Thread: The loss of common courtesy?

Its all a symptom of the breakdown of a society. people just care about #1 and are being brought up with an additude of don't take sh*** from anyone. People are just crazy and probably mentally ill also.

Here's some classic cases going right now that shows underlying problems of lack of courtesy:

1) the little girl in new york who got shot because 2 'gangstas' got into a staring match and both had guns and decided to win the 'gangsta' way. This suggests that access to guns doesn't guarantee a more polite society but we have to give way as well to the suggestion that the two 'gangstas' are a product of a society that glamorizes outlaws and outlaws guns (much the same way most states are doing in the u.s.)

2) How about the pyrotechnics technician that was charged with and convicted of over 100 counts of negligent homicide. I realise we need accountability but I think this is really excessive. It was an accident, due in part to the club owners failures. Some of the relatives of the victims are wanting the technician's MOTHER to suffer "as we have suffered". Why? What's that poor woman got to do with what happened? It's not her fault! We've gone from a society bent on justice to a society bent on vengance. Virtually everyone wants someone else to "suffer" and "pay" even when that person had nothing to do with whatever the issue at hand may be. We (the United States) are obsessed with causing pain to others and with so many laws preventing the cowards of society from hurting others the way they want the cowards use the laws and create more laws so that the judicial system has now become a weapon of 'legalized' crime. Our society criminalizes everyone and everyone wants vengance so the cycle continues.

Our government has gotten around the double jeapardy laws by trumping multiple charges for a single act, and most importantly by creating state versus federal charges. A cop kills a suspect, people rant, the state finds him not guilty, the federal government steps in on 'federal charges' for the exact same thing. A man points a gun at someone, it goes off (accidentally OR intentionally), he legally owned the gun but he's charged with 'felony with a firearm' 'illegal possesion of a fire arm' 'murder'/'attempted murder' 'assault with a deadly weapon' and God knows how many other charges. The illegal possesion is allowed because he possesed the gun while commiting a felony which is now illegal in most states whether you own the gun or not. MANY prosecuters use this method to convict law abiding citizens who are only defending themselves AND to rack up more convictions that will look good on their record when they go up for re-election.

With all this going on we wonder at lack of courtesy. It's not only the common person, it's the system as well. Our nation has a disease and no one wants a cure.

That's what I think is sad.

Originally Posted by mgraepel

Words of wisdom right there. I get to hear from my wife about all the little brats she has to put up with at her teaching job. She teaches 8th grade language arts and these kids shove each other in the halls, talk back to their teachers, sexually harass the girls (in the case of boys) and call it flirting, and yell at each other across the room in the middle of class while my wife is talking. I could never make it as a teacher because I would have thrown one of these kids through a window within the first week.

Now my wife is telling me about this absolute nonsense called "attachment parenting" where the parent never puts their kid down and coddles them. No discipline, just lots of love. What kind of idiot dreamed up that insanity?

My wife is also a teacher -(sixth grade) at a Catholic Grade School and I hear some of the same things you mentioned from her. They have yet to yell across the class while she is talking, even I wouldn't consider that. But the problem starts in the home - lack of respect for each other and lack of discipline. I can tell you that by the age of 16 I was much taller than my parents and while I might have argued with them about something or other at the end I obeyed their decision. I tell my kids at home this is not a democracy it is a monarchy and I am the king. In my house you follow my rules, when you have a house you can do as you please. I love my kids dearly however respect for authority and their elders are a lesson I insist they learn.

Originally Posted by urleebird

I do not allow rude people to go unchallenged. One of my pet peeves is holding a door open for someone and they walk past like you aren't even there. Loudly, I always say to the back of their head, "HEY, NO PROBLEM... YOU'RE WELCOME".

I had a guy do that to me yesterday. He held the door for me at the Post Office. I've been really sick for the past 2 weeks so I just nodded and said thanks, quietly because talking puts me in coughing fits. After he yelled out loud and everyone was looking at us I turned around, coughed all over him as I told him loudly "I nodded and SAID thanks quietly because I didn't want to give you my cold!". He was backing away pretty fast

Sorry Bill, I know you're a pretty good guy, I just had to share my experience on here. I thought it was funny as heck .

