R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Since when did respect and common courtesy become rare commodities? Have kindness,  friendliness and respectfulness become traits of years past? Each and every day I have an encounter that makes me stop and ponder just what is wrong with people these days. 

For example, shopping this weekend. (Excuse me if this becomes somewhat of a rant.) I was looking through a rack of clothes when this older woman comes up to me and starts looking at the clothes that my hands were still on. Are you unable to wait for two seconds? Then, I moved on to the next rack, after being so disturbed by her behavior. As she looked at a rack next to mine, she got closer and closer to me. I made the subconscious decision to not move until she said "excuse me." Which she didn't. And soon pushed by me, bumping into me rather rudely. Now, I pride myself in my manners and respect for others. But if you don't have the common courtesy to say excuse me when you'd like to pass me, don't expect me to move, you wench. The same thing happened during the Christmas season (which is definitely the time of year when people become self-absorbed, manner-less nut jobs) while I was at Michaels. I was looking through a bin of the $1 stationary when an older woman came up RIGHT next to me, literally touching shoulders, and reached into the same bin. She then walked away. I stood there for a minute watching her, just in awe of the moment. I pulled myself together and walked to a new section of the store. Standing in the aisle looking in a new bin, the same woman bumped into me as she walked past, with no thought of "sorry" or "excuse me." I had to bite my tongue in fear of asking her if she was drunk. Other occurrences have included being ran over with carts and strollers, kids running rampant,  people talking too loudly on their cellphones (inside voices, people), people listening to loud music on their cell phone while shopping (really...) and more. 

And don't even get me started on driving. Rudeness in cars (as well as a lack of common sense) has become an epidemic that way too many people have caught. 

But, avoiding that long rampage, I'd like to talk about the younger generation for a minute. I firmly believe that our society today is damaging the younger generations, making them entitled, rude, SELFISH little bastards. Let me say this - it doesn't apply to ALL of them - but a few rotten apples have definitely tainted much of the opinion of this girl. Growing up in such a technological advanced age, with phones a common pocket accessory and laptops a popular device used in classrooms, has dehumanized their world. I feel ancient remembering that I used to call my friends house phone in order to get in touch with them, or the fact that I have a box full of notes from my friends that we would pass throughout the school day. Stemming from this complaint, is the fact that kids today cannot separate from their technologies. This may make me sound like an 80-year-old, but how about some face-to-face communication without constantly checking your phone or sending texts? How about spending time with your family without being glued to your computer? One of my biggest pet peeves is people texting, answering phones or talking in movie theaters. 

Recently, I went to the movies with my dad, stepmom, "aunt" and boyfriend. Halfway through "Skyfall", some teens came in and sat directly behind us. They were talking and being loud and their phones were constantly going off. As the rage grew inside of me, I shushed them once, then, as they didn't stop being noisy, turned around and told them to leave if they couldn't be quiet. A few got up and went to the back of the theater, while a few (bold) souls stayed. The cellphone/talking in movie theaters thing doesn't only apply to teenagers, believe me, but their lack of common courtesy is constantly apparent. 

The other night, my boyfriend and I were in the drive-thru at Wendys on our "splurge night" getting me some chicken nuggets. A car in front of us pulled away from the window and sat in the narrow, one-car lane leading to the exit. We got our food and pulled behind them, waiting patiently for them to notice and move. They didn't. So we honked, and slowly they pulled forward about two feet, so we could just barely pass. As we drove by them, I noticed it was a teenage guy driving, with a girl in the passenger seat and a guy in the back. The lovely lady flicked us off and the driver honked at us. We honked back, maturely I promise you, and my boyfriend yelled at them out the open window. I don't understand what went through their minds as they sat blocking the only way out. And that there is the problem - they only thought of themselves. Kids today are so selfish, so self-absorbed, any sliver of common courtesy or respect is a second-thought. It truly scares me. 

Since I'm on a roll, other rude acts from the population: taking 30 items to the 10 or less check out lane; moving in front of someone who's looking at something in particular so you can look as well; being rude to someone's parents, not being friendly and not making conversation with them; pushing the person before you's luggage in the security line; stopping in the middle of traffic to change lanes; men not letting women go first or holding the door open for them; people talking behind others backs; etc. etc. 

In closing, I just want to reiterate how necessary manners are. Having respect for the people around you isn't expensive, nor time consuming. It's a simple act that, though not always reciprocated, makes for a better world. Being friendly is good for the health, and manners truly never go out of style. 

- A