Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone let's you cut in front of them when merging onto the road and you wave to thank them

People don’t do that anymore. I can’t remember the last time someone waved thank you

I wave all the time.

I also let people in all the time. If more of us did this, we'd create a big change on the road.

The traffic would definitely be better!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone let's you cut in front of them when merging onto the road and you wave to thank them

People don’t do that anymore. I can’t remember the last time someone waved thank you

I wave all the time.

I also let people in all the time. If more of us did this, we'd create a big change on the road.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone let's you cut in front of them when merging onto the road and you wave to thank them

People don’t do that anymore. I can’t remember the last time someone waved thank you

I prefer they don't. Put your hands on the wheel and drive.

No. We grew up during a time it was fine to snap girls bras and date rape was the story line of teen rom coms.

Mean girls existed, uncles were raping their nieces and nephews, the r word and n word and f word were just fine, girls were on an island being molested.

Church ladies gossiped if your kids were not dressed “properly”, we were segregated, gay people were beaten and ganged, cops wouldn’t even convict beating of trans people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone let's you cut in front of them when merging onto the road and you wave to thank them

People don’t do that anymore. I can’t remember the last time someone waved thank you

I teach in a very high immigrant neighborhood and people wave to say thank you all the time. The sentiment that immigrants are criminals is baffling to me. I feel like among them is the most civility.

Anonymous wrote:When someone let's you cut in front of them when merging onto the road and you wave to thank them

I do this but I’m old I guess. No one does this anymore

My kids go to school in a much wealthier neighborhood than we live. I find that base level kindness to strangers is much higher at home than when I'm out and about around their school.

Yes, but those people are still out there.

On screens yes. In real life, like at work and at restaurants, stores, no. People are very nice in person.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone let's you cut in front of them when merging onto the road and you wave to thank them

People don’t do that anymore. I can’t remember the last time someone waved thank you

I do it so often! I feel like I am constantly waving at kind people who let me make a turn out of the grocery store parking lot or whatever. I am fortunate to make my own work hours so I run errands during the day and not rush hour. People are much kinder after and before rush hour than during, which is understandable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are living on the edge with no margin. They don’t have enough money, they don’t get to rest, their health is poor, and the political situation is not ok. When you are in a constant state of stress you don’t have the energy to handle slights in a gracious way, and you’re not taking the time to be appreciative and kind either.

Poor people were a lot more poor 50+ years ago.

And? You think the poor people 50+ years ago were nicer or something? Guess what- if they had every kind of stress and no social support, they weren’t.

The point was: op asked if people are less polite today. Another poster agreed that people are less nice today, because they are poor and living on the brink which is stressful and makes them horrible. My point was (and you agree) that poor was a lot worse along time ago. Which refutes the pps argument that poverty explains increasing rudeness.

I’m the one who said people are living without a margin and I’m not talking about poverty.

I’m talking about having no breathing room in your life. You can make 100k+ and set your life up in such a way that you have no margin.

Your mortgage is so high you can’t take a nice vacation, your high paying job stresses you out but you need it both to pay that mortgage and to feel like you are a big deal.

Your kids are in a million activities that they don’t really need to be in but it’s extremely important to you that they get in the absolute best college possible. And so on. I feel like a disproportionate number of people in this area live this way. They’re totally stressed out and they make the rest of us feel it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are living on the edge with no margin. They don’t have enough money, they don’t get to rest, their health is poor, and the political situation is not ok. When you are in a constant state of stress you don’t have the energy to handle slights in a gracious way, and you’re not taking the time to be appreciative and kind either.

Poor people were a lot more poor 50+ years ago.

And? You think the poor people 50+ years ago were nicer or something? Guess what- if they had every kind of stress and no social support, they weren’t.

DP but they were much nicer and more generous 60+ years ago for sure from accounts from family.

Part of it was there were still consequences back then for poor manners. Sometimes severe consequences, so people had better manners by default.

I wonder if the people who thought everyone was nicer 50-60 years ago are minorities, or LGBTQ+ or women, probably not?

What is wrong with you to even diverge into off topic areas?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are living on the edge with no margin. They don’t have enough money, they don’t get to rest, their health is poor, and the political situation is not ok. When you are in a constant state of stress you don’t have the energy to handle slights in a gracious way, and you’re not taking the time to be appreciative and kind either.

Poor people were a lot more poor 50+ years ago.

And? You think the poor people 50+ years ago were nicer or something? Guess what- if they had every kind of stress and no social support, they weren’t.

The point was: op asked if people are less polite today. Another poster agreed that people are less nice today, because they are poor and living on the brink which is stressful and makes them horrible. My point was (and you agree) that poor was a lot worse along time ago. Which refutes the pps argument that poverty explains increasing rudeness.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basic courtesy no longer exists in DC. I say "no longer" although I never felt like people here were all that friendly in daily interactions and I've lived here for 25 years. Every time I go back to the Midwest (which is at least yearly since we have family there), I am floored at how nice everyone is. The cashiers at stores are friendly. Drivers give you a "thank you" wave and never honk impatiently. And on 2 separate occasions in 2 different states, I've had road crew workers apologize to me about the inconvenience of the road work! LOL. That would never happen around here.

Yes in Canada too, everyone is super nice and polite. It's almost like the Twilight Zone.

same in my hometown. The DMV not so much.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are living on the edge with no margin. They don’t have enough money, they don’t get to rest, their health is poor, and the political situation is not ok. When you are in a constant state of stress you don’t have the energy to handle slights in a gracious way, and you’re not taking the time to be appreciative and kind either.

Poor people were a lot more poor 50+ years ago.

And? You think the poor people 50+ years ago were nicer or something? Guess what- if they had every kind of stress and no social support, they weren’t.

DP but they were much nicer and more generous 60+ years ago for sure from accounts from family.

Part of it was there were still consequences back then for poor manners. Sometimes severe consequences, so people had better manners by default.

I wonder if the people who thought everyone was nicer 50-60 years ago are minorities, or LGBTQ+ or women, probably not?