June 06, 2024, 02:57:22 PM

Author Topic: The Front Porch  (Read 1788052 times)

Offline TWCToday

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13530 on: August 15, 2011, 02:46:01 AM »
At least there's some civility (or the expectation of it) somewhere in this world!  Years of working retail have taught me that manners just don't exist in this world anymore.  I've had some downright MISERABLE customers, many of whom are miserable just for the sake of being miserable, and especially because they know we sales associates just can't do a darn thing about it but stand there and take their abuse.  And some of that abuse gets ugly, let me tell you - to the point of having to go to court, even, to get it stopped.  And I've even seen with my own eyes how parents teach their kids how to be as rude to us as possible.  Now that's sad - teaching a child how to treat certain people much worse than they'd treat other people.  And why?  All because we work in a store?  Is that what "the customer is always right" means?  It's disgusting, but, sadly, there's not much I can do about it.  But the point of what I'm saying is that this happens not only in stores, but all throughout society, too.  People don't hold doors anymore, excuse themselves after burping or making other unfortunate biological noises, don't say "please" and "thank you," just bump past you on the sidewalk... the list can go on and on.  Do things REALLY have to be like this?  Really?  Why has society let itself get so rude, so lazy with manners, and, most importantly, so inconsiderate when it comes to other people?  At least my parents and my grandparents brought me up right.  I couldn't behave that way in public if my life depended on it.

 :offtopic:
Online its even harder to find it. I have always believed that being kind and polite will get your further in this world than mean and nasty. For now I haven't done much work in retail but I always treat those who I deal with with the respect they deserve even if they don't show it in return. You are correct about society we have lost our sense of morality and manners. Why just today I was at a department store and the women looked like I had stepped on her foot as she rang me up. I don't think its just America either. I have a friend who lives in Italy who wears her country is the worst. Haha! Its all a matter of viewpoint I suppose.

Offline Eric

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13531 on: August 15, 2011, 02:52:39 AM »
Online its even harder to find it. I don't think its just America either. I have a friend who lives in Italy who wears her country is the worst. Haha! Its all a matter of viewpoint I suppose.

Oh, the abuse of the anonymity of the internet is terrible.  Deaths have resulted.  But what can people do about it, really?  When left to police themselves, people just turn to the lowest common denominator as quickly as possible.  It's terribly sad.  This is the 21st century, and you'd think humanity would have evolved to be better than this by now.  Guess not.  When it comes down to it, humanity as a whole is still really just a bunch of apes who use their increased brainpower for evil rather than for good.

As far as my travels have taken me, the vast majority has been throughout northeastern Europe, and, let me tell you, the worst customers I saw there are equivalent to what I'd call "somewhat nicer than average" customers in America.  There are places where people still know their manners, and that's what really gets me mad when I think about what I have to deal with on a daily basis.  It's not that it's impossible to be nice.  It's that people specifically make the choice to be nasty rather than pleasant, and that makes me so mad I can barely communicate it.

Offline TWCToday

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13532 on: August 15, 2011, 03:05:59 AM »
Oh, the abuse of the anonymity of the internet is terrible.  Deaths have resulted.  But what can people do about it, really?  When left to police themselves, people just turn to the lowest common denominator as quickly as possible.  It's terribly sad.  This is the 21st century, and you'd think humanity would have evolved to be better than this by now.  Guess not.  When it comes down to it, humanity as a whole is still really just a bunch of apes who use their increased brainpower for evil rather than for good.
The internet is a tricky place. Should people behave as they do in real life or is it a chance for them to escape and be a different person? Personally I saw you should act as you do if you were talking to someone on the street. However it seems the majority think the latter. The internet to them is a place without boundaries and rules where people can be wild without consequences. In some area like gaming it might be appropriate but in online communities I think not. Putting all of that aside I think you are being a little pessimistic. Humanity is far from a bunch of apes and does much more good than evil. Take the stage collapse that just happened for example. Moments after it happened people rushed together to lift the stage pieces off of injured people. Just little moments like that show the true power of humanity. So while its easy to look at the internet or retail and loose hope, you can't judge humanity based on that alone.

Offline TWCToday

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13533 on: August 15, 2011, 03:09:56 AM »
The closed-minded American won't admit it, but we are probably one of the more rude countries out there. Sure, we think that since we're the United States, that we're the greatest country in the world (and face it, statistically, we're not), that our attitude and our way of living is the best out there. For those of you who have the opportunity to travel, please do. You'll realize how hospitable and pleasant foreigners are, and if you get them talking, how much they'll sometimes laugh at the smugness of the United States. I'm heading to Australia next semester for a few months, and I wouldn't be surprised if they have the same attitude towards the U.S. that some European folks have.
Guess I am a closed-minded American but I think you are taking that a little far. Americans are certainly rude sometimes but having been around Europe I can tell you it is not limited to here. Out of curiosity you say we are not statistically the greatest country in the world. What are you basing that on? Income? Health? Education? Its ignorant to think that we are superior to all other countries but it is also ignorant to ignore our importance in the world. If you look at all of Americas aspects I think its hard to argue that we are one of the greatest and most powerful countries in the world. That is no excuse to treat others like dirt but shouldn't be ignored either. When a major disaster occurs in the world who is the first country people look to? We are a great country and a great society. We certainly have our faults but so does the rest of the world.

