Also, even if people of this generation are 'more intelligent' I think the previous generations at least had more manners, which a lot of people nowadays are obviously severely lacking

There have always, always been ignorant, stupid, and all around terrible people in this world. No era or culture has or ever will be an exception to that fact. And there are awful people and awful things in this world today.

But there have always been brilliant people too. Smart, forward-thinking, thoughtful and compassionate people that make the world a better place. And there are such people in this world today! All around you, hiding in human flaws and the “stupidity of the masses,” so to speak.

The thing is that, eventually, the negative aspects of society and human stupidity are forgotten, creating a shining replica of previous generations for the current one to revere. Everything in the past seems better because we aren’t living in it, seeing its flaws and experiencing them. History and culture can enrich our views on the world but it creates this delusion that things are continually getting worse and that a lot of negative aspects of society just didn’t exist back in the day.

You can roll your eyes at modern society and claim that this is the “Worst. Generation. Ever.” and generally mourn the decline of humanity but when you do that you ignore the fact that things have ALWAYS been this way and that there are truly amazing things and people beneath that exterior.

Just give people a chance. There’s usually a lot more to each person than you might think.

Awesomeness