I grew up listening to everything. And rock and roll has always been a big, big part of it - as big a part of what I do as any other type of music.
Friendship... is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.
I only know from my own personal experience, and I personally feel that there's a cyclical nature to things, so you don't want to start making generalizations about how bad things have become in comparison to the old days.