Please and thank you

[Daleroso]

OK I get it, everything changes including bikes, cars, wives, states I've lived in, hair, belt size, etc. It's the topic that matters not the spelling or punctuation. So, are please and thank you important any more?  How about hearing a diner, in response to the waitress or fast food clerks order request say, "yeah, give me ............" Or "yeah, I want.........."    No, "I'd like the.......", maybe with a "please" added at the end. I promise I won't start another thread asking where M'am or Sir survives other than the military.

Along with the face down in a tech device lack of the ability to adequately inter-act
with a fellow human, elimination of certain courtesies deminishes a society/culture and respect for one another.

I probably seem curmudgeonly but it's not about "the good ole days."  I am blessed with a wonderful wife, a nice home with 2 cars, 4 bikes, 5 great kids raising great grandkids and three dogs who sit around my chair in the evening. BUT, I am glad I'm my age. I was a kid in the 50's when America was at her peak. Drove my 'Cuda along Fla's beaches listening to "the best decade of music (according to Barry Gordy, not just me) known to man" in the 60's. And I'll be dead before it really hits the fan.                           

Greece, Rome, once world powers still exist as will America but only as a remnant of their once greatness. As one MSNBC panelist stated; " Boomers are our (progressives) last hurdle. They're the only ones left telling younger generations what America used to be like. When they're gone we'll have less issues to deal with."

If you're interested and can find it read America, the Modern Romans.😃 And, have a nice day!

[oldbike54]

 Seeing the past through rose colored glasses makes for a nice , if completely inaccurate vision .

 Dusty

[fotoguzzi]

Remember when the telephone, radio and then TV were going to ruin society? Not to mention rock and roll...

[oldbike54]

Remember when the telephone, radio and then TV were going to ruin society? Not to mention rock and roll...

 Yeah , and in the 1920's flapper girls were going cause the end of civilization , and before that , motorized vehicles were so feared they caused a round of restrictive laws to be implemented .

 Dusty

[twowings]

Youth is wasted on the young! 

[Kev m]

I can't think of a friend or acquaintance (or their kids) who aren't polite.

Please, thank you, being friendly and courteous whether your dealing with a cashier, waitress, clerk, cop, etc.

I'm sure there are cretins out there and I'm sure I observe one every now and again, but we don't generally interact with them or frequent their kinda place I guess and certainly don't make them part of our social circles.

No, I'm not seeing what you're seeing.

[oldbike54]

I can't think of a friend or acquaintance (or their kids) who aren't polite.

Please, thank you, being friendly and courteous whether your dealing with a cashier, waitress, clerk, cop, etc.

I'm sure there are cretins out there and I'm sure I observe one every now and again, but we don't generally interact with them or frequent their kinda place I guess and certainly don't make them part of our social circles.

No, I'm not seeing what you're seeing.

 Yeah , most young folks I come in contact with act about like we did 50 years ago , most are polite, a few aren't . There is a tendency among humans to view the era they grew up in as the best time in history . The best music , the best cars or bikes , prettiest women . Nothing more than seeing the world through youthful eyes . Nothing wrong with doing so , as long as we are aware of what is happening .

 Dusty

[Daleroso]

Like I said, it is NOT about the "good ole days." Read the book. Who'da thought the typical 60's individual could run anything. Now that they are........well.... ...they are.

[Red Dog]

I started to reply in defense of the OP based mainly because I have a retail business but when I actually think about the number of really great customers we have compared to the few that are just plain ignorant I have to say that things aren't really that much different now that when I grew up in the 50's.

My mom had a small lunch counter in a "city" of 600 people.  Mostly the customers were locals but there were a good number of travelers also.
Mostly the people were great but I do remember a few of the locals that tried her patience.  One fellow would keep tapping his coffee cup when he wanted more & it didn't matter how busy she was he would sit & tap, tap, tap.  It really bothered her because the guy only got coffee (when it was 15cents a cup) & would sit for a couple hours.

Things haven't really changed all that much there are still the good, the bad & the ugly but it does seem to me that there is less respect & consideration overall.

[davedel44]

Courtesy alive and well in Texas.
I'm taken aback by the number of youngsters that call me Sir.
Dave
Galveston

[Dharma Bum]

How big a fella are ya, Dave?

[Chuck in Indiana]

You want courteous?  Go to a gun show.  "Excuse me, sir." Pardon me, mam."
This thread will be nuked shortly, but it's true. BTDT.

[rocker59]

Seeing the past through rose colored glasses makes for a nice , if completely inaccurate vision .

 Dusty

+1

No way I'd want to have to go back in time and live through the 1960s.  Assassinations, Riots, Protests, soldiers dying hundreds per day, apartheid, racism, black-outs, brown-outs, the threat of nuclear annihilation, etc., etc...

No thanks...

The music was good, though...

