The general attitude of people in 2013

[Mack]

Am I the only one who has noticed a huge rise in arrogance and bad manners in recent times?

I had a fair bit of running around to do this morning, here are some of my observations of the people I crossed paths with:

 

Roundabouts: No one wants to give way anymore, and people pull out while you are still passing. Even worse a lorry just kept going forcing me to stop mid roundabout to avoid a collision.

Driving: So I'm going along at 30 odd and this woman pulls out of a supermarket exit and I had to come to an almost complete stop to avoid hitting her. She just carries along like I don't even exist despite nearly causing an accident and possible injury.

Parking: So I finally found a space, then some woman tries to steal it whilst I have been waiting 5 minutes for the old bloke who was parked there to leave. When I politely pointed out to her I had been waiting she gave me a dirty look, didn't say a thing and angrily reversed out of the way just missing a parked car. She had clearly seen me waiting and assumed she could just get their first and I wouldn't say anything and drive off.

Walking about town: So I'm going from place to place getting what I need to do done. I hold the door open for two women with arms full of shopping as I saw them struggling, not a word of thanks and they walk past like I don't even exist.

I get to a shop to buy some supplies and the bloke behind the counter doesn't acknowledge me, throws the stuff I'm buying around like rubbish and I'm left to bag it while he tries to serve someone else on top of my purchases.

I'm in the supermarket. A family of two kids and their parents are at the end of an isle with 2 trolleys completely blocking the way. They are transferring items from one trolley to another right in the way of everyone and myself and two other people are waiting to get past. Do they move? Nope they stay there for ages doing the same thing until I have to politely say excuse me. In reply I get a dirty look and a tut as the father makes some snide comment to the mother under his breath.

Now I'm heading home and in the distance some lights are red so i begin to slow down to join the queue of traffic waiting, the guy behind me undercuts me then swerves in front of me giving me the Vs up and tooting at me in the process. When I catch up he is in front of me and as we pull off I pass him on the roundabout and he is giving me a willy puller sign which I ignore, he then undercuts me again entering the dual carriageway causing the car in front of me to swerve and toot at him to which he opens his window and gives them the finger.

I return home and try to park. The girl from two doors along is leaving in her car but she wants to keep the space for her father so deliberately sits in her running car so I have to park 100 yards up the road. Once she sees I have parked and am walking she drives off.

 

Is it just me?

[ADK]

Maybe it's the Tory government encouraging a "me me" attitude, maybe the recession I don't know. Maybe you were just unlucky.

[outfoxed77]

No it's not just you, two things that at the minute are really hacking me off when it comes to driving.

 

People who pull out of a side street, blocking one lane of traffic whilst they wait for a gap to pull into traffic, therefore completely blocking traffic going one way until someone lets them in, I know it's been a while but I'm pretty sure the highway code says you have to wait for a break in the traffic until pulling out onto a main road.

 

The other one is people crossing the road when thet are literally yadrs away from a crossing, when I'm in my van and these people time their running to just miss oyu as they cross the road I slam my brakes on so they run into the van, I've had a few shout obscenities at me i just point out if they weren't so lazy and used the srossing right near them it wouldn't have happened.

 

Perhaps this thread needs to be renamed the grumpy old gits thread or something.

[Zingari]

Maybe it's the Tory government encouraging a "me me" attitude, maybe the recession I don't know. Maybe you were just unlucky.

i definitely think there's something in that . People are talking and have very similar attitudes again to those in the early 80's 

.

[Guest]

i definitely think there's something in that . People are talking and have very similar attitudes again to those in the early 80's

.

It's hardly like it's come about over the last few years because of a government of any persuasion. People were selfish ***** during the last Labour government as they were during the previous Conservative one.

[Zingari]

It's hardly like it's come about over the last few years because of a government of any persuasion. People were selfish ***** during the last Labour government as they were during the previous Conservative one.

