[Aver-aging]

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Maybe i'm just an old timer, but have you guys noticed a considerable lack of class in the the poker world (online/bm). Nowadays i can't even go to a room w/o people trash talking each other and berating the other person.

Take for example these forums, there tends to be a certain lack of class everywhere. People making smart aleck remarks and using profanity constantly.

I notice this in the workplace, school and everywhere. there just doesn't seem to be any class anymore and a lot of people tend to have oversized egos.

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Welcome to the internet, where human decency and social tact have officially left the building....

Seriously though, I've been an avid Message Board visitor for about the last ten years, and more and more I start notice that people are treating each other worse and worse. Personally, I blame the lack of realistic human interaction for this phenomenon. Also, I blame the fact that when people interact in casinos, and over the internet, its usually under the notion that they'll probably never have to be in contact with that person again, and if they so chose, they never have to see that person again.

It's actually a well documented occurence, scientifically. Axelrod actually wrote a book on strategies where he delves into how a potential for future interactions change how people (and all organisms) behave in the present.

So, it works like this, as societies expand and populations increase, tight-knit communities unwind. More and more of people's daily interactions are based on the concept of 'I'll never see this this person again', so they do not feel obligated to behave in a decent manner. Therefore, this phenomenon increases in occurence more and more. I guarantee you if you put people in a situation where they have to live together, in a tightly knit community, they would eventually start treating each other with decency and respect.

So - in short, blame society.