When I was in phoenix I had some Lady cut me off on the freeway, follow me on my exit, follow me into a mall parking lot and do donuts with me as I was trying to shake the crazy *#@%^. I called the cops and flagged mall security and she and her friend sat there until the cops showed up then tried to spin that I was being rude to them. When mall security told me they could get the video from rooftop cameras for me the woman suddenly had to leave for an appointment and was very apologetic for "any misunderstanding".

I think it's the day and age we live in. Not just California

The only thing that often keeps me from blowing things like this out of proportion is the fact that I am most likely carrying a gun and have an added responsibility to be mature and stay out of bad situations that can quickly escalate. It reminds me of the quote "an armed society is a polite society". I remember the first time my father took me to a gun range and mentioned that this is probably the only place where I won't hear people arguing.

Originally Posted by JLStorm

The only thing that often keeps me from blowing things like this out of proportion is the fact that I am most likely carrying a gun and have an added responsibility to be mature and stay out of bad situations that can quickly escalate. It reminds me of the quote "an armed society is a polite society". I remember the first time my father took me to a gun range and mentioned that this is probably the only place where I won't hear people arguing.

I agree with you in part. As a formal martial artist, I noticed that people who train in dojos/dojangs are extremely ritualistic and polite with each other. However.......
The problem with a gun society is that there are always deviants and with access to guns they have a greater potential to do damage. Even if the government develops the perfect screening process for gun licensing (yeah, right ) guns can always get stolen and then you have some crazy yahoo or gangbanger shooting at people b/c they looked at him cockeyed or just b/c they're insane.
I enjoyed every time I fired a gun, threw a knife or released an arrow. It's a test of my eye-sight, nerves and concentration. However, I believe that the world would be a better place if guns didn't exist, even in the governments' hands.

As for yelling at kids or beating them up (replying to other posts), that's the worst thing you can do with a kid. I still haven't forgiven my dad or his stepfather for all the beatings I received from them and I'm 26. That way you teach children that using violence is ok and that it's normal to lose control over your emotions. Took me a while to learn different ways of resolving conflicts.Kids can be admonished with a disaproving done of your voice and disciplined without causing them physical pain. That way you're less likely to see them shouting at people on the streets and picking fights.

10% of your life is what happens to you, and 90% is how you choose to respond to it.

Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

I agree with you in part. As a formal martial artist, I noticed that people who train in dojos/dojangs are extremely ritualistic and polite with each other. However.......
The problem with a gun society is that there are always deviants and with access to guns they have a greater potential to do damage. Even if the government develops the perfect screening process for gun licensing (yeah, right ) guns can always get stolen and then you have some crazy yahoo or gangbanger shooting at people b/c they looked at him cockeyed or just b/c they're insane.
I enjoyed every time I fired a gun, threw a knife or released an arrow. It's a test of my eye-sight, nerves and concentration. However, I believe that the world would be a better place if guns didn't exist, even in the governments' hands.

As for yelling at kids or beating them up (replying to other posts), that's the worst thing you can do with a kid. I still haven't forgiven my dad or his stepfather for all the beatings I received from them and I'm 26. That way you teach children that using violence is ok and that it's normal to lose control over your emotions. Took me a while to learn different ways of resolving conflicts.Kids can be admonished with a disaproving done of your voice and disciplined without causing them physical pain. That way you're less likely to see them shouting at people on the streets and picking fights.

You dont want to get into the gun argument with me, its just not worth it, especially since you cant uninvent the wheel. But I understand your concerns.

Gentlemen,

It would really a shame if we would allow
the actions of one rude woman to damage
this forum and cause hard feelings among
its members.

Those of us who support the right to keep
and bear arms are not going to change our
views on the ownership of guns. And those
of you who oppose this right are not going
to change your views.

That being said, I vote that we allow this thread
to simply fade away and that we get back on
the topic of straight razor shaving.

I certainly hope that as a new member that I
haven't overstepped my position as a memer.
But I felt compelled to say something. Because
the way this thread is going, no good is going
to come of it.

Regards,

Terry

Bill, I get the same urges but I'm either too young or my cars are too small for doing something like that lol. As for the "you're welcome" bit, I also do it, but in a normal tone of voice and with a polite smile on my face. That makes'em feel absolutely the worst
Ironically, here in Canada, we have the reputation of being extremely polite. However, we're being constantly polluted by the individualistic culture. If it can happen to us, it can happen to anyone. Hopefully this world won't become a world of stereotypical (<-- note the qualification) New Yorkers.