Offline Mr. Rainman

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13534 on: August 15, 2011, 10:40:13 AM »
Guess I am a closed-minded American but I think you are taking that a little far. Americans are certainly rude sometimes but having been around Europe I can tell you it is not limited to here. Out of curiosity you say we are not statistically the greatest country in the world. What are you basing that on? Income? Health? Education? Its ignorant to think that we are superior to all other countries but it is also ignorant to ignore our importance in the world. If you look at all of Americas aspects I think its hard to argue that we are one of the greatest and most powerful countries in the world. That is no excuse to treat others like dirt but shouldn't be ignored either. When a major disaster occurs in the world who is the first country people look to? We are a great country and a great society. We certainly have our faults but so does the rest of the world.

I never said that we were a terrible rotten country with nothing to be proud of, nor am I trying to say that we have zero influence in the world. I'm not arguing that point. I'm merely trying to say that we, as a society, are a bit more rude than, say, the society of Japan, or France, or Germany. I just find it embarrassing what unbelievably poor manners I've seen when travelling around somewhere within the United States, and how polite and well-mannered many of the Europeans I have met have been (this is across 10 different countries). Are there exceptions to this? Certainly. But I'm saying in general.
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Offline TWCToday

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13535 on: August 15, 2011, 02:56:44 PM »
Guess I am a closed-minded American but I think you are taking that a little far. Americans are certainly rude sometimes but having been around Europe I can tell you it is not limited to here. Out of curiosity you say we are not statistically the greatest country in the world. What are you basing that on? Income? Health? Education? Its ignorant to think that we are superior to all other countries but it is also ignorant to ignore our importance in the world. If you look at all of Americas aspects I think its hard to argue that we are one of the greatest and most powerful countries in the world. That is no excuse to treat others like dirt but shouldn't be ignored either. When a major disaster occurs in the world who is the first country people look to? We are a great country and a great society. We certainly have our faults but so does the rest of the world.

I never said that we were a terrible rotten country with nothing to be proud of, nor am I trying to say that we have zero influence in the world. I'm not arguing that point. I'm merely trying to say that we, as a society, are a bit more rude than, say, the society of Japan, or France, or Germany. I just find it embarrassing what unbelievably poor manners I've seen when travelling around somewhere within the United States, and how polite and well-mannered many of the Europeans I have met have been (this is across 10 different countries). Are there exceptions to this? Certainly. But I'm saying in general.
Ohhh sorry it was late at night and I misinterpreted what you said! Sorry bout that :P

Offline Localonthe8s

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13536 on: August 15, 2011, 05:15:48 PM »
I find Canadians more friendlier and courteous than Americans. I'm guessing they are more laid back, but they often say thank you or "excuse me" if you bump into them, or hello as you pass by. Then again here in NJ, hospitality is not our strong point :/

Offline Mike M

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13537 on: August 15, 2011, 05:54:36 PM »
I find Canadians more friendlier and courteous than Americans. I'm guessing they are more laid back, but they often say thank you or "excuse me" if you bump into them, or hello as you pass by. Then again here in NJ, hospitality is not our strong point :/
NJ doesn't have a strong point in anything. Period. :happy:

Offline Mr. Rainman

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13538 on: August 15, 2011, 07:00:51 PM »
I find Canadians more friendlier and courteous than Americans. I'm guessing they are more laid back, but they often say thank you or "excuse me" if you bump into them, or hello as you pass by. Then again here in NJ, hospitality is not our strong point :/
NJ doesn't have a strong point in anything. Period. :happy:

:bleh: I like the New Jersey accent. Does that count for something?
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Offline Localonthe8s

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13539 on: August 15, 2011, 07:02:31 PM »
I find Canadians more friendlier and courteous than Americans. I'm guessing they are more laid back, but they often say thank you or "excuse me" if you bump into them, or hello as you pass by. Then again here in NJ, hospitality is not our strong point :/
NJ doesn't have a strong point in anything. Period. :happy:

:bleh: I like the New Jersey accent. Does that count for something?
I don't have an accent. :D

Offline Mr. Rainman

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13540 on: August 15, 2011, 07:40:33 PM »
I'll be out for the next few days as I move out of my home in South Carolina and into my new one: a cramped dorm room in Grand Forks, North Dakota, which I will call home for the next 4.5-5 years. I'll hopefully be back on the forums by Saturday.
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Offline toxictwister00

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13541 on: August 15, 2011, 07:52:17 PM »
I'll be out for the next few days as I move out of my home in South Carolina and into my new one: a cramped dorm room in Grand Forks, North Dakota, which I will call home for the next 4.5-5 years. I'll hopefully be back on the forums by Saturday.

Good luck on your transition to your new home and safe travels!  :wave:


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Offline Mike M

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13542 on: August 15, 2011, 07:53:59 PM »
:bleh: I like the New Jersey accent. Does that count for something?
I'm from PA, so I have that accent. :bleh:

Offline Localonthe8s

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13543 on: August 15, 2011, 07:55:52 PM »
I'll be out for the next few days as I move out of my home in South Carolina and into my new one: a cramped dorm room in Grand Forks, North Dakota, which I will call home for the next 4.5-5 years. I'll hopefully be back on the forums by Saturday.
Good luck! I, too, am going to be moving into a dorm later this month.

Offline beanboy89

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Re: The Front Porch
« Reply #13544 on: August 15, 2011, 09:06:40 PM »
I'll be out for the next few days as I move out of my home in South Carolina and into my new one: a cramped dorm room in Grand Forks, North Dakota, which I will call home for the next 4.5-5 years. I'll hopefully be back on the forums by Saturday.
Good luck at college. It'll be quite a ride!

I'll be out for the next few days as I move out of my home in South Carolina and into my new one: a cramped dorm room in Grand Forks, North Dakota, which I will call home for the next 4.5-5 years. I'll hopefully be back on the forums by Saturday.
Good luck! I, too, am going to be moving into a dorm later this month.
Good luck, too. Where are you going to school?
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