Manners Matter, Muthaf*****!

I am, in the course of my work, exposed to a wide variety of socio-economic classes. From the very poor to the enviously affluent. I try to treat everyone the same regardless of their circumstances because everyone deserves fair treatment.

One thing that is fully within each child's control is their attitude and manners, or lack thereof. Yes, manners are taught by parents but, once a child enters the education system, they are also strongly encouraged by educators.

Some kids never seem to grasp the value in saying please, thank you and you're welcome. They seem to operate on an entitlement concept that the world exists solely to serve them and all of their petty little needs.

Contrast that with the kids at one of my other schools. These kids are polite, say please and thank you and I really enjoy working with them. They also don't approach problems like they expect other people to resolve them for them, they want to learn how to resolve them themselves. Its refreshing and, as a result, I look forward to coming to this school quite alot more than the others.

Parents, do not let your kids get away with being ill-mannered kids, you are doing them no favors at all. Teach them to use their manners and they'll find that people are much more likely to want to help them.

As with so much of the rest of life, you get out what you put in.

Dear Snooty Old Lady in the Benz

You do not, in fact or theory, own the road. You do not, in any way, shape or form, own the parking lot outside Safeway and you most definitely do not have any right to treat crosswalks and people in them like personal insults.

You'd do well to slow down, learn that other people exist in the universe and not try to run people, like me, over just because you're too high and goddamned mighty to depress your brake pedal in your expensive ego-stroke of a car.

Or, if you do, don't look so pissed off when someone, like me, reminds you what a crosswalk is all about. Or just keep your windows rolled up and your wraparound sunglasses firmly in place. Or you could just run me over and we'll see how long you keep that car while cooling your heels in jail for attempted manslaughter. Or you could just slow down and show a mote of grace when someone is in a crosswalk in front of you.

As it is, you provided a moment's entertainment to a mother and her daughter who overheard my spur of the moment education I attempted to impart to you about crosswalk manners. I'm sure the lesson was lost when it bounced off your coif or your superiority complex though.

Seriously though, show some class, show some societal concern, show some manners, slow down, cede the right of way and quit being such an uptight lead-footed bitch.

Sincerely,
Erik

Crosswalks = Target Practice

I'm almost used to good manners being a complete afterthought in Watsonville, where I currently live. Almost because its still a pain in the ass when some fat cracker knocks into you and then looks at you like you got in their way on purpose. Or that there's absolutely no manners from people on the road.

It is annoying but there's really not much that can be done about it. Not without taking a tire iron to people's heads all the time and I'm not sure the message would come across anyway. And I'd just end up getting arrested.

But when someone is in a crosswalk, with a dog, it is the rare occasion when a car slows down and almost unheard of for them to stop and allow you to cross the street.

Today, when I took Nande down for a short run in the slough, one car approaching stopped for me, which was nice. The car on the other side stopped as well, which was amazing. And the car behind that one laid on his horn because he was so inconvenienced by having to move his big fat foot to the brake pedal. And, I know I shouldn't have, but I could resist shouting a little bit at him about crosswalks and traffic laws.

It galls the hell out of me that people are such overt assholes on the road. It makes pretty sad to know that my children already have better manners than most of the adults in my town. Poor manners are a sign of poor parenting and I'd have to say that most of the parents in my town failed, badly.

Manners Reflect Poorly on the Parents Most

The first thing I think of when I meet a child or kid with notably good or notably bad manners is that their parents did it. They either raised a kid with good manners or they raised a kid without good manners. The majority, lately it seems, were raised without even an idea of what manners are.

CostCo on Memorial Day Sunday is like exposing one's backside to a weedwhacker, it is gonna hurt.

And the sheer number of people who behave as if they are the only ones there is absolutely fucking annoying. When you're right behind someone and they just stop and abandon their shopping cart, blocking you in the process, and then dart across the aisle, blocking your ability to go around and keep moving, eventually you just want to start dropping elbows. Oh yeah, excuse me doesn't seem to do a thing.

But don't you dare touch their cart. Oh no, no, no. They rush right back to them and shoot daggers at you with their eyes. And haastily push away down the aisle. Only to resume their annoying and self absorbed behaviour almost immediately. It's like a merry go round, only without the music, brass rings or ponies. Or fun. And the ride costs a helluva lot more than fifty cents.

But the prizes are much better, if you do well. The most exciting thing I got at CostCo today was an eight pack of chili, good chili but chili nonetheless, no four pack of Super Soakers with laser aiming for me today. And I also got another firm reminder that, no matter what else, my two children will say "please", "thank you" and "excuse me" loudly and regularly. And only a little bit because I don't want other parents to look at me and judge me a bad parent because my kid's are rude little buggers.

If you've got kids or you are planning on having kids then I would appreciate it if you did the same. The world needs manners, they are all that separate us from the animals.

By the way, on that note, swing by my pals at The Mint for a refreshing dose of the capricious and often very cool nature of nature.