Oh no, it’s the attack of That Guy!

You know who I’m talking about.  That guy.  No, not that guy.  That guy.  Yep, you see him now don’t you?  The one that keeps saying the same sentence until someone acknowledges him.  The one that passes on the right on the highway.  The one that re-bags his groceries because the cashier just can’t get it right.  The one that takes up three spaces at a general admission show and dances funny and steps on your toes.  That’s the one I’m talking about.  That guy just kept backing up and swaying sideways with his head nodding at a really funny angle.  I put my arms up to shield myself and when he backed into my elbow, It disappeared into his shoulder.  Do you think he took just half a step forward?  Not that guy.  At least he didn’t move back any more.

So how is it that seemingly normal men turn into that guy?  You can’t tell me they were born that way.  I’ve never heard of a baby whose mother would describe him as having “pulled a dick move” when he wanted a bottle or dirtied a diaper.  Some might say it does stem back almost that far though.  There comes a time in human development when our wants are no longer the same as our needs.  At this point, a parent has to maintain a difficult balance between spoiling and providing.  Could this be the crucial moment?  Well, it would be nice to blame all of our faults on our parents, but I have seen some pretty remarkable people with less that stellar parents and vice versa.  So I think I can rule that out simply based on observation.  Crappy parents do not create socially irresponsible (aka rude) people, although I’m sure they are probably a contributing factor.  There are a lot of factors, but I think they all boil down to a lack of personal responsibility.  (By the way please don’t get the impression that I’m a republican.  And while we’re on the subject of politics, I’m not a democrat either. I’m ranting for my own purposes, not to serve a political party which has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with gaining as much power as humanly possible.  There, I’m finished with that little sidebar.)  Actually, since I am ranting, modern politics is as much a part of/to blame for the current social condition as anything else.

Which really brings me to the point.  Any social ill you can name is just as much a part of our ailment as any other, because we each as individuals are to blame.  This is not a new concept–I only feel like I’m the first person to say it because every time it comes up, it’s dropped like a rock.  People (myself included) have no problem using the pronoun “I” to discuss positive things.  When topics like accountability and responsibility are mentioned though, the operative pronoun becomes “we.”  Well, we cannot accomplish anything positive without a lot of I’s all contributing to a common goal.  Nay-sayers may be using the same argument, but we really do have a lot in common as a society.  Finding common goals doesn’t take work.  It doesn’t even take that much communication.  You want to be happy?  You need others to treat you with courtesy and respect to be happy?  You want to coexist.  Most of us do.  I don’t think that’s so difficult to understand.

So now, I’ll get off my soapbox.  Thanks for reading.  Please take a moment to evaluate your life and see where you can change those ambiguous we’s to I’s.

~ by whatssofunny on July 15, 2008.