What Ever Happened to Common Courtesy?

Working with the public on a daily basis, I am beginning to wonder if the concept of manners and common courtesy has finally died. Lord knows, if you watch the news, you can clearly see a definite lack of civility. How long until “polite” society completely ceases to exist?

Let me say up front, there are still plenty of nice, polite, well-mannered people around. I see them every single day. Sadly, I encounter the opposite almost daily as well. And sadly, all those good people stand out way too much, because they are no longer the norm.

Most of my adult life was spent in public education. As a teacher, coach, and administrator, I saw more than my share of rude, angry parents. As a parent myself, I could understand the protective nature of the calling, and I was patient enough to let most of them vent until they were able to calmly discuss the matter at hand. Nevertheless, I withstood plenty of nasty personal attacks that went well beyond the normal frustration of believing your child had been treated unfairly.

One of the things that finally convinced me to retire and walk away from the educational profession was the fact that these attacks were becoming more and more frequent. Just as there were always difficult kids, there were always difficult parents, and occasionally teachers, as well. Unfortunately, the longer I stayed in public education, the percentage of both difficult kids and adults grew. When the ugly encounters became the norm, I knew it was time to get out.

Years later, I find myself once again dealing with the public. And once again, I find customer service to be a greatly unappreciated field. The truth is that no matter how nice you are, how accommodating, how eager to please, some people will still just be rude and obnoxious. Sadly, that is our society now.

As I mentioned last week, I place a lot of blame on the mainstream media. For most of the past two years, we have seen a daily public disrespect for the President. And I don’t mean Donald Trump. I mean the very office which should command the respect of each and every citizen of this country. Whether we love or hate the person in office, we should never lose the respect for the authority of the position.

The media has done an equally disturbing hatchet job on many other figures of authority. Consider ICE. Or the American military. Or law enforcement at almost any level. The media and the Liberal Left have undermined the authority of all of these. And individuals who challenge their authority are hailed as heroes and martyrs. Watch the news and see who gets cast as the villain on a daily basis. Or better yet, don’t watch the news.

But as in my school days, I find myself again thinking of the parents out there, because of course, it all starts in the home. Teach your children manners. Teach your children respect. Teach your children to be kind. Maybe then, we can see the return of some good old common courtesy.