Many
Dealing with the Impact of Eroding Civility
Finally, an overarching concern of the three agencies [School system, community college and library] is the erosion of civility in daily life. All three agencies indicate they are finding it harder to retain employees who find themselves on the receiving end of ill-mannered behavior and unrealistic demands. This lack of civility costs the taxpayer in terms of employee retention and in time spent responding to a few that could be spent in service to all.
And a little later we read this:
The library faces a growing challenge with the number of students who gather at several branches after school every day. The students' behavior has prompted numerous customer complaints. The problem is not one the library staff can address alone. This situation points to the need for expanded after-school activities for the county's youth. While the police have been responsive to the immediate problems, the long-term solution demands a broader community response.
If you witness behavior in public that you think is rude, don’t be afraid to call someone out on it. It is a disgrace that the transition team feels it necessary to put this in a report to the
3 comments:
Consider this:
It's possible that people are rude because they are strained beyond tolerable levels. Or, they feel superior enough to believe that no consequences will follow. Or, they are establishing their superiority, as an animal in a new environment might.
In any case, we're far from coming to terms with this problem. Recall what happens to animals when placed in crowded environments.
Allow me to relay a story, one story, not indicative of anything, (unless there are other stories and the stories are becoming more numerous over time).
I needed guitar supplies for my son, and visited Bill's in Catonsville. Pleasant, relaxed atmosphere and clientele. The cashiers were beyond helpful. But on the way home to hoco, I realized we'd forgotten guitar picks, so stopped at the Music and Arts Center in EC where we waited for a cashier while a woman berated the cashier as her slumped husband and children looked on (the children's eyes darting about nervously). She ranted and raged in a quite personal manner at the cashier, complete with pauses while she was locked onto his face. We watched her, hoping to awaken her to the fact that the behavior was a spectacle and then show civility by our own actions when another cashier approached and our manner contrasted, but no avail, she continued on.
Eventually she strutted out, husband with dark circles around his eyes and children taking small quick steps to following closely, nearly bumping into one another.
After getting back into our car, we remarked on the difference in the environment between Bill's and the EC Music and Arts experience.
Maybe she was just frustrated with the poor selection and high prices at Music and Arts. It's driven me to scream before.
More seriously, it's not just our environment that's closing in on us, it's everything. Our lives are more "crowded" than ever.
A lot of this is attributed to people thinking that they, and their kids are God's gift to the world.
If everyone stepped back and realized that the world does not revolve around them alone, the world would be a happier place. And yes, your kids can be jerks and can be blamed for their poor behavior.
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