Originally Posted by
burney
having designated 'court jesters' who are permitted to be rude about those in power and to whom you have to go to get your dose of offence is a perfectly sensible release valve. The difference lies in the improved dissemination of such material and the interpretation of that dissemination as effective permission for all of society to be rude to all other parts of society.
Essentially, sensible and healthy scepticism and disrespect for power have devolved into a culture of selfishness, rudeness, unkindness and just plain nastiness.