[oldbike54]

 Rocker , the music had to good, at times it was the only good thing around .

 In an Earth vibrating bass

 "I can make it rain
  whenever I want it to"

  Dusty

[charlie b]

I started to reply in defense of the OP based mainly because I have a retail business but when I actually think about the number of really great customers we have compared to the few that are just plain ignorant I have to say that things aren't really that much different now that when I grew up in the 50's.

My mom had a small lunch counter in a "city" of 600 people.  Mostly the customers were locals but there were a good number of travelers also.
Mostly the people were great but I do remember a few of the locals that tried her patience.  One fellow would keep tapping his coffee cup when he wanted more & it didn't matter how busy she was he would sit & tap, tap, tap.  It really bothered her because the guy only got coffee (when it was 15cents a cup) & would sit for a couple hours.

Things haven't really changed all that much there are still the good, the bad & the ugly but it does seem to me that there is less respect & consideration overall.

Same as what I have seen.

About the time I am ready to chuck the business because of a few a$$ customers, I get to talk to a few of our really good ones.

And the older I get the more courteous the "youngsters" are  ;)

[LowRyter]

don't forget the draft.

[Waltr]

  I agree that basic conversational etiquette seems to be lost.  It is not taught anymore in the home or in school.  Just listen to any interview being conducted on the radio and notice when the host thanks the guest for his time the guest thanks the host back instead of using the traditional "your welcome."  I know this is a point that many will pas right over as irrelevant but it dives me crazy.
 

[rocker59]

  I agree that basic conversational etiquette seems to be lost.  It is not taught anymore in the home or in school.  Just listen to any interview being conducted on the radio and notice when the host thanks the guest for his time the guest thanks the host back instead of using the traditional "your welcome."  I know this is a point that many will pas right over as irrelevant but it dives me crazy.
 

Thank you for being here.

Thank you for having me.


Nothing wrong there.

[Carlo DeSantis]

Having graduated from high school in 1964, I have earned my old fogey merit badge.  I started my teen years when the USA was coming off the Eisenhower years.  I guess I grew u p in what some  people consider the "Golden Age" of our republic.

Like anyone else my age, I have seen a lot of change in a lot of fields over the years.  I miss the days when education was affordable for most everyone and we didn't seem to have to fight for health care.  The thing that bothers me most about today's America is the growing insularity among our citizens.

Other than that, there's not much that I think was better 50 years ago.

Best,

Carlo

[rocker59]

   I miss the days when education was affordable for most everyone and we didn't seem to have to fight for health care.   

When you were a teenager in the 1960s:

what did college cost, and what was the percentage of HS grads going to college?

what did health insurance cost, and how many people had it?

I think the cost adjusted to 2016 dollars and the low participation during that time might surprise you, if you take the time to search it up.

[Carlo DeSantis]

When you were a teenager in the 1960s:

what did college cost, and what was the percentage of HS grads going to college?

what did health insurance cost, and how many people had it?

I think the cost adjusted to 2016 dollars and the low participation during that time might surprise you, if you take the time to search it up.

Having attended college in the 60s, grad school in the 70s, wife's grad school in the 80s, paid for my kids' college in the 90s I can assure you the costs have outstripped the CPI or any other index of inflation you choose to use.

As for health care, I mean actual health care -- not insurance.  Blue Cross/Blue Shield was the prevalent coverer in my youth and, as I recall, it was to cover catastrophic injury or illness.  Going to the family doc was an affordable out-of-pocket expense.

Best,

Carlo

[rocker59]

Having attended college in the 60s, grad school in the 70s, wife's grad school in the 80s, paid for my kids' college in the 90s I can assure you the costs have outstripped the CPI or any other index of inflation you choose to use.

As for health care, I mean actual health care -- not insurance.  Blue Cross/Blue Shield was the prevalent coverer in my youth and, as I recall, it was to cover catastrophic injury or illness.  Going to the family doc was an affordable out-of-pocket expense.

Best,

Carlo

Looking at an inflation calculator here.

1965:  $1
2016: $7.65

So, the $50 office visit price that my current doctor charges would've only been $6.65 in 1965.  He wasn't practicing in 1965, so no way to ask him what he actually charged back then.  LOL!

Regarding college, yes it's expensive.  My point was more about how the percent of college grads today going to college is much higher than in the 1960s.  Back then, if a person couldn't afford it, they didn't go.  Today, they just take out a bunch of loans and go anyway.  Regardless of the economics of the endeavor.  In 1965, 45% of HS grads went to college.  Today, it's 65%.

[trippah]

Most young people I meet are reasonably polite, especially when it comes to dealing with a white haired almost 70 yr old (This week)
Can't understand what they say in most modern music but am embarrassed to see how much I got wrong in the lyrics of the 60's and 70' (My music). And memory- For instance, "Spirit in the Sky" I swear I heard that song on a trailer (sp) for the movie "Michael" in the bar room dancehall scene with Travolta and all the gals but in renting the movie, it was a different song.  So much for thread drift - I suspect most 20 year olds  will avoid or ignore us, a few rudely, but I have even had 20 somethings hold a door for me when I am fumbling with my keys and wallet at a gas station convenience store.

