I think it's more a function of age. People in highschool or college can stomach more than older adults.

Younger adults don't shock easily because (a) they typically have less and feel less responsibility, (b) the thrill of breaking the rules tempers natural disgust at seeing edgy material, and (c) they have less life experience to have learned empathy for some kinds of people.

Of course, I might be extrapolating foolishly from my own life. I used to have more stomach for cruelty.

I remember well the times my friends used to send each other stuff from rotten. Not that I particularly enjoyed that, but I suppose it was part of becoming more mature? I liked the freedom of back then though, I feel like today's internet has become too politically correct

> natural disgust at seeing edgy material

Disgust is a cultural learning, not a natural response.

That's just... false. Disgust is a response we evolved to keep us from eating things that could kill us.

It's probably a mixture, but who knows. Chomsky and Skinner could probably debate it for several lifetimes.

It's actually both! Freakonomics did a great segment on the difference and the different types of disgust. https://freakonomics.com/podcast/disgust/

Fair enough. The point about aging that I had in mind doesn't change if we redefine 'natural disgust' as 'culturally taught disgust' In general, the older you get, the further you get from mum and dad dictating your behavior, and so the less enjoyable it is to, for example, be rude/crude for its own sake.