The Death of “Manners”
October 24, 2015
TimeWatch Editorial
On September 14, 2009, the British Newspaper the Daily Mail published the following article entitled “The Spoilt Generation: Parents who fail to exert authority breeding youngsters with no respect for anyone.” I assure you that the detail of that article is nicely encapsulated in its title.
Fiona Macrae and Paul Sims, the writers of the article continue with this description:
“Attempts to 'empower' children and a lack of discipline in the classroom have also fostered rising levels of violence, at home, at school and in the street. This has consequences in every area of society, from the classroom to the workplace, the streets to the criminal courts and rehabilitation clinics. Being spoilt is now classless - from aristocracy to underclass, children are now spoilt in ways that go far beyond materialism.”
Ok, I hear you say, that’s not about us, that’s a British Newspaper. Well, how about an ABCNews website article entitled:Have “Americans Forgotten Their Manners?” Listen to how the article describes the problem:
"Etiquette is not just about what fork to use," said Sandra Morisset, a professional etiquette trainer in New York City. "It's all about your self-awareness and treating others with respect. If you're not aware of your behavior, that's a problem."Among accounts solicited from ABCNEWS.com readers, many blame bad behavior on new generations. "Young people believe they are "entitled" to almost anything," says Donna Dickerson of Tampa, Fla. Some place blame on parents. "Many parents teach their children to avoid being bullied by speaking what's on their mind," says Vanessa Robinson, a schoolteacher from Newark, Del. "But unfortunately, they do not teach a polite, appropriate way to do so."
Jacob Azerrad Ph.D., and Paul Chance Ph.D., on September 1, 2001 published this article: “Why Our Kids are Out of Control.” Here’s what these two professionals have to say:
I have been a child psychologist for 35 years, and each year I see parents dealing with more and more severe problems. Their children are not just ill-mannered; they are whiny, selfish, arrogant, rude, defiant and violent. Most of them are also miserable, as are their parents.
Such disgraceful behavior in young children predicts serious problems later in life. As adolescents they are more likely to drop out of school, use drugs, engage in delinquency and be clinically depressed. And when I read newspaper articles about road rage, commuter rage and office rage it seems to me that many out-of-control children are growing up to be out-of-control adults.
Miriam Webster defines Political Correctness as: “agreeing with the idea that people should be careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people.”
However, today the term Politically Correctness is a pejorative term, used to denigrate those who would rather refrain from offensive verbal assaults.
A pejorative (also called a derogatory term or a term of disparagement) is a word or grammatical form expressing a low opinion of someone or something, or showing a lack of respect for someone or something. So then, a person who seeks to avoid offending others is looked down upon and disrespected by those who consider themselves capable of assessing and rendering judgment upon others. Not just the act of assessing and rendering judgment, but finding the most offensive means possible of expressing that judgment.
Fortunately, our youth today are not necessarily paying that much attention to the words and attitudes of those who consider themselves so much wiser than the rest of us, that they can with disdain and as much offensive language as possible, assign their rivals to the trash heap. But even then, since many of the parents of these youths are apparently attracted to the abusive rhetoric of these ambitious future leaders, it surely must be with trembling that we await the next generation.
Cameron A. Bowen
