Whatever happened to....?
By Doug Hagin (02/10/06)
Maybe it is the fact that I am now over 40, maybe I am just old-fashioned, and maybe I just do not understand the world today. Maybe I am just out of touch with modern culture, music, art, and morals. On the other hand, maybe the world is just screwed up.
Whatever it is I find myself wondering more often these days where certain traditions, cultural icons, values, morals, and most of all common sense have gone? So in an effort to find out if it is me or the times that are out of touch, I offer up this column. Whatever happened to....?
Whatever happened to our constitution? You remember it don't you? It used to be in the history books in schools, but I have heard it is now gone from there in many schools. Maybe they were forced to remove it to make room for more chapters on how racist America is. Perhaps they decided that teaching the constitution was not as important as teaching kids how to put condoms on b! ananas? Only so many hours in the school day you know!
Whatever happened to manners and common courtesy? Remember words like "please","Excuse me", or "thank you"? Bet you do not hear those very often anymore do you? Where have they gone? Lost to lazy parenting perhaps? Lord knows I see and hear enough rudeness from kids today, of course often times their parents are just as rude and inconsiderate as the children are. Now if I or any other kid I grew up around had failed to say "please" or "Thank You" our parents would have corrected our error. We would have been told to apologize and ask properly, where is that kind of parenting today?
Maybe today parents are too busy, taking the kids to soccer, or Little League, or too engrossed in their laptops or cell phones to even notice what their kids are saying. Maybe too, they are far too interested in being their children's "pals", or maybe they are worried about bruising their children's self-esteem.
Whatever happened to patriotic Liberals? I know there used to be some of them when I was growing up. Where exactly have they disappeared? Oh sure, Liberals say quite often they love America, but far more often they are saying things which seem to indicate they loathe this nation. According to many Liberals today the America they profess to love is imperialistic, a terrorist state, a bully, intolerant, a big part of the world's problems, an oppressor of women and minorities, and can only be saved by surrendering itself to the brilliant leaders of the United Nations. Is that patriotism?
Whatever happened to Liberals who hate Marxist ideology and Communist atrocities? There was a time, not all that long ago, when Liberals would gladly stand up and denounce the evil of Stalin, Mao, Castro, and Pol Pot. Where are they now? Today's Liberals are far more likely to heap praise upon Castro because all Cubans have health care and can read, than will bash him because he is an evil ! dictator who allows no civil liberties in Cuba. Today's Liberals also are embracing the ideology of Marxism more and more. Socialized health care, gun control, redistribution of wealth, bigger government, and the very Marxist nature of political correctness, are all embraced by Liberals today. Liberals used to decry the censorship in Communist nations, now they wish to prescribe it for America.
Whatever happened to Conservatives who were willing to defend Southern heritage and culture? Oh sure, there are some who will defend the honor of Robert E. Lee, or the gallantry of Confederate soldiers and their banner. That number, though, is sadly diminishing every year it would appear. Now Conservatives like Sean Hannity and others criticize Bill Clinton for signing Confederate Flag Day into law as governor of Arkansas and because Arkansas had a joint holiday for Robert E. Lee and Martin Luther King. Others refuse to defend Southern heritage against the bigotry and lies of the ! NAACP and their ilk. How shameful! Where has their historical knowledge gone?
Whatever happened to common sense? People today seem to have the attention spans of mice. They are too busy either jabbering into their cell phone, surfing on their laptop, or engaging in some other self-centered activity to even notice there are actually other people around, much less act with any consideration for them. Frankly many of us more closely resemble zombies than animated beings anymore. No wonder people are so clueless, when they drive, shop, dine out, or go to a sporting event. Hang up your phone, get off the computer, and open your eyes people! Try thinking for a change!
Whatever happened to costumer service? Remember that? Now days it seems you cannot go to a restaurant without being greeted by a server or bartender reciting some moronic scripted line. They all sound alike too. Welcome to blank, have you ever been to blank before, would y! ou like a blank, or maybe a blank? Who writes this drivel anyway? Give me a server with a brain AND a personality over a mind-numbed robot ANY day! No wonder costumer service has gone down the proverbial tube; the corporate run restaurant chains have destroyed it! They take bright young people tell them every little move to make and every word to say, then tell them to “have fun, be yourself”!
Whatever happened to job security? Remember the idea that you would find a good job, work hard, move up the chain, and retire some day? Today most Americans have held numerous jobs; many have seen their hard work be rewarded with a sudden dismissal. Naturally, workers soon figure out that their job is not really safe so they think nothing of jumping ship to a different company. No job security, no worker loyalty, CEO’s receiving huge bonuses, while companies lay off workers, unions that do more to protect unproductive workers than to do what unions were form! ed to do, not a good recipe there.
Whatever happened to all of this? Do not ask me, I just do not know.
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