“The world does seem more callous now and life less important than before.”
Nothing that 1933-1945 didn’t beat hands down.
The 53 million kids that women in America have killed since 1973 dwarfs the numbers killed in genocide and war in WWII. That seems pretty callous to me.
The NAZIs hid the truth of their extermination program. Islamic State broadcasts the beheadings to the world and everyone shrugs. That seems pretty callous to me.
I purposely selected the words, "less important than before." to indicate which direction things are headed, not to compare today with the past.
But since you've brought it up, what we're witnessing is indeed comparable to some of the darkest periods in human history (e.g., genocide, slaughter of innocents, ...). If you don't think so, I invite you to visit liveleak.com
Obvious atrocities and disrespect for individual human life are getting worse - not better.