Thursday, November 22, 2007

It has been said that behavior is a mirror, one in which everyone shows his or her character.

What society’s mirror reflects on a daily basis is frightening. There seems to be a basic lack of manners and respect, coupled with bad behavior.

The current “it’s all about me” generation seems to revel in shock tactics. Whether loud and lewd, or quietly discourteous, seemingly the one constant is ignorance.

A simple matter such as holding the door open for someone has become so rare that it’s extraordinary—and symptomatic of a larger problem.

The recent article in The New York Times cast a glaring spotlight on the boorishness of adults during halftime at Jets football games at Giants Stadium.

Gaggles of dim-witted and—most likely—alcohol- soaked fans gather along the spiral Gate D ramp, waiting for a woman to come into view so they can shout moronic demands that she bare her breasts for their entertainment.

A woman who doesn’t comply can expect to incur the mob’s wrath and be ready to dodge what follows—vitriol and profanity or possibly, harder evidence of unhappiness, such as hurled beer bottles.

Reports of this activity may be shocking, but that does not mean it’s new. Mardi Gras—where women flash their breasts for junk beads—has come, minus the beads but with added mean-spiritedness, to the Meadowlands, where female football fans have been able to prove they are every bit as crude as some male counterparts.

Is this what the feminist, equal rights movement was all about?

One of the preoccupations of people who follow sports is to look back on a game and pinpoint a particular play which went far in determining the outcome.

So, when was it exactly that among stadium spectators, fan fervor changed from enthusiasm to aggressiveness?

Far from being an American phenomenon, bad and dangerous behavior has been exhibited by soccer hooligans in other parts of the world for many years.

Outrageous conduct, wherever it’s practiced, may appear to happen suddenly. But It involves a process of development that begins with a simple lack of civility.

Moviegoers think nothing of making noise during a show—talking to someone next to them, or into a cell phone, or back at the screen; chomping on food and slurping drinks like pigs at a trough. Some musical concerts turn into free-for-alls, and public debates, whether political or not, always seem to have the creep in the audience who thinks he or she should be able to shout down the speaker and cause bedlam.

Manners used to be learned from the family. Maybe the lack of them indicates how family values have changed.

However, it would be nice if the barbarians could be kept from entering the gate.