I was only stating a fact on people crossing the street without looking but people focused on he fact I used the term “Native” in the statement (which I should of left out). I am NOT racist and do have native friends.

I believe you are right, Ben. It is not only what we see in the movies, tv etc. but also what we read in the papers and online media. Stories are repeated with three or four updates in a twenty four hour span, cbc repeats stories over and over. We read so many of them we become immune to them. Some stick with us however because of a picture or something perhaps we can relate to but most are forgotten as we go on to the next tragic story. There are so many.

What about that commercial on one of the other large news networks that asks people what they would do if they saw something happen? I belive there options were along the lines of run away, cower and hide or take that cell phone out and capture some footage. The behavior is being rewarded and encouraged. Never sat right with me.

Our social fabric is unraveling at an alarming rate. Common courtesy and common sense have gone the way of the dodo. People have been taught that the world owes them something; that it’s all about me, me, me.

It’s actually quite sad.

I believe that people make cruel online comments because they feel anonymous. It enables them to say things they would never say to someones face.
The reader has no idea who I am. Young? Old? White? Native? Employed? Poor? Rich? Male? Female?
The comments made about a young girl who killed herself over cyber bullying are a good example. What could anybody possibly get out of doing that? I am at a loss.
In our cars, it can be similar. Most folks would not drive a shopping buggy in the same manner as they drive their vehicles. I don’t think I have been cut in front of in a line at Costco, however I have been cut off in the parking lot. I think we feel shielded by the bubble that the vehicle puts around them. Again, I am at a loss.

News2me, I am in total agreement. The comments and actions online, even after that poor girls suicide were/are absolutely disgusting. IMO it has to do with instant self gratification. These kids seem to have the need to feel superior to the next person so they find an easy target. Unfortunately alot of the parents are no better and this seems to be getting more common. I dont think class and common decency is gone, alot of people still have it. But it sure stands out when someone is lacking.

Ben, I did a brief stint in Traffic Control (flagging) when I was young. It was instantly appearent that many do not have respect for anyone else on the road. For some, slowing down is too much of an inconvenience and if they’re held up at all these clowns come unglued. I have very much respect for the job these flaggers do. It can be a dangerous job and they are never popular. I wonder how the doubling of traffic fines in work zones has affected this problem.

Good points well stated Mr. Meisner. The truth is, as axeman stated, common courtesy is quickly becoming extinct. I think that many people no longer learn this important social skill as they are growing up. I have a suspicion that the phenonomen is related to the ever increasing numbers of children growing up with only one parent. That one parent likely has to work at a job in order to support the family, so the kids end up not getting enough time learning basic manners of behaviour. Too much time spent watching t.v. playing violent video games, watching violent movies also has an effect on the young mind, in my opinion.
metalman.

Although you are entitled to your opinion metalman, I cannot help but find your relating this to one parent families offensive. I am a single parent. I have 3 wonderful teenagers who are caring, compassionate, high achievers and just basically good, caring human beings and these wonderful children were raised this way while I worked a full time job. I do know plenty of kids from two parent families who are heavily influenced by the ever increasing stressors in their families due to debtload, cheating spouses, abusive spouses, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc. etc. So rather than make the connection to a one parent family, why not make he connection to an abusive and or dysfunctional family lacking family values and morals, whether it be both parents or a single parent? I can say, without a doubt, that my children are far better off with one parent than many of their friends are who have both parents in the home.
I am sick and tired of hearing people spout off about how disadvantaged a child may be because they have only one parent. This is simply NOT true.

Speechless?? Do you speak for all one parent families. Do one parent families not have some of the same problems of two parent families, Ie; debtload, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc; etc;. Of course they do.

I suggest that the problem lies with overall parenting, schooling, and the lack of social skills, and manners.

As a percentage of the population people who have a total disregard for others is probably the same over the years, however there are more of them, and with the internet, cell phones, ipods, instant news etc; we are just more aware of them.

Most people I know, and their kids are just fine. Its those that are the exception to the rule that are causing some problems. We shouldnt paint all people with the same brush.

I think that the Police can do more to get themselves and their vehicles out of harms way. It seems to me, that quite often they set up road blocks in area’s to catch people by surprise, however this also puts them in danger. Why would they do that??

Putting a road block on the blind corner going South on 5th Avenue where it transitions into 4th Avenue is a prime example. Why would you be worried about your safety, and then set up such a dangerous road block??

Of course I am not speaking for all of them and never claimed to be in my post, I said exactly what you said – do not paint everyone with the same brush.

“So rather than make the connection to a one parent family, why not make the connection to an abusive and or dysfunctional family lacking family values and morals, whether it be both parents or a single parent?”

Nowhere in my post did I say that any other type of family unit is immune to any of these issues.

It appeared to me that metalman was singling out the one parent families and the necessity of that single parent having to work, and I feel that is not justified.

How about those two parent families with both parents working? That is the norm these days, however, metalman chooses to focus on a single parent family. Why is that?

For many people on this earth any attempts to school them in common sense is a waste of time.

Just have to look around you everyday and it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Palopu: “Putting a road block on the blind corner going South on 5th Avenue where it transitions into 4th Avenue is a prime example. Why would you be worried about your safety, and then set up such a dangerous road block??”

It’s only dangerous to those who might be travelling too fast and/or not paying attention. For those people, there are very few ‘safe’ locations.

Obviously, the police are setting these roadblocks up to catch drunk drivers and other offenses. Setting up in a highly visible location, you will only have the ‘legal’ motorists driving though. The rest would avoid it like the plague.