Yes i know,  but attitudes of people become more prevalent at certain times . You can use this forum as a yardstick to gauge how more posters are prepared to come out with opinions that were less palatable even a couple of years ago. 

[Vacamion]

If you get offended by other people driving like selfish nutcases, maybe you should refrain from driving in the UK, or in fact pretty much anywhere...

[ADK]

No it's not just you, two things that at the minute are really hacking me off when it comes to driving.

 

People who pull out of a side street, blocking one lane of traffic whilst they wait for a gap to pull into traffic, therefore completely blocking traffic going one way until someone lets them in, I know it's been a while but I'm pretty sure the highway code says you have to wait for a break in the traffic until pulling out onto a main road.

 

The other one is people crossing the road when thet are literally yadrs away from a crossing, when I'm in my van and these people time their running to just miss oyu as they cross the road I slam my brakes on so they run into the van, I've had a few shout obscenities at me i just point out if they weren't so lazy and used the srossing right near them it wouldn't have happened.

 

Perhaps this thread needs to be renamed the grumpy old gits thread or something.

 

I'm not sure I'd brag about deliberately causing collisions with pedestrians.

[Guest]

Yes i know, but attitudes of people become more prevalent at certain times . You can use this forum as a yardstick to gauge how more posters are prepared to come out with opinions that were less palatable even a couple of years ago.

I see what you're saying I think it's just been a more gradual decline in attitudes towards others across society in general myself rather than being triggered by a particular government (although economics obviously do form part of people's behaviour) A bit like how attitudes to personal finance have changed significantly over generations. It's all me, me, me and I want it now for a lot of people whereas I'm not sure it was like that a couple of generations ago.

Then again maybe Mack is just having a wholly unlucky day

[outfoxed77]

I'm not sure I'd brag about deliberately causing collisions with pedestrians.

 

Why not? surely if they are in the middle of a main road with traffic going by it's not my fault if i have to break sharply becasue a cat ran out into the road and they walk into my van?

[Zingari]

I see what you're saying I think it's just been a more gradual decline in attitudes towards others across society in general myself rather than being triggered by a particular government (although economics obviously do form part of people's behaviour) A bit like how attitudes to personal finance have changed significantly over generations. It's all me, me, me and I want it now for a lot of people.

Yes i think it can be too easy to over simplify things.

But I do sense a re-emergence of the type of bullish ( bullshitish) conspicuous consumer, loadsamoney , yuppy,  and Katie Hopkins types constantly banging on about how the shirkers , strikers etc are the scourge of Britain.

 

I'm sure they are always with us, but the tories seem to embolden them more.

 

It probably is my imagination though   

[ADK]

Why not? surely if they are in the middle of a main road with traffic going by it's not my fault if i have to break sharply becasue a cat ran out into the road and they walk into my van?

 

If that happened then ok. Sounded like you braked for no reason other than to cause them to hit your van.

[outfoxed77]

If that happened then ok. Sounded like you braked for no reason other than to cause them to hit your van.

 

MMMMmmm

[MooseBreath]

I think it's a combination of American style self-importance combined with British malice and cynicism. Twenty years ago someone like Jose Mourinho would have been considered distasteful. Now we lap that kind of shit up. Plus you've got the left trying to pretend like everyone deserves to have an amazing life at no cost while the internet and 'social' media has made us more insular. We're becoming tossers, I think that is likely. A guy who recently joined my work is an old-fashioned type, doing simple things like holding open doors and taking an interest in people, he sticks out like a sore thumb.

[Big Dave]

If I were you, I'd stick to internet shopping!

[Guest MattP]

It's a product of the society we live in. Whichever government is in power this will continue to happen so pointless blaming the Tories for making people more selfish or Labour for paying the lowest dregs of society to breed more..

 

Moose is correct when he says people are becoming tossers, it's actually encouraged. Get rich or die trying seem to be the favoured quote of the youth nowadays. Facebook and Twitter etc have created a me, me, me style of living, everyone wants everything and no one seems to want to do anything for it.

