Am I becoming Walt Kowalski?

GKC

GKC

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As I contemplate my upcoming 62nd birthday, I realize that I am more than ever identifying with Walt Kowalski (Gran Torino.) Common courtesy and common sense seem to be two things that have gone by the wayside; for example:

Yes, I have actually told someone to get off my lawn. In my defense, one of my neighbor's kids was driving a car across it, so I think I was justified.

I simply can't stand the sight of guys with their pants hanging off their butts, ball caps turned around backwards, or wearing undershirts (the so-called wife-beaters) as outer wear. I grant that this isn't a courtesy, but as a matter of decency, it is disgusting.

I have seen so many instances of people trying to move over into a lane of traffic, signaling, and yet no one will let them in. Conversely, I have seen people rush ahead to the front of a long line of traffic and then try to edge in, as if they aren't supposed to wait their turn.

I wish the stores that have express lanes (20 items or less, etc) would have some sort of program that once the cashier had rung up 20 items, he or she couldn't ring up anything else. Of course, those who don't respect the rules would just stand there and expect the cashier to ring up another 20 items. I have seen so many people go through these lanes with a full basket of items...and of course the stores don't have the balls to tell them to get out of that line and go to a full service line.

My wife is handicapped, so I am especially sensitive to this one: people who dump shopping carts in handicapped spaces. I can't tell you how many times I've had to stop, remove the cart(s), and then pull in. I don't know if people do this because they are just too lazy to take the carts back in or to one of the designated cart racks, or if they resent someone getting a "better" parking spot. (I would gladly trade our handicapped plates for my wife not to need them.)

I get very annoyed with people who are so busy with their cell phone conversations that they can't take care of the business at hand. I've seen many people at the grocery store, dry cleaners, theater, etc, who are so busy yakking about some inane facet of their lives that they can't pay and move on in a timely manner, while everyone behind them stands and waits.

I have seen people argue over things that just don't matter....or shouldn't, IMO. For example, the other day I was at Wal-Mart, and this woman was giving the cashier holy heck over a coupon or some item that didn't ring up with the 10 cents off she was expecting. I told them both I would gladly pay the 10 cents, or even a dollar, if that would get the issue settled, so I could check out and go.

I could go on and on, which makes me wonder if I am finding more to dislike than I like about this world we live in. Maybe I am just getting older (heck, no maybe about it) but it just seems like the world is becoming a much less civil place. No real news or revelation there...but Walt Kowalski is looking back at me in the mirror more and more every day. :(
 
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What a wonderful topic, very timely.

Years ago I read an essay the author opined that all great societies lasted approximately 300 years before they imploded. The citizens of these societies had become too successful and most become fat, lazy, self-indulgent, developed a sense of entitlement, and lost their sense of self-reliance. Does any of this sound familiar?

Well guess what happens in 2076? Sadly I don't care, any longer, I won't be around to have to deal with the aftermath.
 
GKC, i'm about to turn 63 and have felt like Walt for many years now. on one occasion i have had to go out the door with a shotgun to get some "folks" off my lawn. one of them had just attacked a police officer and he was off chasing him. in all the catagories you mentioned i am 100% agreement. there are many days i wished i lived alone in a cabin by a lake or river in the ozarks. lee
 
GKC said:
I simply can't stand the sight of guys with their pants hanging off their butts...
Click to expand...

Now hold on a second. I'm all in favor of these young men with their pants hanging down. Those pants save many cops from having to do a lot of running. The suspect runs away to avoid arrest, his pants fall down around his ankles, he falls face down on the ground. He is in the right position to cuff, and he is just taken to jail. Sure, they look stupid, and I really don't want to look at someone's butt or dirty underwear, but it is better than having to chase some punk a quarter mile.
 
You talking about people on cell phones in a check out lane really touches a nerve. I had stopped at a local hardware store and picked up a couple of 4' flourescent bulbs. The guy ahead of me checking out was in the process of writing a check when his cell phone rang. He answered it and started visiting with someone, the cashier just looked astounded and was staring at the dweeb. I was standing there holding a couple awkward 4' bulbs.

I slid the bulbs onto the counter and it happened that the fools half written checkbook slid off the other end. I told the cashier, "you really should move your phone booth."

I consider myself to be fairly easy going, but I don't suffer fools well. Oh by the way, my first name is Walter.
 
One thing is pretty undeniable and that is that as the human population increases, even if everything else stays the same, the number of total dipsticks inside that population is going to increase as well. So, even if the actual percentages stay the same (and there's lots of evidence showing that society is actually getting dumber rather than smarter, so the dipstick percentage is probably rising within the statistic), there's just going to be more dipsticks out there than there were 25 years ago.

I still believe that people are basically good. However, at the same time, I am willing to admit that there are exceptions out there and some of them are just "all bad". You try to recognize them, separate them from the pack, deal with them as little as possible and have your hand in your pocket on your Bodyguard when you do have to deal with them despite your best efforts.

