In the Age of Technology Americans today are passengers on an uncomfortably hot train who, for a variety of reasons, choose not to speak up and make a change. William F.
Buckley Jar. 's argument that our society has become passive towards activities going on around them and is too lazy to speak up, is supported by the fact that people today are often worried about what others think of them and are willing to go to extremes to avoid confrontation. However, with the expansion of the Internet world, many of those who are too afraid to voice their opinion in public have an outlet to complain behind the mask of a computer screen.In the essay "Why Don't We Complain," Buckley uses multiple personal anecdotes to show how our culture has slowly descended to a point where complaining is considered socially unacceptable. His first example of the passengers on the train who were uncomfortable with the temperature demonstrated the discomfort people have towards complaining because of the inconvenience it causes for others.
Another anecdote of the blurry movie theatre screen shows how many people have become to lazy to voice their opinion and Just simply wait for others around them to speak up first.Buckley explains that this lack of confidence or motivation to point out robbers around us have made our society more apathetic and settling as a whole. He also contributes this movement to the rise of technology In our society and a powerful government that often makes decisions for us. Our generation has been taught to do anything possible to avoid creating conflict. We are expected to remain quiet about what we think and simply blend In and go with the flow. Being outcast in social circles often punishes the idea of standing out and being your own individual.
This has been drilled into the brains of children through discipline and public education. Many parents teach their children to be successful of others and to not complain about problems around them. Know this to be true in my family. My mother and father raised me to be independent by leaning how to take problems Into my own hands and fix things myself Instead of complaining to others and expecting someone else to fix problem. This has led to me being very passive about the situations going on around me.I often will not speak up about a problem unless I know for sure that It has a direct Impact on me and there is something I can do to change it.
In public schools, students must obey the same rules, follow the same dress code, and not complain about the resources hey have been given. Judgment from other students often pressures children Into remaining quiet in class because they are afraid of being wrong or not having the right to say what they think. Many children, and teenagers especially, put in extra effort into fitting In with the popular crowds.These circumstances raise children into adults who are either not worried about changing problems around them or afraid of what others might think if they voice their opinion. Americans have created a reputation of laziness over the last decade and the lack of complaining has most defiantly contributed to this. In this country, we have complete freedom to do or say what we feel.
Freedom of speech is one of our most extent. They are too concerned about being polite or are worried that it is not their place to complain.In reality, there is absolutely nothing legally stopping someone from speaking up about what they feel or what they want to change. One example of this laziness is the anecdote about the blurry movie screen that no one wanted to mention too manager at the theatre. (Rosen, 61). We often expect the outspoken people around us to read our minds and have the same opinions as us and actually o something about a problem, when in fact, others are thinking the same thing.
Our society has become reluctant to voice their opinions because they are too lazy to say anything.On the other hand, many changes have occurred since Buckley wrote this essay in the sixties. Our technology has advanced much farther than anyone could have imagined and so have the problems associated with it. The internet is now accessible to almost anyone at anytime, spreading knowledge to everyone who wants it. With more knowledge comes more conflicts because of differences in opinions. However, the presence of computer screens allows for anonymity that creates a false confidence in people who would otherwise remain timid and reluctant.
On many websites, people use this confidence to harshly complain about every single moment of the day that caused them trouble. I have seen backbone pages for stores and companies that are covered in complaints about minor details or stories of how people were wronged and demand compensation for their pain and inconvenience. Political opinions are also a common subject for attacks. There is often no filter when it comes to the responses written by people about opinion stories or coverage of lattice candidates.
This is especially true during election years when the country is forced to take one side and prove the other wrong. Heated debates over the history and character of politicians take place and many times it seems that are willing to complain about the most insignificant details. Finally, shopping websites receive many critical complains for their products and their services. There is not a single store website that does not offer reviews on the merchandise online.Many times, frustrated customers will not hold back in any way their feelings towards a product if they feel they were ripped off or wronged. Customer service is one of the most criticized departments of a store.
Simple mistakes such as late delivery or a packaging mix up cause heated complaints on the review sites and can play a factor in the store's sales. Most likely, many of these people who are so critical and outspoken on the internet would be too afraid of what people would think of them if they said their comments in person.Another difference in today's society compared to when this essay was written is that many times, the complaints that are brought up, become very large conflicts that get a large amount of media attention and are loon out of proportion. With the recent advances in technology and such a large amount of the countries resources being used for media entertainment, it is easy for the people who have complaints about major issues to get their opinions heard by a large crowd.The use of the internet for news and information spreading also increases the range of people exposed to complaints.
This makes it seem that America has become a discontent and complaining society, when in actuality, we are not. Buckley had many great points for how our society is passive and lazy but his ND false confidence have allowed Americans to complain without being worried about offending others or not having the right to speak their opinions.However this does not mean that our society has learned to complain because many of these issues of confidence still continue today. Even more interesting is what the effect of future advances in technology will have on the next generations and how our society will complain.