 

I'm still a guy who holds doors opens and says hello to people if I walk past them in the street (not in town obviously, you'd get twatted), I force myself to do it but most people completely ignore me when I do either now.

 

No solution to it either.

[ADK]

I think it's a combination of American style self-importance combined with British malice and cynicism. Twenty years ago someone like Jose Mourinho would have been considered distasteful. Now we lap that kind of shit up. Plus you've got the left trying to pretend like everyone deserves to have an amazing life at no cost while the internet and 'social' media has made us more insular. We're becoming tossers, I think that is likely. A guy who recently joined my work is an old-fashioned type, doing simple things like holding open doors and taking an interest in people, he sticks out like a sore thumb.

 

Ah so it's the lefts fault. You are probably correct, the government really needs to let everyone know in no uncertain terms that life really should be shit and miserable for the majority.

[bovril]

Yes i think it can be too easy to over simplify things.

But I do sense a re-emergence of the type of bullish ( bullshitish) conspicuous consumer, loadsamoney , yuppy,  and Katie Hopkins types constantly banging on about how the shirkers , strikers etc are the scourge of Britain.

 

I'm sure they are always with us, but the tories seem to embolden them more.

 

It probably is my imagination though   

 

We're being told by our dear leaders that the only thing stopping us from prosperity and eternal happiness is the man walking on the opposite side of the street - he's probably an immigrant or a teacher or a benfit scrounger or a probable terrorist and we shouldn't trust him. I'm not sure if it's even a labour / tory thing, just the way things work now.

 

Oh and the weather is shit.

[Zingari]

It's a product of the society we live in. Whichever government is in power this will continue to happen so pointless blaming the Tories for making people more selfish or Labour for paying the lowest dregs of society to breed more..

 

Moose is correct when he says people are becoming tossers, it's actually encouraged. Get rich or die trying seem to be the favoured quote of the youth nowadays. Facebook and Twitter etc have created a me, me, me style of living, everyone wants everything and no one seems to want to do anything for it.

 

I'm still a guy who holds doors opens and says hello to people if I walk past them in the street (not in town obviously, you'd get twatted), I force myself to do it but most people completely ignore me when I do either now.

 

No solution to it either.

I don't think they can make people any more or less selfish , but they can portray it as more virtuous and so embolden people .

And they can portray the less well off as more feckless and scrounging . It's a massive PR and propaganda campaign that has side effects,

[Guest MattP]

I don't think they can make people any more or less selfish , but they can portray it as more virtuous and so embolden people .

And they can portray the less well off as more feckless and scrounging . It's a massive PR and propaganda campaign that has side effects,

 

I don't need the media or a political party to show me how feckless and scrounging a lot of people are, I walk through town with my eyes open.

[MooseBreath]

Ah so it's the lefts fault. You are probably correct, the government really needs to let everyone know in no uncertain terms that life really should be shit and miserable for the majority.

It's a contributing factor I'm sure. Obviously not the whole reason.

[Corky]

In terms of manners, it's often the older generation who lack them as much as the "naughty" youth of today. You can give up a seat on public transport, or hold a door open for the elderly, and you are lucky if you get a thankyou. Manners cost nothing. Mostly seems to be women too.

[z-layrex]

I still like to believe the majority of British people are still inherently good in their hearts, but for the reasons Moosebreath mentioned everyone is caught up in this 'me' mentality. I try to be polite to everyone and I'm at the point now where I'm actually surprised when someone thanks me for holding a door open or letting them through a gate first. At the the hospital particularly, I am so tired of colleagues being rude to me when I am nothing but nice and helpful, I don't care how stressed they are.

 

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about, we should be kind.

[Zingari]

I don't need the media or a political party to show me how feckless and scrounging a lot of people are, I walk through town with my eyes open.

Mr Scrooge is alive and well 

[outfoxed77]

Me and the Mrs went walking up Edale last weekend, she couldn't believe how polite and friendly everyone was.

 

There are still loads of nice people out there you just have to know where to go.