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Talkin’ About Those Generations
by Linda S. Thompson
Some of us are old enough to remember Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of
Etiquette, first published in 1952. Ms. Vanderbilt left this world in
1974, but if she were alive today, I wonder what she would think of
what is now considered appropriate and/or acceptable.
Amy popped into my head this morning when I received an email from a
friend that said: “This morning at 6 am I went to the store to
get some coffee. I could not get in the front door, as it was blocked
by a young girl sitting on the sidewalk talking on her cell phone.
“I stood in line because a young girl behind the counter had to
finish her conversation on her cell phone before she could understand
that she was there to work.
“I tried to pull out of the parking lot, but the entrance was
blocked by a young girl standing right in the middle of the road,
talking on her cell phone, oblivious to the fact that I was sitting
there waiting to pull out. I had to blow the horn to get her to move.
“Perhaps it is not a generation gap. Perhaps it is just that
young people are attracted to metal objects with buttons that beep. I
dunno (sic).”
What’s happened to good manners?
After laughing for several minutes, I regained my senses and began
thinking about this scenario. How far we've come from the days when the
young respected their elders (my friend is a Boomer guy). Way back
then, we would automatically and politely defer to our elders in
whatever way we could.
Granted, this deference came to a screeching halt when the Boomers
arrived. After all, we had all the answers, and could find absolutely
nothing we wanted to emulate from our elders. However, being polite in
public didn't go by the wayside for quite some time after we entered
young adulthood.
Cause and
effect
Perhaps today's youthful cell phone users are so caught up with the
“now” of what they're doing that they fail to recognize
others are patiently, or not so patiently, waiting for them to complete
their calls and either do something, or get the %#&& out of the
way.
Perhaps it’s because we’ve forgotten what polite society is
or the meaning of the phrase “good manners”. Or is it that
they've never been taught? After all, the youth of today have been
brought up to believe they can do no wrong. Everyone gets a gold star;
everyone wins a prize.
Our
responsibility
Are we really doing our young any favors by promoting this attitude? Or
are we setting them up for future disappointments and potential
failure? When they enter the workforce and find that they are not
always going to come out on top, what happens to them then?
If some parents have abdicated their responsibility to instill the
concept of good manners in their children, isn't it up to us as a
society in general to do something about it? We need to take this group
of young people in hand and teach them that good manners is not a thing
of the past, but something that is expected if they have any desire at
all for success in life.
Why do I say it's a societal issue? The youth of today are going to be
in charge of our destiny one day and if we don't teach them to respect
their elders, what are our lives going to be like when they're in
charge?
Something to think about, Boomers and Xers . . .
Linda
Thompson is the author of Planning for Tomorrow, Your Passport to a
Confident Future, a common sense approach to life planning; and A
Caregiver's Journey, You Are Not Alone, a survival guide for working
caregivers. Every Generation Needs a New Revolution, How Six
Generations Across Nine Decades can Find Harmony and Peaceful
Coexistence, is Linda's most recent book. To find out more about
Linda's presentation and to purchase her books, visit:
http:/www/lifepathsolutions.biz/. |
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