I think it started in the late 60s or early 70s when the media began televising abhorrent scenes from Viet Nam. I recall when the media wouldn't publish videos with the sickening videos of what was going on over there and then, they started sneaking them in, little by little. I think that the media has desensitized the world over the horrible scenes and diminished the atrocity of death. Over the last four decades, it's gotten worse and worse. People, due to the media's recklessness, just don't value life, property, or themselves as much as they did four and five decades ago.
As an example of the slope we've traversed down, just yesterday I was at WalMart here in Texomaland and observed people going into the store, dressed like BUMS!!! My Grandmother and Mom wouldn't have been caught dead out in public like that. Yet, these people seem to have no pride in themselves or their appearance any more. If they don't respect themselves, how can they respect or value anything else??