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I think it's just a false perception, similar to the way that if you ask people if crime is worse today than it was in the past, they will say yes even though crime is at its lowest point in decades.
I watch TV shows like Tosh.0 and Family guy and those are mainstream primetime shows and the level of shock value comedy is waaaaaay beyond anything that was acceptable even just ten years ago. Family Guy has a recurring character that is a pedophile and it's used for comedic purposes. Tosh.0 is filled with racial and homophobic jokes. Last week they aired a clip of two guys jerking each other off with just a little black censor bar over the act itself.
I love those shows but they would never be allowed just ten years ago, and those are mainstream, popular shows.
I think the evidence shows that people are way more tolerant on the whole based on what is accepted and what is popular on our most influential cultural barometer which is television.
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