Unless you turn off all electronics, it’s just about impossible to avoid videos of fights, arguments, or public freak outs. Is our society getting more violent or are we just more aware of what’s going on due to cell phone cameras and social media?
My vote is more aware.
My vote as well.
I see a lot of freak-outs online but no uptick of incidents I’ve personally observed.
I think people are actually (generally speaking) better behaved in public now than 20 or 30 years ago. I feel like I see a lot fewer incidents in person than I used to.
I don’t know about you, but I’m less likely to frequent places where public altercations occur than I was 20-30 years ago.
Well, that, too.
And there some “altercations” that are hyperviolent - we may be getting a slight uptick in those, but it’s hard to say because the really awful ones get such attention that it might be skewing my (our) perceptions.
I read online ( so it’s probably BS ) that there is/are/were groups that train people to cause those anti-mask incidents to harass employees at restaurants and stores.
To be fair, they do seem to have a formula: The Mouth (who screams out the dogma), the Cameraman (who films it and says “don’t touch me” when the staff are three feet away from him), the Security Thug (all pumped up and ready to pounce like some ex-cop on Steroids) … all engaging some poor minimum wage restaurant worker or store worker.
That said, the person who wrote that there were groups who trained them conveniently left out the name of the “who” the “they” were… a sure sign of BS.
While I sort of doubt the above on a certain level, my experience working in retail over the past year leads me to suspect that there are some people engage in worker/customer harassment over masks and social distancing for the “fun” of it. Yeah, it’s always fun… for the bully. Not so much for the people around him.
Exactly. There was ‘just enough truth’ to make a conspiracy theory.
Also, yes… people who take time out of their day to do that are Aholes & Bullies.
On the one hand, I would say most of it is just the ubiquity of cameras meaning no incident goes unrecorded. At least not the incidents that last more than a few seconds.
But on the other hand, among agencies that collect such stats, they are claiming a massive spike, particularly since covid. For example, the FAA has registered an increase of 700% of unruly passenger cases significant enough to require further investigation.
That that would pass for fun in somebody’s empty life is depressing.
We are more aware due to more recordings.
AND in some cases, that very awareness is giving some of our less stable cast members ideas.
We were discussing this at the office the other day.
A little over 20 years ago, in the aftermath of 9/11, the general vibe was that anyone trying to act up assholically in mid-air would have the 6 rows immediately fore and aft of them stomping vigorously on their soft tissues until final approach to the diversion airport.
Today, it’s like “meh, let’s take a video of this dude trying to strangle the purser”. Not really an improvement.
Sorry but I disagree.
I hadn’t watched videos of these incidents until now since looking at that FAA data.
And, ISTM, that in the vast majority of videos the whole plane is united in telling the trouble-maker to STFU.
Now, it’s true that no-one tackles the drunk / jerk / Karen, but I think that’s because of 9/11, not in spite of it. The repercussions for causing trouble on a plane are virtually unbounded, and getting involved in a push and shove could see you being lumped in as one of them.
Personally, about the only things that could get me to physically intervene were if a guy was literally beating up a woman or child or trying to commit a serious sexual assault. Any less than that, and I would just alert the cabin crew and leave it at that. (if the cabin crew asked me for help, then it’s on for sure though)
My bar is much lower for everyday life of course, but post-911 flying is a special animal.
I think more aware but I also think there are those that manufacture freakout just to be internet famous. Not only, “Hey watch me freak out.” but also others. I just saw one where the woman harassed her Uber driver then refused to get out of the car just so she could start filming when he lost his shit.