On Forgetfulness and Rudeness

[katiefoolery]

Bah bah bah!  Why did I spent all my valuable working hours writing blurbs and descriptions for my stories if I was going to forget to email them home so I could start uploading them to my website?  I really don't know the answer to that one.  It's just stupid.  And annoying.  More to the point, this means I can't make any progress on the site until Monday afternoon.

Bah.

Ah well, I suppose it means I can do some more fiddling around with making my own template on WordPress.  And I do have my bio and writing CV here, so I suppose I could upload those.

It's just frustrating.

While we're on things that are annoying me, I want to rant about the stupid kid and his dad at the supermarket the other day.  I was behind the dad in the queue and he'd just finished paying for his groceries when his son joined the line with a bottle of drink that he wanted to buy.  I thought I'd be nice, so I stood aside and said to the kid: "You go next."

Well.  He just gave me a weird, ungrateful look and went right ahead.  I was bewildered.  There wasn't even an attempt at a muttered "thanks".  Even worse was his dad, who said absolutely nothing to his ungrateful wretch of a boy.  He just stood there, unconcerned, while his son was rude and sullen to someone who'd just done something nice to him.  I couldn't believe it.  No wonder half the kids I deal with in the library are nasty little brats if this is how their parents are bringing them up.

I still can't get over that dad.  If it had been my dad... well, for starters, I would have said thank-you without being prompted.  And if I hadn't, my dad would have made sure I did.  Loudly.  And gratefully.  I thought we were supposed to ask what's wrong with the youth of today.  Now it appears we have to ask: "What's wrong with the parents of youth today?"

Is this all part of the "me!" culture that we seem to be developing?  You don't thank people who do nice things for you because of course they're going to do it.  It's for me after all, isn't it?  Everyone should do stuff for me, because I'm great.  Of course I should go ahead of you in the queue, because I'm me.  Of course I should shove my way to the front of the bus line, ahead of the people who already have tickets ready to go, to hold everyone up while I buy mine... because I'm me.  Of course I should expect you to get out of my way, because I'm me.

My parents brought me up to consider other people and not to be selfish.  But I have to tell you, I'm sorely tempted to ignore all of this when people behave so rudely to complete strangers.

Comments

[naelany.livejournal.com]

Ya know...I'm not that old, really I'm not. I'm only 30, I can remember relatively well how kids behaved in their teens as well. And well, I will admit that the whole "me" attitude was highly prevelant (hey, it's Holland!), I don't think it was quite as bad then, as it is now. And we wonder why the world's going to hell in a handbasket.
Anyway, props to you for going out of your way to do something nice for someone else, even if they turned out to be ingrates

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Everything seems to be about having what you want right now. My parents taught me to save up and to feel the satisfaction of buying something I wanted after working hard to get it. Now you see students with mobiles and jewellery, getting their nails done professionally (although usually not the boys). They're just given whatever they want and many of them don't value it.

I do try to consider other people. It just annoys me to see that so few other people actually do the same.

[naelany.livejournal.com]

I think it's what they have termed the ...oh bullocks, my brain would choose now to fry on me...I can't think of the name now... "entitlement". I think....

And I know what you mean...it's kind of sad, really