Are people more angry, impatient today?

[terryei]

I've been self employed in one way or another since High School.  I'm 55.
I've really noticed that generally people seem to be more selfish, impatient, and rude then what they used to be. 
I've asked several people their thoughts on this.  Most agree.  I wonder why?  I asked a good friend if he thought the same.  He did!  He thought it was the internet.  I laughed, then thought about it.  He said he has received e-mails from people that were rude, and just nasty.  Those same people that wrote the e-mails, he was certain, would never say the same thing to his face and proable not even on the phone.  The impersonal aspects of a hastely dashed off e-mail just seems to get out of hand.  I would agree with this, but.
What about the customer that comes into the store to talk, and is just plain rude?  This year I've asked, politley, 3 customers to leave my store.  Their attitude was unbeliveable, I told them where my competitors were and suggested they take their business elsewhere.  Years ago this would have never happened!
I don't have the answer, but it is getting worse.  Your thoughts?
(don't e-mail me, call me if you'd like, I'm much nicer on the phone!)
Terry

[Frog]

I won't go into the selfish and rude right now, but the impatience, I believe grew with the use of personal computers.

Processes that used to take twenty minutes, were down to five. Then three, or two, or one. Soon, even that one minute became an eternity and folks cursed their computer, or internet connection. It's never fast enough!
Some folks have a more difficult time than others shutting off that reaction.

[Shawn (EIP)]

For me it's younger people 21 and under that run thier mouths, they were born and raised around the internet. I'm very grateful that I hadnt discovered the internet or purchased my first home computer until I was in my early 20's. , hell I didn't want anything to do with a cell phone untill I was 33 and just this year started texting. I will say this though... I would rather deal with customers through text and email , I can get straight to business and my point across better and I can skip thier babbling about things that dont matter lol.

[pwalsh]

Terryie:  WOW, what a great subject to bring up.  I think that there is definitely something behind the impact of the mass, sometimes anonymous, and instant communication age that we’re living in today, that is contributing to the lack of patience, and absence of good manners.  I’m just a few years younger than you, but I can recall not that many years ago getting back to the office and picking up a stack of those little pink or yellow note pages containing the days phone messages. If you got back to people at the end of the day, or first thing the next morning you were generally golden, and considered to be offering a good standard of service.. 

Fast forward to today, and we have voicemail on our office phone, smart cell phones with VM, email, and Instant Text Messaging.  It seems that you no longer have hours to respond to people but rather minutes.  Also, rather than just leaving one message for one person and exercising a little patience in waiting on their reply, it seems more common that people will reach out to a bunch of contacts with the same request, often causing miscommunication or redundant and repetitive effort.  I even had some harassing (AKA gentle nudge) amphibious emails when I was slow to join up and start participating in a certain screen-printing industry forum. 

[Frog]

I even had some harassing (AKA gentle nudge) amphibious emails when I was slow to join up and start participating in a certain screen-printing industry forum. 

Consider it an intervention, with a suggestion for participation in a nice rehab environment.
Admit it, don't you already feel better?

[tpitman]

I won't go into the selfish and rude right now, but the impatience, I believe grew with the use of personal computers.

Processes that used to take twenty minutes, were down to five. Then three, or two, or one. Soon, even that one minute became an eternity and folks cursed their computer, or internet connection. It's never fast enough!
Some folks have a more difficult time than others shutting off that reaction.

I worked in an ad agency where it was routine to lie about the progress of ad, logo, or brochure development, until the advent of the fax machine. Until then, we'd just blow 'em off for a day or two. Had one client say they'd be down in 20 minutes. You never saw a comp come together so fast . . .

[pwalsh]

Consider it an intervention, with a suggestion for participation in a nice rehab environment.
Admit it, don't you already feel better?

Father Frog, I am, I say again I am a now a convert and a true believer! 
I look forward being a productive and more frequent participant over here. 
Take care mate, and have a great weekend.

[Fresh Baked Printing]

I suspect the younger crowd doesn't know how to communicate face to face anymore. They don't know how to properly express an emoticon in person.

