! It was usually done in chalk, and disappeared in time, and was quite harmless.

In contrast, today there are graffiti "tags" and obscene messages done in paint or permanently scratched on windows. Some tags are quite artistic and very attractive and interesting.

Relationships

As a kid, it was a source of embarrassment to be seen to be friendly to someone of the opposite gender. Claims that you had been seen holding hands, or worse, kissing, were vehemently denied. These days, it seems to be not only condoned by kids and adults alike, but encouraged, no matter what age the kids.

Two people living together before marriage was once absolutely scandalous and warranted rejection from all social activities. But now, the "try before you buy" attitude is endemic and fast becoming the norm.

Same-sex marriages also, once considered a thing of the Devil, are now becoming accepted in many parts of the world. A same-sex couple, whether married or not, can now apply to adopt children into their family, and the children in these families have the same rights of inheritance etc. as those of "standard" families.

Child control

It was once considered normal and acceptable for a parent to give a child a smack when misbehaving; it told the child that their behaviour was not acceptable. Now, there is a risk that the parent would be reported and charged with assault.

I feel that parents should have the right and may need to do this on occasion. The flip side is that they should give positive re-inforcement for good behaviour. Of course, any punishment that causes ongoing pain or injury or humiliation is not acceptable.

There have been cases where a child caught smoking has been forced by the parent to smoke the whole pack of cigarettes. I would question their primary interest in the child's welfare. Pleasant interaction between parents and children is crucial for a stable family relationship.

The right to defend

Once upon a time, if a burglar broke into your home in the dead of night, you had a right to do whatever it took to defend your family and your property. If the intruder was hurt as a result, that was regarded as a result of their actions, and if caught they would face the court and be punished appropriately.
Now, it seems, if the criminal so much as cuts themself on the broken window glass, they can sue the owner for liability for the injuries received.

Recently, a burglar fell through a skylight, severely injuring himself while attempting to steal property from a building. He sued the owner of the skylight for $8 million but settled for "only" $260,000 plus $1200 per month for life.

But more recently, a man was on trial in Melbourne for the murder of a would-be robber. Two days before his body was found, the robber visited a factory armed with a sawn-off shotgun.
The jury was told he confronted a factory worker, and demanded to know where the drugs and the money were. The worker said he thought it was a practical joke, but he took him to an upstairs office and showed him some tubes containing drugs. The robber hit him with the butt of his gun and stomped on him, shouting that he knew there was more. He then put down the gun and picked up a heavy statue, and walked towards the worker, intending to hit him with it. The worker jumped up, knocking the robber off balance and causing the statue to fall on him. He then grabbed the gun and repeatedly struck the robber in the head, shoulders and neck with it. Then he wrapped the robber in thick black plastic and put him inside a two-metre long metal pipe used for air conditioning ducts. He was later found dead inside the pipe.
The defence lawyer told the jury the worker had the right to defend himself as a gun was pointed at him. He said the defendant did not have "any murderous intent". Hmm...

But... What legally qualifies as self-defence when intruders enter your property was recently at the centre of a case in Australia, where the jury found a man not guilty of unlawfully causing serious harm to an intruder in his house after he shot the intruder in the leg.
Prosecutors claimed his actions had not been in self-defence, but his lawyers successfully contested this, saying that the law did allow for "reasonable and proportionate response" to be considered self-defence.

Obviously, there are limits to which one may reasonably go to defend; Actions beyond this limit may be considered a criminal act.

Authority

Years ago, in a management course, I was taught that "Authority and responsibility must be co-terminous, co-equal and defined". This rule appears to be in question now, in many areas of our lives.

If a child was riding their bike on the footpath and an adult said "you should be riding on the road; you may run into somebody", they would blush sheepishly, maybe say "sorry", and move to the edge of the road.
Now, very often (but not always, thankfully) the adult would receive a mouthful of abuse and the child would continue on their merry way.
The same lack of respect is shown towards teachers, police and others.
The problem continues to be compounded by new laws that remove virtually all rights of control over the actions of others.

While shopping recently there were four or five boys with bikes at the shopping centre. They stopped at a shop and dropped their bikes on the footpath outside.
As I approached I said "Someone could trip over your bikes, how about leaving them over against the wall over there?" The response I got is not printable, but in summary, they were not going to do what some old guy wanted them to do.

Responsibility

If a person was walking though a park and tripped over a fallen branch, they'd say something like, "Ouch! I'd better watch where I'm going or I'll hurt myself."
Now, they'd go home, ring up their solicitor and arrange to sue the local council for a million dollars for the trauma, loss of mobility and loss of income.

A swimmer successfully sued the local council for negligence after he jumped into the waves at Bondi beach and became a quadriplegic after striking a sandbank.

And, more recently... In a decision in Queensland this week, a Supreme Court Justice ruled that a tourist would receive 85 per cent of any damages awarded against the Government. He suffered a C6 vertebral bone fracture with spinal cord damage when he ran down a sand dune, tripped and fell into the water at Lake Wabby.

There are instances every day of people suing for damages etc for events that were either caused by their actions or could not have been anticipated by the sued person.

Your View

Do you think we've improved our social life over the years, or have we gone backwards? Please feel free to use the Comment section below to give your view.