There is no doubt that the long Presidential election of 2008 rattled everyone’s cages a bit. And as November’s election day grew nearer the nastiness also grew proportionally. Racial epitaphs were thrown about, neighbors were attacking neighbors over yard signs and others faked attacks to further fuel the hate. Now the election is over, a new President has been appointed and 2008 is a fading memory. What is in store for us as we ring in the New Year?
A lot of people will answer that by saying we have a mountain of shit to overcome; the economy is in the toilet, unemployment is rampant, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, and on and on goes the list. Amongst all of this madness there is one thing that, I feel, is being overlooked. Something that, perhaps, is at the root of all of our problems. I’m talking about basic manners and etiquette.
How is it that the majority of adults have forgotten the most basic of lessons that they were taught as children?
- Waiting your turn and not interrupting other people when they are speaking.
- Don’t talk with your mouth full of food.
- Wait for everyone to be seated at the dinner table before you start to eat.
- Saying, “Please” and “Thank you”.
- Cleaning up after yourself.
- Saying “Excuse me”.
- Hold doors open for people.
- Saying “Bless you” when someone sneezes.
All of these things show respect and appreciation towards each other. They are simple acts of kindness.
Technology is partly to blame for all of this rudeness. Cell phones allow people to converse without being face to face. You don’t even have to speak words but simply text your messages. How many times have you seen a couple, presumably out on a date, each with cell phone in hand, madly typing away with their thumbs, barely speaking a word to each other? On-line video games allow people to escape reality. The Internet chat rooms allow people to interact with pixels on a screen. And don’t even get me started on the hours people will spend in front of their wide-screen TV’s watching mindless drivel. When these folks finally emerge from their self-created bubbles of reality, they have no clue as how to interact with real, living and breathing human beings.
We have become a society inhabited by increasingly disrespectful people. We cut each other off on the roads, we don’t hold doors open for each other, and we don’t excuse ourselves, but rather push and shove our way through. Please and thank you have become archaic terms. And heaven forbid someone has to wait in line for something without screaming into their cell phone about the injustice of having to deal with the real world.
In order for us to be able to conquer that pile of shit that lies before us, we need to do some self-repairing. Restore our respect, not only for others, but for ourselves. That means returning to the basics and showing each other some common decency.
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