[Homer]

I call it the "McDonalds and Walmart Society". . .we want what we want and we want it NOW - and cheap. I would love to go back to Mayberry where a handshake meant something. Look at how everything in our industry is rated - prints per hour and all that jazz. . .how fast can you go -well it's not fast enough. . .that's why our shop is 8-6 Mon-Fri. Sure we can bust out more if we do double shifts, the work is there -but- working is not my life's goal. . it's like we are all in a hurry to live and get to the end.

[virgil427]

I don't know about the computer being to blame, in our area soccer moms are some of the rudest most self absorbed people you'll meet, running little johny around take presidence over manners and driving safety.

[Fresh Baked Printing]

Now that I think about, older folks can be very rude too. Like they know they're old and have a sense of "I'm to old to care if I offend you" type attitude. Like being old gives them a free pass to steal a parking space or cut in line at the returns counter at Target.

A recent example of a young person being a jerk was at the Minnesota Zoo. My 4 year old was looking through a telescope at some animals and a few other kids (maybe 5th or 6th graders) took over the telescope, squeezing my 4 year old off the telescope. One of the kids, said "hey, knock it off, you don't push a little kid out of the way", the kids all retreated and order was restored. At least somebodies parents are raising one kid right!

Just when I think society is raising and perpetuating rude jerks of all ages and genders, someone will be nice, cordial and polite, thereby restoring my faith in people.

[virgil427]

Thats what I'm seeing I took my mom shopping and a woman in her fifties push my 85 year old mother out of the way for a pack of hamburger, there was only 5 people in the store and we were 3 of them, she wont do that agian.
 Last week I went to a county office and there were two little boys probably 7 and 10 standing just inside the door and they opened the doors for me I thanked them and they said "your welcome, sir" couldn't believe it, somebody is raiseing thier kids with manners and to be seen not heard thier dad was two in front of me, he waited probably 10 min. and you never heard a thing out of those boys felt like shaking his hand.
Pretty bad when you feel like congradulating someone for something they should be doing to start with.

[Prosperi-Tees]

Thats what I'm seeing I took my mom shopping and a woman in her fifties push my 85 year old mother out of the way for a pack of hamburger, there was only 5 people in the store and we were 3 of them, she wont do that agian.
 Last week I went to a county office and there were two little boys probably 7 and 10 standing just inside the door and they opened the doors for me I thanked them and they said "your welcome, sir" couldn't believe it, somebody is raiseing thier kids with manners and to be seen not heard thier dad was two in front of me, he waited probably 10 min. and you never heard a thing out of those boys felt like shaking his hand.
Pretty bad when you feel like congradulating someone for something they should be doing to start with.

I actually think you should say something to the parents when you come across kids with good manners. It reinforces that they are doing the right thing. Plus it lets the parents know that they are doing something right. Sometimes as parents we sometimes question ourselves whether we are doing the right thing ourselves. My kids are exactly like the ones you describe except mine are 6 and 14 and my wife and I try very hard to teach them respect for elders and when is the right time to speak and the wrong time and it feels good when people aknowledge them/us for their demeanor.

[Fresh Baked Printing]

I actually think you should say something to the parents when you come across kids with good manners. It reinforces that they are doing the right thing. Plus it lets the parents know that they are doing something right. Sometimes as parents we sometimes question ourselves whether we are doing the right thing ourselves. My kids are exactly like the ones you describe except mine are 6 and 14 and my wife and I try very hard to teach them respect for elders and when is the right time to speak and the wrong time and it feels good when people aknowledge them/us for their demeanor.

If it fits into the situation, occasionaly I'll compliment good manners and a good greeting/handshake from a 'kid". It makes the parents AND the kid feel proud. I know I do when my little guys gets a mention.

[Scobey Peterman]

It is very hard to read the attitude of a person on an e-mail or text.  This is why I try to call people most of the time.

Fast food reataurants have contrubited to people being is such a hurry and the "I want it now" attitude.