When I was a Department Store Manager in Canada almost 30 years ago, I had a real winner of a customer one day that I dealt with as abruptly and forcefully as possible without actually hitting him, and he went away (after throwing a hockey stick at me). I was called up into the Store owner's office, and as he closed the door, I saw my job doing out that door when I walked back through it myself.

However, what he said to me was; "We preach that the 'Customer is always right', and ideally that's true. However, one in one thousand people are impossible to deal with, and it's best to get rid of them as quickly as possible and let the guys over at Home Depot deal with them. I saw and heard how you handled that fellow, and I fully approve of your manner. From now on, when that one in one thousand comes in, I'm going to have the staff call you."

I was stunned, but the upshot of this was that everytime I was paged thereafter, it was to deal with a total tubestick. Still, some could be reasoned with, others just had to be set free to deal with the guys and girls over at Home Depot. I would have to add, though, that over a 12 year period that I was in that job, "total tubestick" encounters were not that comman -- although some were quite memorable.

Down here, I've been running my Ice Cream Store for 20 years plus now. I find that if anything, the total fool encounters have been few over the years, but they do come up. I don't find I'm running into more than I did in a Canadian Department Store, although perhaps it would be the same if we considered "per capita customer count" as more people visited that Department Store in a day than visit my Ice Cream Store in a day. Still, I would be hard set to declare that there are more idiots per capita out there today than there were 30 years ago -- although common sense dictates there must be. What I would not disagree with for a moment is that there ARE more idiots out there, but because there's just more people out there.

Try to be positive, if possible, and remember that the idiots squeal the loudest -- and for some reason our current social system seems to want to amplify their squealing even more as if it somehow was something to be proud of. And just keep that Bodyguard handy in your pocket in case I'm wrong, which has been known to happen.
 
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When I retired from corporate America, in a moment of lunacy I bought a dry cleaners. I had people bring in a shirt that they knew was stained, they pointed out the stain, they acknowledged that they had stained it, and wanted to know if I could get it out. I told them I would try, but there were no guarantees. When the stain wouldn't come out, they would then expect me to pay for a new shirt! That wasn't a one time occurrence, either.

I had people call me at home on Sundays, wanting me to let them get their clothes because it was "inconvenient" for them to come during regular hours (my phone number was posted on the door sign for emergencies.) I was willing to do this for someone who had an emergency, but I actually had people call me simply because they just couldn't manage to come in during the hours I was open (6am to 7pm, Monday - Saturday.)

When we found items in the clothes (we checked the pockets carefully before processing the clothes...one ink pen left in a pocket would ruin an entire load of laundry) we would put them in a bag and attach the bag to the clothing. I had husbands (and sometimes wives) scream at me when their spouse came in to pick up the cleaning, and they found some items in the bag that shouldn't have left in their pockets (you'd be amazed at some of the stuff we found.)

I had people bring in clothes with urine and feces in them, and no attempt had been made to clean it out. Vomit too.

After a year of this, and many other things, I sold the cleaners. I really despair at what we are collectively becoming.
 
I had to laugh at this one... :D


jag312 said:
Now hold on a second. I'm all in favor of these young men with their pants hanging down. Those pants save many cops from having to do a lot of running. The suspect runs away to avoid arrest, his pants fall down around his ankles, he falls face down on the ground. He is in the right position to cuff, and he is just taken to jail. Sure, they look stupid, and I really don't want to look at someone's butt or dirty underwear, but it is better than having to chase some punk a quarter mile.
Click to expand...


I've seen so many of these guys walking around with one hand hanging onto their belts to keep their pants from falling down. I can't imagine dressing like that on purpose!

I did have my pants fall down in Wal-Mart...but it sure wasn't on purpose. I've lost a significant amount of weight (I'm still fat, but less so) and I was wearing a pair of pants that were just too big, and even with my belt cinched to the last notch, they were pretty loose. I reached up to get some cans of hominy off the top shelf, and I felt my pants beginning to go. I tried to catch them, and in the process, knocked the cans off the top shelf, which I then tried to grab, and knocked some cans off the next shelf, and so on. There I stood with about a hundred cans on the floor and my pants around my ankles. :eek:

Fortunately this was an underwear day... :o
 
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old bear said:
Years ago I read an essay the author opined that all great societies lasted approximately 300 years before they imploded. The citizens of these societies had become too successful and most become fat, lazy, self-indulgent, developed a sense of entitlement, and lost their sense of self-reliance. Does any of this sound familiar?

Well guess what happens in 2076? Sadly I don't care, any longer, I won't be around to have to deal with the aftermath.
Click to expand...

You are an optimist my friend, there is no way this country lasts another 50+ years with out a revival, a revolution or both.

Don't give up the ship yet buddy, the rest of us need your insight and experience.
 
GKC,

What are you missing?

It's all about ME, it's all about ME, let's talk about ME? Have you met me yet? There's someone else alive besides ME? ME,ME, ME, Me dang it. WHAT ABOUT ME!!!!!!!!!!

You are not an angry old man on this issue, it's this country and the entitled losers in it. They've never done anything for others or gone 100% at anything, every one gets a trophy.
 
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