Who says we're rude??

We have become a nation of inconsiderate people. Rudeness, incivility, anger, rage, vulgarity, bullying, bashing, selfish behavior and bad manners are not in your mind or just on the blogs-- they're all around us and things are getting worse.

I believe it starts in the home and that many parents and adults may not actually understand that some of what we do every day is rude and inconsiderate. I believe that every student should be required to take an etiquette class before graduation.

Here's what the research and statistics on rudeness, anger and violence say about us:

"We're Ruder Than Ever, Poll Finds... 'It's about the daily assault of selfish, inconsiderate behavior that gets under people's skin on the highways, in the office, on TV, in stores and the myriad other settings where they encounter fellow Americans.'"
(April 3, 2002, Deborah Wadsworth, Pres. Public Agenda Research Group, reported on ABCNEWS.com)

In the study mentioned above, nearly eight in 10 respondents said lack of respect and courtesy are a serious national problem; 61% agreed that there was more rude behavior than in the past; people blamed parents for not instilling courtesy in their children, and popular culture for encouraging rude behavior
(April 3, 2002, Public Agenda Research Group, reported on ABCNEWS.com)

No matter who does the study, the results seem to be the same. Here, 79% feel people are ruder to each other now than just 10 years ago; 42% say they encounter rude behavior every day
(Apr. 2002 Good Housekeeping)

We’re all under a lot of stress and feel pushed to the edge: one study shows that 9 out of 10 of us are highly stressed most of the time
(Rose Medical Center, Denver CO)

Another current research poll shows that 3 out of 4 Americans (78%) think rude and selfish behavior is worse at airports and highways
(CNN/USA TODAY/Gallup Poll 2000)

What’s going on? We’re rude and we’re mean: there’s road rage, air rage, cell phone rage, checkout rage, bike rage, sports rage, parking rage, rail rage, bank rage, roller rage, boat rage, desk rage, car alarm rage, and drivers who even honk at people on crutches. And according to one expert, there’s also "funeral rage" – people actually flip the bird and cut off funeral processions
(Dr. Frank Farley, former president, American Psychological Association)

It seems we may have what’s called "Hurry Sickness"; we’re impatient – and when someone slows us down, we get rude and angry
(Meyer Freidman Institute in San Francisco which studies the relationship between stress and heart disease)

Check this out: 9 out of 10 of us (88%) feel that incivility is a serious problem and getting worse. And 9 out of 10 Americans think that incivility increases opportunities for violence
(Bozell Worldwide/US News & World Report Civility in America Study 1999)

Statistics prove that more than 8 in 10 of us, both with kids and without kids, agree that bad parenting -- the failure to instill good behavior in kids -- is the major cause of bad manners
(Bozell Worldwide/US News & World Report Civility in America Study 1999)

Sorry -- this study shows that 3 out of 4 people say our manners are worse today than 20 or 30 years ago
(ABCNEWS/World Tonight Poll May 1999)

The US is the third most populated place on earth and population growth and crowding will increase and has consequences; more people will be in each other's face, more people means slower checkout lines, gridlock, slower traffic, more frustration which leads to aggression
(Dr. Frank Farley, former president, American Psychological Association, USA Today, 7/18/2001)

Imagine, 85% of us feel that the world would be a better place if we just said “please” and “thank you” more often
(ABCNEWS/World Tonight Poll May 1999)

Cell phone rudeness is the #1 complaint of diners
(Zagat Restaurant Survey)

Fifty-nine percent of people would rather visit the dentist than sit next to someone using a cell phone
(USA Today, July 28, 1999)

Forty-three percent of cell phone users do not turn their phones off at the movies or theatre and 57% don't turn them off in a restaurant
(LetsTalk.com Study, Wirthlin Worldwide)

Which uses of cell phones do people most abhor? 86% over dinner, 88% in a meeting, 96% in a movie, 98% at a funeral
(USA Today, July 28, 1999)

When Texans were asked about drivers and cellular phones, 92% thought talking on the phone while driving is dangerous; 89% of those who own cell phones share that view (Scripps Howard Poll, Houston Chronicle)

So, should there be a state law prohibiting cell phone use while driving -- 59% of Texans say yes, and 48% of those who own cell phones favor such a law
(Scripps Howard Poll, Houston Chronicle)

Cell phone chatter annoys almost two-thirds of Americans. And of those polled for Cingular Wireless, 80% said they overhear cell chat in restaurants and stores.
(USA Today, 9/5/2001)

When asked if they are in favor of legislation to regulate cell phone use, 57% favor banning mobile phones in the classroom, theatres and restaurants
(LetsTalk.com Study, Wirthlin Worldwide)

One psychologist says that cell phones are a way of minimizing the importance of the group…cell phone people are telling the rest of us that "You don’t matter and I’m very important."
(Dr. Joseph Miller, New School for Social Research)