When did common decency become uncommon?

When did common decency become so uncommon?  

These days with so many different modes of communication from texting to instant messaging to actually calling someone (which seems to be becoming rarer and rarer) there is simply no excuse for not contacting someone when you have a change of plans or change of heart.

I spend Saturday fuming over the fact that this BOZO, the comedian that I had a date with, did not pick up the phone to call or text or log into his Instant messenger or email if he was too embarrassed and simply sent me a message that He had changed his mind about meeting.  Somewhere between Friday mornings Instant message of “lets talk later today and figure out when and where we are meeting tomorrow” the guy fell off the face of the earth.

What I was left with was hurt feelings, regret for having changed my original plans, anger that I had turned down a date with someone else to sit home alone wondering what happened. 

I think in the on-line world, and particularly the online dating world where you can be whatever you want to be, its easy to fall prey to insensitive, rude, and no character jerks.  Anyone can put on a good show for a period of time.  And with the technology we have today, can simply block, delete, or change their email address when the mood strikes them.  Much easier to just disappear.

And its not just  being stood up that has prompted me to wonder what has happened to decency.  Today I watched a lady struggle to open the door carrying a bag of groceries, a baby and trying to keep a toddler that was with her from running out the door and into the parking lot.  I was at the register, my hands full , trying to put my stuff down so that I could help her.  All of the sudden this man comes out of nowhere and instead of helping her with the door, stood behind her, not offering to help and in a loud voice says “Any day lady!”  This was not a teenager by the way.  This was a man of about 35 who obviously had never heard of the word manners, or chivalry, or courtesy.

Coming home from Kingfisher today, I stopped to get a drink and use the restroom.  I stood for about 2 minutes waiting to wash my hands as a teenage girl casually used the entire counter to re-do her makeup all while talking on the phone to someone .  She obviously saw the people waiting to use the sink but she was totally unmoved.   Her world consisted of her and her alone.  She had no intention of moving out of the way until she was done with what she was doing. 

Maybe it was just one of those days where still reeling from the lack of respect and courtesy shown to me by the comedian guy aka the clown that the rudeness of others stood out.   I’m sure that there are still people in this world that have manners .  Just didn’t see a lot of evidence of that this weekend.  Maybe it’s the heat that is causing a high level of crankiness.

What a better world it would be if everyone truly did treat others as they like to be treated.  Ironically, when talking to David (the clown) this week we were talking about the whole on-line thing and about how there are so many frauds and flakes and rude people that you have to weed through to get to the good decent ones. He mentioned being particularly put out by the women he would send a message to that never responded back. He thought that if he took the time to send a message saying Hey I’d like to meet you, then they should at least respond with “I’m not interested, or you are too far away” etc.  We laughed about my experience with the guy who sent me a message saying he was interested and then when I responded said he didn’t like chubby women.  I believe David’s words about that were “what an ass.   Yes David,  he was…and by the way so are you.

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