Poor, poor pitiful us...

What's happened to us?  We've become a Greedy, anti-social Society haven't we.  I look at the next Generation that supposed to run things and it scares me.  The local news channel had a report on Teens texting while driving.  It's bad enough when people talk on their cellphones without a headset and drive erratically, but now we have people taking their hands off the wheel to type in a message to someone else on their cellphone.....a device that is...wait for it....A PHONE!!!!  You know, a device that you can dial a sequence of numbers in that will connect to another device like it so you can SPEAK to a person on the other end.  WHAT A CONCEPT!!!!  Why the mass texting all the time????  I just don't get it?  I've told Liv that before.  She is texting someone on her phone and I've said "you do know you can call that person on your phone right?  It does operate as a phone and all...."  I am of the belief that talking on a phone while driving without the use of a hands free device is dangerous.  Texting is just stupid while driving.  That's as bad as the idiots that read the newspaper while driving....every seen these guys????  When you use a hands free device for your phone calls, the phone becomes like the radio, something in your peripheral that you don't focus all your attention on.  When you are holding it up to your ear to talk, it distracts you because you don't want to drop it or you don't get it placed right and you can hear, etc etc....see you aren't paying attention to the road at that point.  Cell phones are great, but they have made us anti-social.  There are instances where a bunch of people get together for a night out or whatever, but they ignore each other and start texting other people that aren't there.  WTF??????  How rude is that shit?  You are out with these folks to socialize, and you end up not talking to each other but to other people.  Why didn't you just invite those other people?   Or better yet, why didn't you just go out with those other people.  It's obvious you have nothing in common with the folks you are with, so why waste everyone's time?  The one's that get me are these couples that go out to restaurants to eat, but bring a book or newspaper and read while eating.  How boring is your relationship that you have to bring a newspaper when you take your girlfriend/wife/boyfriend/husband out to dinner?  Even couples that have been together for years, there is still something to talk about for crying out loud.  Cathy and I always have conversations while at dinner.  It's just plain rude to go out to a restaurant and not enjoy the company of the person you are with.   On Sunday mornings Cat and I will wake up and get coffee and go sit outside and read.  A. We are not awake yet. B. It's relaxing. C. We often stop to chat while out there.  It's different. It's a weekly ritual and we are doing it at our house.  I have noticed that this new Generation has no respect and no group skills.  I know when I was a punk ass teen we farted around at the mall all the time, but we didn't do anything destructive or asinine that got us kicked out of places.  Yeah we went into stores and stayed there for hours looking at crap and never bought anything, or went to toy stores and messed with crap.  We never got kicked out though.  There is this same pack o' teens that walks around the mall near my house that has pretty much been kicked out of every store there.  They walk into Books a Million, shouting like idiots, running through the aisles then leave.  Dumb asses.  No respect.  Honestly I hope these kids change when they get older, but I somehow don't think it's going to happen.  When this pampered, coddled, instant gratification, anti-social, no respect Generation grows up (there's a relative term) and takes charge I seriously cringe for the future of this country.  Hell I'm already cringing but that's because of the Moron running it now.  I can see it now.  All office communication will be done by Instant messenger or text.  There will be no phones on desks, everyone will have a Cell Phone but they will have storage issues with number and such because of all the MP3's they have downloaded to it.  There will be no saying good morning as you walk down the hall to the coffee maker because everyone will have an ipod shoved in their ears lost in their own little world.  Meetings will become a thing of the past because no one has the attention span to be there.  They will just text the meeting to each other.....while listen to Chevelle or some crappy band like that of course.  There will be no more training sessions, the training videos will be posted to YouTube with lame ass comments under them.  They will of course have to have some kind of loud soundtrack for anyone to even pay attention.   I can picture it now.  

 

Now for our Greed.   The Day after Thanksgiving (a holiday of being thankful for Family and good health, etc) is usually called Black Friday.  Yep, the retail establishments of the world have dubbed it that because that is the day (supposedly.....I think that enough people were told that it was the busiest shopping day so like the sheeple they are they had to go) that most stores go in the Black because of everyone Christmas shopping on that day.  The stores are opening earlier and earlier every year.  A few stores opened at 4 am.......4 AM??????  Who the Hell goes to a store to shop at 4 am.  What, so you can get a snowglobe or some stupid shit like that?  C'mon.  Oh it's for that 29 DVD player (usually a piece of shit brand and player) just to trick you into getting in the store.  The people that go out that early are rude too.  Aggressive Assholes that shove and push just to be the first in the store.  What the Hell is wrong with these people????  Animals.  Trust me morons, the stores will have bargains all season long.  Do you seriously think they are just going to have a sale on that day????  Please.  They want to make money all season long, not just in one day.  I've noticed too, that these stores have "Preview Days".  What the Hell is that?  You are going to the store the day before the sale to preview the things that will be on sale?????????  How stupid is this.  "Hey Honey, we drove an hour to the mall to look at the pants we are going to come buy on sale tomorrow."  Wow...that was dumb wasn't it.  I've been told that on these Preview days the item is marked down to one level, then marked down further the next day.  Still stupid.  Hey let's go see what the price of the pants are at 30% off so we can see how much we can save tomorrow at 50% off......  How about doing some math dumb ass.  Take 50% of the regular price and that's going to be the better sale price.  Save yourself some gas and an hours drive.  This is also the only time you see Kay and Zales Jewelers commercials (besides Valentine's Day.....or should I say confectioner/florist/jeweler conspiracy day.....).  The tell you "This diamond pendant that's only 399 is the PERFECT gift."  Oh shit!!!  I need to spend 400 on one gift.  Hell I got that lying around...no problem.  The commercials also give you the impression that you are a "Big Loser" if you don't get her some crappy mall chain jewelry store jewelry.  Shit I'd go to Shane Company before Zales or anywhere else.  This is also the year that the High Priced Luxury cars (Lexus, Lincoln) have their sales.  Hey buy your Wife a 50,000 car.  She will love you for it and if you don't YOU'RE A LOSER.  Yep, put yourself in hock buying expensive shit you wouldn't buy any other time of the year.  After all, that's what Christmas is about isn't it????