{"id":171,"date":"2016-06-21T20:40:40","date_gmt":"2016-06-22T00:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/?p=171"},"modified":"2024-11-06T13:15:25","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T18:15:25","slug":"un-common-courtesy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/un-common-courtesy\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m Tired of Hearing About Un-Common Courtesy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_7477\"I regularly hear that my kids have good manners. People compliment me on how polite they are. Though I appreciate hearing good things about them, this always puzzles me. They are not doing anything special, they behave in a way that I would expect everyone to. They say please and thank you, hold the door for the next person (or open it for someone without a free hand) and wait their turn.<\/p>\n

I have had store employees thank me for pausing a phone conversation to interact with them. (One even mentioned it had never happened before.) Why is this out of the ordinary? What has happened to our society? How did we become a society of individuals rather than a whole?<\/p>\n

Every generation complains about the new one. Looking back, our parents and grandparents cited a lack of respect, a selfishness about the youth of the day. One can say that this is more of the same, but I am seeing it in older people as well. This lack of courtesy is not peculiar to teens and young adults. In fact, it is often worse in those who are old enough \u201cto know better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finger pointing and blaming is rampant. Someone else is to blame for everything. Few accept responsibility for their actions, least of all our authority figures and the media who report on them.<\/p>\n

People react to bad news. They comment on stories they disagree with. Bad news, outrageous news, misleading news and headlines all create controversy and people make their opinions known. Think about this: When is the last time you commented on good news? When was the last time you told someone that they made a positive difference in your life? When did you last share a story celebrating someone else\u2019s accomplishments? When did you last smile and exchange pleasantries with a stranger? When did you last comment on an act of kindness, acknowledging that you noticed and that it was appreciated?<\/p>\n

We complain about the preponderance of bad news. Tragedy and scandal are the headlines. The positive stories get buried, if they run at all. Why? Because that is what we are asking for.<\/em> We blame the media for creating controversy. These stories are successful only because people react to them. It is obvious that the way we are behaving is not working.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s try something new. The next time something makes you feel good, tell someone about it. The next time you read something that makes you smile, that encourages you, share it. Tell people that their actions and words are making a difference. Look for the positive. Encourage kindness. We can\u2019t escape all the evil and sadness in the world, but we don\u2019t have to feed it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I regularly hear that my kids have good manners. People compliment me on how polite they are. Though I appreciate hearing good things about them, this always puzzles me. They are not doing anything special, they behave in a way that I would expect everyone to. They say please and thank you, hold the door […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[87],"tags":[45,43,44],"class_list":["post-171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-social-mores","tag-common-courtesy","tag-kindness","tag-manners"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7mJoQ-2L","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":151,"url":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/new-sexual-revolution\/","url_meta":{"origin":171,"position":0},"title":"Are We on the Cusp of a New Sexual Revolution?","author":"Kimberly Yavorski","date":"June 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The viral reactions to recent news has been unusual to say the least, resulting in a an uproar across the internet. Last week the big story was the child who ended up in a gorilla enclosure at a zoo. People were quick to blame: the mom and the zoo were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "feminism"","block_context":{"text":"feminism","link":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/category\/feminism\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"100_7698","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/06\/100_7698-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7,"url":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/why-cant-we-all-just-get-along-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":171,"position":1},"title":"Why Can\u2019t We All Just Get Along?","author":"Kimberly Yavorski","date":"February 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In our house, this past weekend was full of politics. We spent part of Friday and much of Saturday watching the live stream of Washington and Lee University\u2019s Mock Republican Convention. The school has a long-standing tradition of every four years holding a mock convention for the party which is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "social mores"","block_context":{"text":"social mores","link":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/category\/social-mores\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/02\/scan0004.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/02\/scan0004.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/02\/scan0004.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/02\/scan0004.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/02\/scan0004.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/02\/scan0004.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":401,"url":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/more-alike-different\/","url_meta":{"origin":171,"position":2},"title":"Why Can’t We See That We Are More Alike Than Different?","author":"Kimberly Yavorski","date":"February 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Republican Party is caricatured as a heartless, racist group that does not care about children, the poor or the elderly. The perception is that it is the party of corporate greed and self interests. The Democrat Party is caricatured as a group of bleeding heart hippies who want to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "politics"","block_context":{"text":"politics","link":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/02\/puzzle-535508_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/02\/puzzle-535508_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/02\/puzzle-535508_1280.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/02\/puzzle-535508_1280.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":412,"url":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/dread-palm-sunday\/","url_meta":{"origin":171,"position":3},"title":"Why I Dread Palm Sunday","author":"Kimberly Yavorski","date":"March 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"As a child, I looked forward to Palm Sunday. After all, Palm Sunday Mass features a giveaway and the Gospel includes major audience participation. Sure the Mass was longer than most, and there was more standing\/sitting\/kneeling than most Sundays, but it was different, and like I said, you went home\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "politics"","block_context":{"text":"politics","link":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/cross-sunset-sunrise-hill-70847.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/cross-sunset-sunrise-hill-70847.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/cross-sunset-sunrise-hill-70847.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/cross-sunset-sunrise-hill-70847.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/03\/cross-sunset-sunrise-hill-70847.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":122,"url":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/old-people-fun\/","url_meta":{"origin":171,"position":4},"title":"Old People Have All the Fun","author":"Kimberly Yavorski","date":"May 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I recently went to see My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. At one point in the movie, Yiayia is dancing in the street, dressed rather oddly.\u00a0 This made me laugh, perhaps more than it should have and I leaned over to my daughter to warn her, \u201cThat will be me\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "midlife"","block_context":{"text":"midlife","link":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/category\/midlife\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"smile-1031894_1280","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/05\/smile-1031894_1280-e1463016458309-149x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":438,"url":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/dont-blame-parents-weve-living-in-a-helicopter-society\/","url_meta":{"origin":171,"position":5},"title":"Don\u2019t Blame Parents, We\u2019re Living in a Helicopter Society","author":"Kimberly Yavorski","date":"May 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Helicopter Parents are blamed for stifling the growth of their children and creating a generation of young adults who struggle to deal with everyday tasks, resulting in the need for actual classes in \u201cHow to Adult.\u201d I would argue that it\u2019s not that simple. Parents alone are not to blame.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "social mores"","block_context":{"text":"social mores","link":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/category\/social-mores\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"an empty helicopter cockpit as viewed from in front","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/IMG_1675.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/IMG_1675.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/IMG_1675.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/IMG_1675.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/IMG_1675.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/IMG_1675.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":175,"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171\/revisions\/175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}