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I think alot of people were born in barns, I work in retail and I cant believe the lack of manners some people have. People wont step aside or move thier carts so I can get through when Im trying to do my job, they are like vultures when trying to get a sample from the demo ladies and start grabbing and cutting in front of people, I will bring some items out and they will start grabbing off my rack before I can even get to my put em out in the case.
The other day gas prices fell so there were line and people were trying to move their cars infront of people that had already been waiting so then a few fights broke out and earlier this lazy azz lady was interrupting the flow of traffic in the parking lot so she could get the close parking spot,she waited for about 5 mins. then some girls cut in front of her and took it,then the lady starts honking at the girls, it is really a ME ME ME thing, people have no manners.
These 12 y/o kids now days talk about f----ing each others moms and joke about STD's and very sexually explecit stuff, Ive even know of a few kids that have worse mouths on them then most adults, these 5 y/o kids will tell you f-you when they dont get thier way or call you every name in the book, alot of these parents here shouldnt even be parents, they have the state support them then complain about the prices and teach thier kids how to cuss,smoke pot and drink at an early age.
Desert Sun you are absolutely correct. I also work in a job that unfortunately requires extensive interaction with the general public here in Kansas City. And I cannot believe how much worse people have gotten in the last few years. I held the same position in Hartford in the mid 1980's and customers were much more civil and easier to get along with than they are today.
I think alot of people were born in barns, I work in retail and I cant believe the lack of manners some people have. People wont step aside or move thier carts so I can get through when Im trying to do my job, they are like vultures when trying to get a sample from the demo ladies and start grabbing and cutting in front of people, I will bring some items out and they will start grabbing off my rack before I can even get to my put em out in the case.
The other day gas prices fell so there were line and people were trying to move their cars infront of people that had already been waiting so then a few fights broke out and earlier this lazy azz lady was interrupting the flow of traffic in the parking lot so she could get the close parking spot,she waited for about 5 mins. then some girls cut in front of her and took it,then the lady starts honking at the girls, it is really a ME ME ME thing, people have no manners.
These 12 y/o kids now days talk about f----ing each others moms and joke about STD's and very sexually explecit stuff, Ive even know of a few kids that have worse mouths on them then most adults, these 5 y/o kids will tell you f-you when they dont get thier way or call you every name in the book, alot of these parents here shouldnt even be parents, they have the state support them then complain about the prices and teach thier kids how to cuss,smoke pot and drink at an early age.
Oh yeah, I agree. This country has gotten so stupid and animalish in the last few years. Don't know what to make of it. Crummy upbringing has caused a lot of this. Go to any ff store and see the kind of response alot of these people have. No thank you, just hand your food and change and slam the window shut. Can't even say "welcome to (blankity blank), may I take your order. It just comes out as "take your order?" Nobody seems to give a **** anymore so I guess I don't either. Sad.
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
26,700 posts, read 41,718,665 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SEAandATL
Does it seem that people are getting meaner nowadays and are quicker to cop an attitude? I think it has to do with the economy and current hardships that tend to stress people out and cause them to be less polite and respectful. It also seems that some people on this board have become harsh and disrespectful to other posters, such as ridiculing someone just for asking a perfectly normal and straight-forward question, or slamming someone for something as small as a spelling/grammatical error or an inaccuracy. I'll probably get slammed from this post right here.
To be honest, i've been getting a lil meaner too. Mainly, b/c i've gone into survival and stress mode. Things are getting tougher, i'm trying to keep my job and keep up with my education. I think most are just under more stress than ever with the crisis today and that explains why everyone is meaner.
I think alot of people were born in barns, I work in retail and I cant believe the lack of manners some people have. People wont step aside or move thier carts so I can get through when Im trying to do my job, they are like vultures when trying to get a sample from the demo ladies and start grabbing and cutting in front of people, I will bring some items out and they will start grabbing off my rack before I can even get to my put em out in the case.
The other day gas prices fell so there were line and people were trying to move their cars infront of people that had already been waiting so then a few fights broke out and earlier this lazy azz lady was interrupting the flow of traffic in the parking lot so she could get the close parking spot,she waited for about 5 mins. then some girls cut in front of her and took it,then the lady starts honking at the girls, it is really a ME ME ME thing, people have no manners.
These 12 y/o kids now days talk about f----ing each others moms and joke about STD's and very sexually explecit stuff, Ive even know of a few kids that have worse mouths on them then most adults, these 5 y/o kids will tell you f-you when they dont get thier way or call you every name in the book, alot of these parents here shouldnt even be parents, they have the state support them then complain about the prices and teach thier kids how to cuss,smoke pot and drink at an early age.
I think it comes from being too pampered. People expect everything conveniently and turn into brats when they don't have their way.
Are you guys seriously basing an entire time period over what a few people did to you personally? I remember my dad was telling me the stuff he did in the 1950s...it was the same (making jokes about sexually explicit stuff). Hell, I got the raunchiest advice from a 70 year old, he was telling me about his one night stands. My father was in the Peace Corps...helping people in Africa. He later became a high school teacher in the inner city...trust me not for the pay. People don't change that much. Do you know these people personally? What if I saw any one of you guys on a bad day...would that enable me to make a judgement for an entire nation at a given time point? Just saying let's think this through analytically and logically...not with anecdotal evidence.
