The Ascendance of Rudeness
December 3, 2015
TimeWatch Editorial
On October 24, 2015, I wrote an Editorial entitled: “The Death of Manners.” It was inspired by an article by Fiona Macrae and Paul Sims , “The Spoilt Generation: Parents who fail to exert authority breeding youngsters with no respect for anyone.” I do believe however, that this matter has reached beyond the boundary of reason. The public expressions of those who would be leaders of the nation, has probably set a new low. Their desire to “connect” with those who they would have vote for them, has created an environment in which nothing is too rude or ill-mannered or disgusting to say or to encourage your “supporters” to applaud.
Fortunately, Elisha is no longer with us; otherwise, it would not be the children who would be jeering, “go up thou bald head.” Did I say fortunately? I should change that to unfortunately. Remember what happened when the children said that to Elisha? 2 kings 2: 24, 25 tells the story:
And he (Elisha) turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. And he went from thence to Mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.
Children never jeered Elisha after that. Perhaps we could use a few ‘she bears’ today. Perhaps then the adults among us would show more respect for the aged and the disabled and those who were less fortunate. The arrogance of rudeness is the seed that produces poisonous fruit. The well dressed sons and daughters of these ill-mannered ‘sons of thunder’ cannot be better mannered than their ill-trained parents, no matter how soft spoken and carefully managed they might appear. Rudeness produces insensitivities that are not always expressed in words, but in attitudes. Uncaring methods and plans that pervade their professional lives, take advantage of the uneducated in certain fields, so that while these fiends are smiling, and dressed in the finest of materials, and drinking daintily of cocktails and munching on caviar, the lives of their victims are destroyed while their useless wealth is expanded.
But that is not the only fruit this awful seed produces. Those who sip from the gutter of hate, whose internal organs are disfigured by years of planning, are now encouraged to express their worst preferences, encouraged by the irresponsible greed and ambition of these so-called leaders. The criminal acts committed by these followers are by no means more horrible than the actions of those who stand behind podiums and encourage the lowest elements of personality to rise, but the actions of these followers play out upon the streets and alleyways in the dripping blood of their victims. When these deviants with their polished homes and security details are confronted with the possibility that their words have caused the damage, they retreat behind the wall of indifferent speech, blaming the victims as always, using this as one more reason why they should be chosen to “correct the problem.”
It would be bad enough if only we as parents had failed to lead. An entire generation would be lost because of that simple fact. But add to that the direct intervention of those who should have been examples of professional success, now proving that their success was accompanied by deception and a lack of decorum in everything except that which would provide them the opportunity to take advantage of others. Our children now will believe that success means, crushing the necks of others, abusing the unfortunate and eliminating the competition.
Fortunately, not all parents have surrendered their responsibility. There are also those who are as yet unknown who will and are setting the right example, who are respectful and decent, and who day after day seek to be a positive example to the world. As long as there is this remnant, there is hope. In spite of the putrid rhetoric that spews forth from the “want-to-be-leaders” the diligent minority of human beings who recognized their responsibility will continue to reflect the image of God in man.
Cameron A. Bowen
