Oddballs

With one hit, Will Smith managed to take the attention of the world's media away from the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The actor's attack on OscarsA colloquial name for the Academy Awards, named after a nickname for the golden statue given to winners. host Chris Rock was one of the most public acts of aggression in history. The Academy has defended its decision not to remove Smith while rebuking him for "harmful and unacceptable behaviour".

Videos of people losing their cool in public have become a tropeA recurring theme, especially in fiction. Damsels in distress, for instance, are a common trope in fairy tales and old-fashioned romances. on social media. Last week there were two videos of aeroplane passengers becoming aggressive towards staff.

Statistics confirm that aggressive behaviour is on the rise. In the USA, there were more "unruly passenger" incidents in 2021 than ever before. UK police reported an 8% rise in antisocial behaviourIn Britain, antisocial behaviour is a category of offence that is not a crime but is likely to cause alarm or distress. last year.

There is some evidence of a rise in more serious crimes. The US murder rate has risen by a third, while thefts of cars and bikes have spiked. This is a reversal of a long-term trend in which developed economies seemed to be becoming rapidly less violent.

How might the pandemic have made us ruder?

Studies suggest that the most common cause of disrespectful behaviour is stress. Psychiatrist Keith Humphreys says the pandemic has created "high stress, low reward" situations.

Being sociable is a skill, and isolation may have put people out of practice. Psychologists say that having less social contact reduces the size of the amygdalaAn almond-shaped structure in the middle of the brain that is thought to hold some of our oldest instincts, such as the "fight or flight" impulse.. This can make us more prone to paranoia and negativity.

Sociologists say disruptions to normality can reduce our ability to follow rules. "We're more likely to break rules when our bonds to society are weakened," says Harvard professor Robert Sampson.

Others point to longer-term trends. A study from 2018 suggested that an astonishing 93% of people believe public rudeness is on the rise.

Yes: Only a thin veil of civilisation separates us from savagery, and two years of isolation and anxiety have stripped away that veil. Decency is a skill that we need to relearn.

No: People have always been rude to staff and prone to bursts of irritation. The only difference now is that we've all got phones and social media accounts to capture the outrage.

Or... There has been a breakdown in public trust, but it's not just to do with the pandemic. Society has been getting more polarised and less trusting for a while now; this is a major social and political problem, not just a question of manners.