“It’s only dangerous to those who might be travelling too fast and/or not paying attention”

And here I thought it was dangerous to the police standing open in the street next to the vehicle with flashing lights which cannot be seen until too late even when going the speed limit. (unless, of course, it is dark and the lights can be seen flickering thorugh the fences, bushes, etc.

But hey, silly me, the law is actually there to protect the driver not the unprotected police officer.

RELAX speechless, my opinion was not targeting you, or anyone in particular. My opinion is based on my experience and observations, and it should be obvious that there are exceptions. Not wanting to be too long winded, I did not list all the permutations and exceptions, sorry.

Posted by: Palopu on October 19 2012 10:08
“I suggest that the problem lies with overall parenting, schooling, and the lack of social skills, and manners.”

Thank you Palopu, your statement accurately expresses what I was trying to articulate.
metalman.

BTW, that poses an interesting question. Since the vehicle is a police vehicle and has its lights flashing, is the speed limot now 40kmph or the normal 50kmph ….

At what point does the 40kmph start? just before you start passing by the vehicle or when you first spot it?

“I suggest that the problem lies with overall parenting, schooling, and the lack of social skills, and manners.”

In my view I can much better relate to a statement that said this:

“I suggest that the problem lies with overall parenting, schooling, North American society in general, and the lack of social skills, and manners of the parents and community.”

BTW, I do not quite understand what this all has to do with taking of explicit pictures at a crime scene.

Take a look at magazines published in many other countries and ours are nowhere near the accepted standard in those countries.

I could link to a few, as an example, but my post might be removed.

Don’t know what it is Ben but somehow people are attracted to shocking things. Car accidents, buildings burning, natural disasters all draw a large crowd. Is it a need to reinforce our life experience to see these things? Is it a need to be shocked? Don’t know. Why do people encourage a suicidal person to ‘jump’? I guess people for some unknown reason want to see shocking things. Is it a form of entertainment? I’ve wondered long about this. Its like moths to a flame but I don’t know what it is. We want to be a witness to these things but why? You got me there.

Honestly, I’ve been sitting here thinking about your question, reading the comments of others, and agreeing with most of it. People live in a dynamic world with everything interconnected. You can point to “single parent families” and come up with some examples where your opinion is true, but then point at two parent families and do the same. You can look at our society in general and say its that and find good examples. You can do the same for a country, a region, a particular group of like minded people, a religion, a city, even one web page! I learned in University that no matter the subject, you could find opinions and facts to back up what you wanted to say, whether you believed it or not.

What I’m trying to say is that we may feel disgust for ourselves or others when the basic human instinct arises to document the present for rememberance in the past (history, media), to hurry to where we are going not taking into account the whole of society or the larger picture, to think only of ourselves and what’s good for us and not others. I think people have always been this way to varying degrees, with some of us thinking if the whole while others of us think of only ourselves.

Mr. Meisner, your question is a good one, because it causes us to look at the whole picture and see how complicate things are, how intertwined. Why don’t people slow down when passing emergency vehicles? Because there is nobody on the road asking them to slow down. Wether it’s a flagger, a police officer, someone with a sign, or just a sign sticking out on its own, if you don’t warn people they will assume it is safe to proceed, because they have to think of soapy other things at that moment. We are so used to ignoring all the sirens and alarms that don’t directly affect us (so that we don’t become mentally ill with the anxiety of caring for so many things at once), that unless someone says: SLOW DOWN, we aren’t even aware of any dangerous situation for ourselves or others.

As for pictures, in this age of instantaneous communication, we want to share our direct experience with everyone we care about. News has always been about protecting the tribe, the group, the community. An immediate danger of someone else dying is worthy of telling, because we can all be aware of and understand the circumstance, what we have seen, and share our personal trauma and horror so that the community which surrounds us may help us to deal with it, as well as seek out those directly and most horrifically effected (family, friends) and also help them as much as they would allow or require.

I think part of the issue lies in the way in which we view the actions of others, automatically assuming that people are acting in their most basic evil motives doesn’t always show a holiday picture of the truth — which is, after all, relative.

*soapy*?? Really?? Lol… Typo!! I meant “so many”

with regards as to why people take photos at horrific scenes…

They all think they are photo journalists on the front line, and news services are encouraging this. For a home-based example, take a look at the local TV news website. They are asking for “news tips” but you can upload a 250mb file.

Why do you need to upload a file if it’s just a news tip?

metalmans perspective of single parent home and the children growing up like terrors is not a very good snapshot. A single parent is acting on behalf of 2 parents so doing double rolls for no extra pay (probable making less then would bel.

“And here I thought it was dangerous to the police standing open in the street next to the vehicle with flashing lights which cannot be seen until too late even when going the speed limit. (unless, of course, it is dark and the lights can be seen flickering thorugh the fences, bushes, etc.”

Of course it can be dangerous for the officers, people standing around, pedestrians, etc. I have driven through many roadblocks over the years and have not found even the ‘hidden’ ones dangerous, but maybe that’s just me.

Part of the key is looking more than 5 feet in front of your bumper when driving, which I know many people don’t seem to do.

For a number of years I waved people thru accident scenes, and got so sick of the ghouls with their morbid curiosity, hell one driver drove in to the ditch, he was so interested in seeing the body. It sickened me then, but basically, a lot of people haven’t seen a body or a person injured.
Then you have people, probably the same ones crying that their children see a photo of a body lying in the street. People if you’re passing through an accident scene, pay attention to the person directing you through it, and I do mean pay attention! You could be the one lying there dead or in pain, have some respect and concentrate on your driving.

We don’t teach kids anymore that it is important to maintain your personal dignity, and if they never learn the value of personal dignity then they will likely not appreciate or respect the same in others.