Enter the land of the boor

It's become increasingly discouraging to note the depths to which our society has plummeted. Specifically, I refer to the unbecoming behavior displayed by what seem to be large numbers of the population.

We appear to be well on our way to becoming a society that is heavily weighted with boors, jerks, and just plain mindless idiots who don't know or don't care how to conduct themselves properly.

I don't see myself as a prude or as Mr. Clean, with flawless conduct. Nor am I ignoring the fact that much of society is still made up of respectable people with admirable behavior.

But I can't help but be appalled by the presence of so many social misfits in our midst.

Good decorum no longer exists. People don't hesitate to use four-letter words in public. They walk in front of you as you're looking at a store shelf without uttering even the faintest "excuse me." They butt in when you're talking. And want to start a fistfight for the slightest reason.

Drivers demonstrate one of the highest - or should that be lowest? - levels of classlessness. They throw trash out of windows. They make obscene gestures to other drivers. They run through red lights and stop signs. They routinely ignore yield signs, butting into your path as though they owned the road. They park in handicap spots when they're fit enough to run the Boston Marathon. They play music so loudly that you can hear it halfway down the block. And they ride so close to your rear bumper in their gas-guzzling battle wagons that you can almost smell the smoke coming from the cigarettes that their small brains allow them to use.

The other day, I was driving along a busy street, and stopped to let another driver enter my lane. Did I get a thank you wave? Did I get even the slightest acknowledgment? I did not.

A few minutes later, as I entered the local post office, I held the door open for a woman. That's something my father always told me to do. Did she say, "Thank you"? Did she smile? Hell no, she ignored me completely as she marched through the door - as if bad manners were her God-given right.

Then there was the cell phone that rang incessantly at the restaurant, not to mention the ones blaring in elevators, at movie theaters, and seemingly everywhere else - the talkers always speaking so loudly that your old Uncle Harry could hear the conversation from the next county.

The absence of acceptable deeds exists elsewhere. Rap music sings the praises of criminal behavior. Reality TV lowers its viewers' sinking intellect to even greater depths. Bloggers and arrogant radio bozos explore the shallowness of the mind. Obnoxious commercials fill the airwaves. The Internet offers endless opportunities to review inappropriate topics. Kids throw beer cans in your yard. Trash talk abounds.

What's happened to civility? Do so many care so little about anything but themselves? Have we lost respect for the other person? Have we bred a generation of shallow, insensitive louts who are totally lacking in social graces?

In the wake of the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001, a remarkable condition emerged. Perhaps inspired by the realization of their own vulnerability, by a feeling of profound grief, or by a strong sense of patriotism, people helped each other. They were polite to each other. They seemed to care about each other, even if they were strangers.

These were some wonderfully admirable qualities during a troubled time. Sadly, that mood disappeared too quickly, and we returned to being a society that features a me-first, the heck with everybody else attitude. It's not a very appealing condition, and it seems to be getting worse.

We can't let that happen. We need to regain the basic elements of good behavior and to restore the social skills that are so vital in the relationship of one person to another. For the sake of all of us, let's hope we can do it.