Children’s Manners, Past and Present
Uploaded by lanester901 on Oct 26, 2011
This paper argues that children’s manners are worse today than in the past, and explains why. It also discusses why good manners are necessary in a well functioning society. (4+ pages; 1 source; MLA citation style)
I Introduction
We hear a lot today about the fact that people seem ruder and more obnoxious than ever before, and observation seems to bear this out. We cut each other off on the roads and then make obscene gestures; we talk over each other; we don’t even bother to say “please” and “thank you.”
The rudeness of adults is also apparent in their children. Teachers complain of having to spend most of their time “civilizing” little savages, rather than teaching them.
Is there really a difference in manners today? And if so, why should we care?
II Discussion
There’s no question that manners are not much in evidence any longer, either among adults or children. The reason why is mainly because of our lifestyle. Our culture has accelerated dramatically and costs have escalated along with it. The result is that in most families both parents work, leaving little time for the children. Single-parent families are now much more common than they were in the past; in addition, the casual nature of American culture, with its insistence upon individual expression, means that “there are few cultural norms and expectations.” (Walsh, PG). In other words, nobody expects much of the children, and so they don’t give much in return.
Part of this, of course, is that young people, even young children, are immersed in a culture in which they want to be “cool” and “hip”, and such youngsters – often with rock or raps stars to guide them – not only don’t bother with manners, they find in their environment, it’s expected that they be rude, offensive, sexist and violent, at least in their speech. Was it always like this, or has there really been a change?
It’s axiomatic that each generation “rebels” against the one preceding it. Every young person has to distinguish himself or herself from their elders; it’s part of becoming a complete individual and forming one’s own identity. And each generation of parents thinks that its children are absolutely dreadful, and wonders where they came from. “Did the fairies come in the night and take away our little angel and replace her...