We're Classless Bastards
written by Allan on November 24, 2008
In the past week, i've run into several situations, where the people involved show how classless the world is becoming. Maybe parents aren't teaching their sons to be men and daughters to be ladies. Maybe we're becoming humans with less character, that are increasingly selfish and less caring. I don't know exactly but here's the situation and yes this is a rant incase you couldn't tell.
1) My family recently fired a fairly well paid employee from one of their car washes. He had been selling car washes to customers and then pocketing the money and running the cars thru the wash as rewashes. He did this over 300 times in 3 months, stealing several thousand dollars from them. He's 60 years old with a family and kids. Seemly nice guy, apparent con artist. My Dad fired him and then gave him unemployment even though he had the right to fire him. He showed up in my parent's neighborhood and called my Dad and told him he would get revenge. When did we stop teaching hard work pays and liars always get caught?
2) My wife, toddler son and I are at the Miami Airport, in a bus heading to the tarmac. She's pregnant and you can see the belly. The bus was packed, she could barely reach the handlebar to steady herself. Whatever happened to letting women sit down? Did we stop teaching this to our sons?
3) Again another airport, I walk up to the airline desk and the women is looking down. "Excuse me" I say and I pause for around 10 seconds. "Excuse me" I say again, maybe she didn't hear me, I think to myself and I wait. "Excuse me" I say this time a little louder. She looks up and says "What, what, what?". I ask my question and leave. Did we stop teaching people about a smile or even being nice especially in a customer service position?
Think about your great grandparents' values and character, we've slid so much from their value system. When men worked hard to support their families. When they stood up to allow women to sit in a crowd bus. And employees did their job as best as possible because they wanted to make their boss & family proud. What happened?
Also when did kids stop saying "Yes Sir and No Sir"? My parents would have kicked my ass if I didn't say it.
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Allan loves his family more than breathing. He lives in Panama City, Florida & grew up washing cars at his family's car washes. Oh and Allan hasn't worn underwear since 2004.
9 Comments
Excellent post!
Excellent reminders! #1 really gets me. I can’t imagine stealing from someone and then swearing revenge on them when they’ve caught me in the wrong.
Related to #2: I used to commute a lot by bus to the agency I worked for in Denver. There were often times when the bus would be full and someone would offer a woman their seat. What’s frustrating is that of seemed like a toss-up as to whether or not the woman in question would be grateful for the seat or act offended at the offer. I think, as a culture, we’re sending everyone mixed messages along the chivalry front.
When was the world ever a ‘classy’ place, populated entirely by selfless and caring ladies and gentlemen of good character?
I’m at the check out line, the self-check out actually, and I have just scanned a bottle of wine and the person that monitors the self-checkout lanes needs to verify age for me to proceed. I wait about 10 seconds and observe that the cashier is clearly occupied, she is TEXT MESSAGING. I ask her for some help and she replies, “I’ll be done in just a second.”
I speak to the manager about this and about how just 10 minutes earlier another employee was text messaging and WALKED INTO ME because they were walking and not paying attention. The manager didn’t really see it as a problem. And he added, “if we don’t let them text message and talk on their phones at work they will quit.”
Grant,
It’s not whether or not the offer is accepted, or even appreciated. It’s whether or not the offer is made.
It’s a cult of compassion. Our parents (mine anyway) helped to sensitize me to the condition of others. Are we always looking to help, or not? Those beliefs are built into my core, they comprise what/who I am.
dhw
Also when did kids stop saying “Yes Sir and No Sir”? My parents would have kicked my ass if I didn’t say it.
I think that’s a southern thing. For whatever reason that does not seem to be the thing to do in the upper-Midwest, or at least Wisconsin.
Which is odd because I was raised to ‘yes ma’am’ a lady and ‘yes sir’ a gentleman. And everyone older than about 25 was one of those.
When was the world ever a ‘classy’ place, populated entirely by selfless and caring ladies and gentlemen of good character?
Of course not.
But once upon a time the default was to be selfless and caring and and exhibit good manners – if you were not you were ashamed to be that way.
Now .. my boys behave themselves in the store and cashiers comment on it. This always startles me: they’re not being Goody Two-Shoes, just .. polite young men. It’s what they’re supposed to be.
But if ‘polite’ is such an exception that it gets comments then what is the default mode?
craziness!
We didn’t grow up with the “yes sir/no sir” (I think your part of the country does that more) BUT we were a “yes please/no thank you” very polite family. My friends parents were always exclaiming how wonderfully mannered us kids were…and how their kids were such brats (of course they said this in front of the kids). LOL They would never get it because they don’t even have manners themselves. It’s funny what people cannot see.
I completly agree with you.
I’ve had to chase a company for 24 days to get my heat fixed. I’ve had to chase the national contractor they hire, and the local contract they sub the work out too. What happened to pride in ones work?
We live in a world that teaches us the nice guy, the genetleman finishes last, hence the decline in gentlemen.
PS. I still open doors and give up my seat.
PPS. I’m only 27, not some old guy.
Valid points. Mind you my grandmother was shocked the other day because when she showed up for church, there was a woman behind the pulpit. Some generational changes are a good thing.
I blame the fact that ‘Generation X’ are having kids, but I blame a lot on the X’ers. Cuz I’m a self-righteous millennial kid.