A Darwinian theory of bad behaviour

Many people lament what they see as the breakdown of good manners and discipline, especially in the young of a society. They complain that “in our day we respected our parents, and if we gave them any lip, we’d get a clip round the ear”. Now I suspect that this kind of thing has been said for generations and may be a result of many peoples’ aversion to change, especially when they are not the progenitors of said change. But it seems, with even a cursory glance at history, that over the past few decades, things have got worse at an almost exponential rate. One could say this about many of the excesses of the 20th century, but I don’t want to stray off topic.

My theory is simply this: It is no longer necessary for survival to pay attention to your elders.

In the Western developed world, we live in a society of comfort and ease. There are many support systems within a nation that remove, or significantly reduce, the spectre of terminal misfortune. The law protects workers (allegedly) from the most obvious predations of the ruling classes and the employers. Modern healthcare, while not always free, protects people from the common fatal ailments of yesteryear. We are better fed, better protected from the elements, and our working lives are less taxing physically. We have more knowledge available to us and can be potentially aware of all the hazards that may confront us during our lives. I am of course talking from a general species point of view; obviously there are exceptions.

However, just as the phrase “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is quite true, it is obvious that there has to be a flip-side, i.e. “What doesn’t challenge you makes you weaker”. Stronger and weaker here apply to the species, not the individual. Without potentially life-threatening challenges, there is no reason to listen to instructions, guidance and experience, and indeed a reduced incentive to spend time instructing and guiding, because the challenges faced in a modern industrialised society just aren’t that threatening any more. Life is too easy.

Another factor is the density and physical connectedness of populations. With so many peers around a child, the major influence on its behaviour starts to shift to the peer group and away from the parents. Parents cannot compete with the intensity of this influence, and are quite often wrapped up in the business of keeping hearth and home paid for, while trying to achieve advancement and success. The one or two hours a day parents spend interacting with their children doesn’t compare with the eight to ten hours a day they spend interacting with their much more numerous peers.

Young people no longer learn how to listen and receive instructions and guidance. By this I mean the (usually) ‘right’ instructions and guidance from people who care about their welfare and wish to see them thrive. The ‘right’ instructions and guidance refer to the prevailing societal norms, not any absolute measure of right or wrong. They are being bombarded every day by “instructions” and “guidance” in the form of specially crafted advertising, pop-culture, style icons, celebrities and the like. But while this information tells them what they can and should have, it doesn’t really tell them how to get it, or how to feel about what they’ve got. There is no guidance about humility, patience, caring for those less fortunate, respect for others, compromise, temperance, commitment, sharing, co-operation or many of the other skills and attitudes that help a society function smoothly.

With no real survival penalties because of this lack there is no need to learn from one’s elders how to behave. In consequence, the ‘right’ behavioural messages are not going to be passed on to the next generation, as well as them also being bombarded with the same types of messages as before, but in a more advanced and sophisticated way. Coupled with this is an advancing technology and more support systems making life yet easier for people, taking away the risks that keep you on your toes and provide the incentives to co-operate and be nice to each other.

Caveat: The above is entirely my opinion based on observation and experience and is supported by no scientific or empirical data.