Chivalry is dead. Manners are gone. Seriously, have you spent anytime with people lately? It almost makes me sick. I used to think it was just my generation, being raised by the hippies during the “child punishment” revolution where we went from spankings and time outs to not yelling at them and having “serious conversations about their behavior” etc, but no, no I think it’s nearly everyone. Why do I say this? Well here are some things I’ve seen the past few days/peeve me off:
- Shopping carts in the middle of a parking lot. Not just there, but also *next* to the carriage corral rather than *in* it. (Is it THAT hard to put something away?)
- Trash left on the counter. Not just any trash- wet, nasty paper towels. (Apparently the 15 second walk to the trash barrel is far too long to do it at that moment- it MUST be postponed a day.)
- Someone going up to a group of people and *burping* a greeting. (I’m not even kidding!)
- Looking behind you to see if anyone is there, and still not hold the door for said person behind you and letting it slam almost in their face. (owwww)
- Using dishes that are not yours and then not cleaning/putting them away. (Insert angry face here)
- Not saying thank-you after your roommate does your dishes. (Here too)
- Leaving your trash in the movie theater. (Yes, there are people that clean it up, but imagine if you were that person? Wouldn’t you love it when people cleaned up the majority of their mess, such as throwing out their cups/bags o popcorn?)
- Not flushing the toilet in a public restroom. (Gross!)
- Texting during class. (Is it that important? Seriously! And people who do this lots wonder why they have bad grades)
What is with this behavior? Is it just because I’m in a hick town? No, that can’t be it because I even see it at home. Seriously what is the deal? If my mom saw me doing any of that she’d smack me! I’m not even kidding!
For the college crowd that does it- I have a feeling it is partially due to the “holy crap I can do whatever I want!” mentality. Yes, there are no parents to scream at you- but you still have to do your chores, which only include picking up after yourself. How hard is that? Do your dishes within 3 days, don’t leave a common area trashed.
But what about all the adults out there? I’m sure half of them complain about my generation and how “bad” we are, but they are just as bad as us lately! Leaving carts in the middle of the parking lot, barking orders/demands at employees at stores, letting their kids run around terrorizing people in public.
To me, this all seems like common sense, then again I was also raised to do all these things. Yes, I am human and not perfect and sometimes leave my dish in the sink longer than it probably has to, but I try very hard to *not* procrastinate doing cleaning that involves my crap in a common area. It actually bugs me if I accidently forget to check behind me to see if anyone is there, and I end up shutting the door on them.
Here are some easy ways to make someone’s day:
- Say please and thank-you! I know, your parents probably railed it into you when you were a kid- but seriously, it can make all the difference.
- Hold the door for someone behind you.
- Put anything you used away- regardless of whether there is someone that is paid to clean up your mess or not.
If we all do these simple things daily- I’m sure most of us would come home in a much better mood! I know I would have today!
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I am a spoilt brat and I have people go out of their way for me often.. however, I did wonder about the lack of basic manners/common decency when I absentmindely said thank you to the bus driver for my ticket and he said, ‘that’s the nicest thing anyone has said all day’. Poor guy! When I grew up my fathers favourite lectures were ‘Politeness costs you nothing but your seat on the bus’ and ‘repect others and they’ll respect you’. As much as I rolled my eyes when he got on a roll, these sentiments are mostly true… and that have probably greatly contributed to the reason people treat me well [in return] and thus the reason I feel like a spoiled brat.
In terms of education and texting… hmmm – social texting is rude – I internally go mad when people sit in the cinema mid movie and do it a) because the light from their phone gets distracting and b) because they often feel the need to verbally share the responses with friends – though, there’s a greater issue in terms of education and that is the systems haven’t moved with the technology – the Internet and social networks have changed how people think and do things (apparently our brains are being rewired) and so part of the texting in class may be due to the fact that the old methods of teaching are not engaging… though… you are right – it’s still bad manners.
Comment by Moggs Oceanlane — February 1, 2009 @ 7:43 am