Are you guys seriously basing an entire time period over what a few people did to you personally? I remember my dad was telling me the stuff he did in the 1950s...it was the same (making jokes about sexually explicit stuff). Hell, I got the raunchiest advice from a 70 year old, he was telling me about his one night stands. My father was in the Peace Corps...helping people in Africa. He later became a high school teacher in the inner city...trust me not for the pay. People don't change that much. Do you know these people personally? What if I saw any one of you guys on a bad day...would that enable me to make a judgement for an entire nation at a given time point? Just saying let's think this through analytically and logically...not with anecdotal evidence.
This point is indeed valid: if a person's life experiences are limited to one particular region, culture, time period, etc., then the scope of their rationale for the development of their worldview is also limited. This is why history is so valuable-which is a shameless segue into the point of my post.
Again, I am aware of the fallacy of the prior generation passing judgment on that of the current, but the argument still has merit. There was a time in this very country (several generations back) when children always addressed their elders with a "ma'am" or "sir", and were well-versed in the works of Shakespeare, Hawthorne and Emerson with no high school education. Men wore hats and were skilled in the art of proper courtship. Divorce rates were low, literacy rates were high. A person would take full responsibility for his actions-there was no blaming the economy or the media or the president. I know Victorian ideals supported a stratified social structure but so what of it? These principles-albeit some are not perfect-can still apply. Someone mentioned the Japanese-their history of courtesy and respect to elders is very similar to Great Britain with the exception that the higher classes (samurai, daimyo) were even more humble and respectful to the lower classes because they served as the model citizens (the Japanese borrowed heavily from Confucian tenets).
I believe each successive generation has gotten just a tad more self-centered and arrogant than the last and soon it will be all too noticeable but all too late to be fixed in a reasonable time frame. The best way to start is simply to be more empathetic towards others. If you do not like being treated like a sack of manure then do not reciprocate such sentiments to others. Like a lot of things, you have to start at home; do not allow the schools to take responsibility for child-rearing (even though that is now their de facto duty).
Well, to be perfectly honest, I can pinpoint exactly when it started happening: The day people started thinking that good manners were pointless.
Show me a person who thinks that basic etiquette is just a bunch of arbitrary rules, and I'll show you a person who is in it for himself.
Show me a person to whom 'please' and 'thank you' are obsolete, and I'll show you somebody who does not know the meaning of gratitude.
Show me some a person who does not hold the door open for somebody else, does not yield his seat on the subway for a person who is older or infirm, and I'll show you somebody who was raised by wolves. For we are all in it this together. And public civility happens one kind gesture at a time.
Show me a person who swears a lot, and I'll show you somebody who has a poor vocabulary.
Show me a person who loses his or her temper, and I'll show you somebody who has run out of ideas.
I moved to the South fifteen years ago. At first, I found their emphasis on manners to be a bit over-the-top. But I've really come to understand that the civility of the place makes for a very nice way of life. I also think it's a huge reason why the South is beginning to attract foreign business in greater numbers than most other regions of the country (By the way, the excuse that workers in the South earn lower pay is evaporating into thin air. The pay gap has almost closed between the South and the rest of the region). Now, when I go back home to Chicago or Cleveland, or travel to Boston on business, I find the casual rudeness to really detract from the place. More than once, I've observed it and thought to myself, "Wouldn't it have been just as easy to be nice?"
Well, that's a good point. I would also offer that television and movies really do not reflect how normal people should talk to one another.
Case in point? My kids watched the Disney Channel every day. Yet, I noticed that they were all beginning to be really mean to one another and argue with their mother and I.
So I decided to sit down and watch the so-called 'safe' programming. What did I find? Lots of sarcasm, put-downs, arguing, and talking back to the parents. Teachers were hopeless dupes to be outfoxed, and parents were equals. The Disney Channel is no longer allowed in my house as a result.
The problem with that? As a parent, you have to work and keep the household running. If you don't have kids who simply do what you ask of them without questioning, then you wind up having ongoing, exhausting trench warfare over little things such as taking out the garbage or picking up one's room. And if a kid can't get it together to follow your instructions on simple things like that, then what chance will he have on the job or out in the world?
So, yeah, Hollywood and Television bear a great deal of blame here, simply because children see it on the big screen and little screen and think that's how real people interact.
Well, that's a good point. I would also offer that television and movies really do not reflect how normal people should talk to one another.
Case in point? My kids watched the Disney Channel every day. Yet, I noticed that they were all beginning to be really mean to one another and argue with their mother and I.
So I decided to sit down and watch the so-called 'safe' programming. What did I find? Lots of sarcasm, put-downs, arguing, and talking back to the parents. Teachers were hopeless dupes to be outfoxed, and parents were equals. The Disney Channel is no longer allowed in my house as a result.
The problem with that? As a parent, you have to work and keep the household running. If you don't have kids who simply do what you ask of them without questioning, then you wind up having ongoing, exhausting trench warfare over little things such as taking out the garbage or picking up one's room. And if a kid can't get it together to follow your instructions on simple things like that, then what chance will he have on the job or out in the world?
So, yeah, Hollywood and Television bear a great deal of blame here, simply because children see it on the big screen and little screen and think that's how real people interact.
Is that what television has become on a family network? I may have been away from television for almost five years but that is still surprising to me.
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