Most people, and almost all women, will do what they are told, directly told or indirectly, and they will try to fit in. I dont know who makes the rules, but the rules in the past were that as a man you needed
-to have a job or be looking for a job
-be kind to those around you
-to not bother people/disturb the peace
-to not harm people you disagree with
-to treat everyone with civility
And as a woman you needed to
-treat everyone, even ugly men, with respect
-get married at a fairly young age
-not sleep around
-not wear trashy clothes and act trashy
-not act egotistical/narcissistic
people now are no different than they ever were, but the culture now validates peoples neurotic behavior and shitty behavior like being loud, annoying, egotistical, and bullying those who lack social aptitude. Even though lots of that friendliness and good nature in the past was pretty much fake, it definitely helped things to run smooth and just be overall better.
There wasn't a bunch of trash in the streets, there werent people blasting loud music at 3am, there werent 50 gang shootings a week in chicago, not every sidewalk smelled like piss and weed and shitty cigarettes. Well maybe they smelled like cigarettes because everyone smoked back then
it really does seem like watching out for your fellow man or woman helped things to work so much better. They still do that in places like japan, southeast asia, mexico, and a bunch of other places. Thailand or mexico may not be rich like the west but the people treat each other with respect there and work together to make things better. Those countries have been getting better for decades while america is rotting and falling apart.