[Carlo DeSantis]

Looking at an inflation calculator here.

1965:  $1
2016: $7.65

So, the $50 office visit price that my current doctor charges would've only been $6.65 in 1965.  He wasn't practicing in 1965, so no way to ask him what he actually charged back then.  LOL!

Regarding college, yes it's expensive.  My point was more about how the percent of college grads today going to college is much higher than in the 1960s.  Back then, if a person couldn't afford it, they didn't go.  Today, they just take out a bunch of loans and go anyway.  Regardless of the economics of the endeavor.  In 1965, 45% of HS grads went to college.  Today, it's 65%.

Michael, I think you miss my point.

Best,

Carlo

[Kev m]

Looking at an inflation calculator here.

1965:  $1
2016: $7.65

So, the $50 office visit price that my current doctor charges would've only been $6.65 in 1965.  He wasn't practicing in 1965, so no way to ask him what he actually charged back then.  LOL!

Regarding college, yes it's expensive.  My point was more about how the percent of college grads today going to college is much higher than in the 1960s.  Back then, if a person couldn't afford it, they didn't go.  Today, they just take out a bunch of loans and go anyway.  Regardless of the economics of the endeavor.  In 1965, 45% of HS grads went to college.  Today, it's 65%.

Carlo - I think I got and agree with your point.

Just looking here:

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_320.asp

Just comparing average cost of tuition/room/board in 1965 vs. 2016 - $2275 vs. ~$60,000 (note that $60k comes from the Forbes article listed below, but with a junior in high school right now I've heard it bantered around a good bit this past year).
 
So in today's money that 1965 tuition x $7.65 = $17,404 or ~$69k for a 4 year degree, vs ~$60,000 or ~$240k for a 4 year degree.

The COST of college has soared.

This article from 2012 claims it's increased TWELVE FOLD IN 30 YEARS!

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-08-15/cost-of-college-degree-in-u-s-soars-12-fold-chart-of-the-day

college tuition and fees have surged 1,120 percent since records began in 1978, four times faster than the increase in the consumer price index. Medical expenses have climbed 601 percent, while the price of food has increased 244 percent over the same period.

Here's a 2014 article:

http://www.npr.org/2014/03/18/290868013/how-the-cost-of-college-went-from-affordable-to-sky-high

This Forbes article claims 4-year private college degree could soon reach over $300k

http://www.forbes.com/sites/troyonink/2015/01/31/college-could-cost-as-much-as-334000-total-in-four-years/#20b3a0ea679f

[normzone]

" How old are you ? "

" 55 - "

" Oh yeah ? When I was your age I was 60 ! "

 :Beating_A_Dead_Hors e_by_liviu

[Penderic]

Just a couple of our core principles!



And try to overlook the few NGC posts that dont interest you!

 
A Public Service Announcement.

[Carlo DeSantis]

Carlo - I think I got and agree with your point.

Just looking here:

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_320.asp

Just comparing average cost of tuition/room/board in 1965 vs. 2016 - $2275 vs. ~$60,000 (note that $60k comes from the Forbes article listed below, but with a junior in high school right now I've heard it bantered around a good bit this past year).
 
So in today's money that 1965 tuition x $7.65 = $17,404 or ~$69k for a 4 year degree, vs ~$60,000 or ~$240k for a 4 year degree.

The COST of college has soared.

This article from 2012 claims it's increased TWELVE FOLD IN 30 YEARS!

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-08-15/cost-of-college-degree-in-u-s-soars-12-fold-chart-of-the-day

Here's a 2014 article:

http://www.npr.org/2014/03/18/290868013/how-the-cost-of-college-went-from-affordable-to-sky-high

This Forbes article claims 4-year private college degree could soon reach over $300k

http://www.forbes.com/sites/troyonink/2015/01/31/college-could-cost-as-much-as-334000-total-in-four-years/#20b3a0ea679f

I have been funding college 529s for my grandchildren, and it feels like a losing battle.  My goal is to provide enough of a supplement to keep them out of college loan debt.

[rocker59]

Michael, I think you miss my point.

Best,

Carlo

you missed mine first, but it's all good.   

[Daleroso]

Higher education can keep raising the costs because the gov lends the kids the $. So what if the interest is minimal? The kids are snagged with the debt & a shrinking job market primarily because of lean employment standards. 1) won't take an entry level position & climb the ladder based on work ethic & a positive attitude. 2) less professional jobs available. 3) don't want to get their hands dirty in a mfg job. And last but not least IMO, who the heck is managing the home?