I think people were more likely to try and work with society in the past than they are today. One of the biggest fears in history was being ostracized by your peers, or thrown out of the village, never to return. A good deal of that had to do with the fact that most humans hunted, farmed and worked together for the betterment of their communities. An individual could not survive in the wilds without tools or provisions. But the wilds are gone and those days have ended.
People today ostracize themselves from society.
With new methods of communication, our outlooks certainly change a great deal. In my opinion, it is much easier to do ill to those whom you have never seen or touched. You would never harm your friends or neighbors in the old days, because you never knew when you might need to build a barn. Today, you can just get on the phone and call up the contractor to come and erect one for you. It is a real shame.