Literally every generation thinks the next generation is “softer” and it’s rarely if ever true. To the contrary you could argue that Americans are more desensitized to violence than ever before. Some of the video games they make are like horror movies, and currently the most popular video game is fortnight. MMA is more popular than ever and the UFC just signed a deal with the largest sports network in the world. You can turn on the tv almost any day of the week and see men or women knocking themselves unconscious or choking each other out. Bare knuckle boxing is exploding in popularity as well and the ppv buys for BFC exceeded all expectations. There are at least 3 soccer moms in my neighborhood who have their kids in BJJ classes or enrolled at the UFC gym. There’s now an entire generation of post-Iraq PTSD veterans who experienced things most of the baby boomers never did. No generation before has experienced the mass shootings that we have or have lived through things like 9/11. If you think those experiences haven’t hardened us or made us tougher than the generation before, you don’t know much about the human psyche.