I have noticed that children are not even being school in social graces. At a Sunday brunch, a clown was making balloon animals for the children. 61) {{U}}My friend's daughter, Sarah, stood by me waiting for her turn. {{/U}}The children grabbed their balloons one by one and ran. 62) {{U}}I was the only adult present who prompted "What do you say" when the clown handed Sarah her balloon. The clown beamed at us, grateful he had actually been acknowledged. {{/U}}
I don't blame the children, however. They emulate what they see. 63) {{U}}And what they are seeing is a society focused solely on acquisition -- be it another drink in a restaurant or a space on a crowded freeway -- without ever stopping to thank the source. {{/U}}
Rude language is now so common that it is accepted behavior. And I'm not talking about the obviously blue vocabulary in books and movies, or that damn is considered harmless compared to what else has become acceptable. I'm referring to inconsiderate word choice. For example, while discussing a story idea with an editor, a very young stall member asked if I was the "chick" who had called for information. I said nothing, knowing that a show of displeasure would have labeled me oversensitive rather than him rude.
64) {{U}}Most people today feel proud to have built a society that treats the races, sexes, and economic classes more equally ever before. And, yes, we have made real strides in these areas. {{/U}}But isn't it ironic that these same people don't find it necessary to say "Excuse me" to an older couple walking very slowly in front of them, before zooming around the couple?
It's not necessary to provide yet another analysis of the disintegration of the family or the breakdown of the social fabric or the price of democracy to explain what has happened to our society. The matter at hand is simply to thank the next person who provides a helping hand when needed. In a crowded world, manners are very important. Small, friendly human interactions help ease the everyday stress of having to hurry, trying to squeeze onto a crowded thoroughfare, standing in one more line to deal with a clerk of some kind, or calling a customer service representative for the third time about a mistake on a bill. Manners make us aware that everything we have derives from a source. 65) {{U}}Are we really so pressured that we cannot stop to observe simple courtesy? {{/U}}