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but as a young person that is how a lot of my friends talk when going out to the bars or hanging out during free time. Considering that in the military, you're with your buddies 24/7, the jocular discourse is probably constant. I'm guessing it's also a way to relieve stress and try and keep positive. When I'm nervous or scared, joking around and being talkative help.
It might be that it's a generational thing, but what you see as "constant put downs" are not taken as such by people my age. It is all just joking and good fun. One of the greatest signs of maturity for people my age is the ability to take a joke and be able to laugh at themselves. In order to have a functional social life, that is a must in this generation. It is a way to build up camaraderie, and should be taken in the same way an older brother might hit around his younger sibling, but it's affectionate. It shows you don't take yourself or life too seriously. It shows you have a lot of confidence in yourself. Personally, I think it allows you to bond more with your friends, but maybe that's just me.
And young Americans really do talk like this, but it does not make them sick, foul, or arrogant. Arrogance has nothing to do with it. On the contrary, my generation hates arrogance. As a way to show their displeasure with it, they'll act arrogantly, all big and bad, but everyone knows it's a joke, a caricature, even a way of showing irony. See how Captain America is hated in the show?
As for the foul language and sick jokes, our generation has been much more exposed to all of these at much younger ages than any previous generation, except for the next one to come along. No one thinks twice about the use of foul language in front of their friends. My friends have been telling some horribly nasty sexual jokes one minute, and the next minute my mom comes in and you'd never think they had sworn in their lives, much less even know what sex is.
The frequent use of homosexual jokes can be a way of showing that one is comfortable with their sexuality. The racial, ethnic, homosexual, religious, etc. jokes are a rejection of political correctness, which my generation generally hates, and a way to diminish real racism, homophobia, etc. by making a big joke out of it. It is also a way to talk about matters everyone thinks about in an open and honest way. We've learned from previous generations that keeping your feelings and thoughts bottled up inside might look good, but increases misunderstanding between people.
That's why my friends will make fun of each other's race, religion, sexuality, you name it, and everyone thinks it's hilarious. We are stating certain truths when we do so. There really are people out there who hate blacks, Muslims, etc., but we take that hate and turn it on it's head by using it with our closest friends. It shows the absurdity of racism, homophobia, etc.
Now, my generation will not act like this in front of everyone. We definitely won't joke like that in front of people we do not know yet, who are not our friends, or people who are not in tune with this generation's culture. And the tactful can spot those who would be offended by such language and will try to diminish it in front of them.
Still, there are exceptions to every rule, and there are those of my generation who are arrogant or take themselves too seriously or are actually homophobic, racist, etc, but you'll see that they are generally shunned by this generation. They have to find enclaves for themselves I suppose. But I have personally ran into very few of these people. Most of the people of my generation I meet who are easily offended by such things do not have a lot of social tact or experience, and therefore misunderstand it.
I'm sure others might have a different experience, but from my own personal experience, this documentary fits exactly how my generation acts.
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