Standards

 Standards of conduct. That is what we are taught by our parents and peers when growing up. We may call them manners or your P's and Q's. We all know what that phrase means but probably not why we say it. I looked it up and there is no definitive answer, but an early reference is in a poem about learning the alphabet. Whatever you want to say they are the things that become habit with the majority of us, ingrained in our psyche. They also can be a source of consternation and debate later in life. It happens with me more frequently with each passing year. Such was the case just yesterday. I admit I bring it on myself by posting my opinions. I just can't help it sometimes. That's where the ingrained part comes into play. What started it yesterday was my opinion on how patriotic it was to wear a shirt designed to look like the American flag. I'm certain you have seen those advertisements blaring at you to show your pride, your patriotism and love for America! And I can't help but comment, that is the exact opposite of patriotism! There is absolutely nothing patriotic about disrespecting the flag. That is the way I feel, what I was taught, and what was practiced when I was growing up. I was taught to treat the flag with the utmost respect at all times! It should never touch the ground, be used for anything other than flying on a flagpole or draping on a casket! 

 Yes, I did get upset back in the late 60's when the hippies decided they could wear it as a shirt, sew it on the seat of their pants and all that. I was upset when the Supreme court ruled it was a constitutional right to burn that flag! I'm still upset by all of that. I always will be. And it is something that you really can't explain to others that did not grow up with any of that. To many, it's just a flag. Today flags are everywhere, representing everything imaginable. Now it's not illegal to do so but if I were to burn a pride flag outside a gay bar, I'm certain they would be a big issue with that! Could be considered a hate crime in fact, I could go to jail for that. But that is what is being taught as a standard today. Many calling it acceptance. As for me I don't accept disrespecting the American flag. I will speak out against that action every single time I see it. It is a part of my make-up. I don't want to change that.

 I come for a generation that taught respect for others as a matter of course. You didn't address adults by their first name! They were always Mr.,Mrs., Maam, Miss, Aunt, Uncle, whatever, something, anything other than Bill or Jane. Parents didn't have a first name until you reached high school, and you certainly didn't use them when talking to Mom and Dad. Anything other than that was considered being a rebel and very disrespectful. Yeah, there were some "cool" kids that did that with parents that were "hip" and all, but they were looked down on. Raised eyebrows were a common thing in those situations. Could get real tense, real quick. Yes, they were judged! I know right. 

 We also did things like holding the door for whoever was behind you when entering a building. It wasn't just for an older lady or a disabled person, it was for anyone that was close enough behind you that the door would close in their face. You stopped, held the door, and received a thank you. That's how that worked. Of course, we were always aware of people behind us, or in the same block as us because our faces weren't in the phone. I still open the car door for my wife, most of the time anyway. You don't see that much anymore now do you? How many say excuse me when walking in front of someone in the store? I usually duck down a bit and say excuse me when doing that. It's a bit of a habit. 

 There was something else that I was taught as a child and as a young adult. That was a healthy respect for authority. It bordered on fear! I recall being taken on a field trip to the police station in elementary school. The purpose was to teach you that the Police could be your friends. The lesson being go to them in time of trouble. But I also remember being placed in the cell, the door locked and the policeman saying this is where you go if you break the law. A sort of scared stiff for a ten year old. We were taught to obey signs as well. We were taught that those signs applied to everyone, and that you were not a special case. If it said, do not walk on the grass, you didn't walk on the grass. If an adult told you to do something, you did it. Questions about the validity of the command came later. 

 Those are just a few of the things I remember from childhood that have changed over the years. Call it progress, call it whatever you like but it is a different world today. It has been made different by the relaxing of the "rules" or manners if you choose to say that. A lack of discipline, a lack of order, and a lack of respect. That's my view of it anyway. I'm aware that each generation feels the same way. My parents certainly let me know about all of that. "You aren't going out of the house looking like that" "what did you say" and "I'll give you something to cry about" were frequent phrases in my house. "You better get that look of your face." "Don't even think about it." 

 Yes, standards of conduct have certainly been lowered in my opinion. It has become more of an individualized world. The concern being more for yourself, than for the majority. It's rather ironic that the more connected to one another we have become, the more individualized we have become. That's the reason we are seeing these minority groups driving the narrative. The standard becoming, don't say anything negative, don't judge the actions of others, and everything is right as long as I don't hurt anyone else. My business is allowing, accepting and enabling your business. Very progressive. 

 The reality however mirrors the reality shows that have become so popular. Consider survivor, the grandfather of them all. What is the objective there? Lie, cheat, steal, stab someone in the back to win the game. How you win isn't important at all, just win. And then all the others followed, housewives doing what? All kinds of shows where the objective isn't to be a moral and ethical person at all, the bad guy wins! Quite the change from when I was a kid, from the Superman I knew that stood for truth justice and the American way. The guys with the white hats were the good guys, the guys with the black hats were the bad guys. The good guys always won. The good guys were always the heroes. You wanted to be the hero. Today not so much. The bad guys can be the hero too! Very inclusive you know, probably some reason he is a bad guy, not his fault. We'll forgive him and give him another chance. Probably something from his childhood. Yeah, probably was, lack of respect and a lack of fear most likely.