Anonymous wrote:Younger kids? Yes, you are correct.
Older kids? It gets complicated.
A lot of teens are very rude with their friends, and this is considered normal - they sneer and condescend and the level of snark is off the charts. Sarcasm is highly valued.
Problems arise when they snark on adults who aren't used to it. Teachers are a special category: some banter with their students in class and snark right back, some make it clear they want traditional respect from their students. It's hard for you to assess who is and isn't an appropriate adult, OP, if you're just witnessing this as an outside observer.
It's all bad. These are awful manners. It is one thing to engage in sarcasm or snark with very close friends. It's not public behavior. It is especially not appropriate with adults and teachers shouldn't tolerate it, and definitely shouldn't engage in it.
I feel so old, being annoyed with the young kids for their terrible manners.