Too Famous For Manners?

I'm surprised at myself for getting so worked up about the horrible behavior of a "star" at the MTV VMA's last night. Seriously, who among us is surprised at the tirades Kanye West takes us on whenever he takes a mind to? I mean, really? It's not like he hasn't made a complete idiot of himself in the limelight before. (I would go into other examples here, but you can Google it and get more than I could list.) I feel really bad for Taylor Swift, and at the same time, pleased that Beyonce showed she has WAY more class than Kanye.

But I think the whole issue goes further that a bad choice of stage entrance and/or alcoholic courage here. 

When did manners become something that is optional? When did it become okay to engage in behavior that makes you look like a three year-old and makes your momma bow her head and hope nobody remembers that's "so-and-so's" boy/girl?

What happened to home training and common decency? Maybe it's my Southern upbringing, but when I was a kid, you didn't talk back to adults (not more than once, anyway), you didn't mouth off to teachers, and you didn't embarass your parents (Lord help you if you did). Mind you, this is NOT to say my generation is perfect. Far from it. We are the ones who have yearbook pictures with hair that was so big it got to 1987 before we did. Proud high schoolers in the "me" decade. Suffice it to say we have our own issues (and probably a Cabbage Patch doll or Rubik's cube in the closet somewhere). But for the most part, respecting others was not an option. 

It seems to be one these days. It's not only evident in episodes like Kanye's "watch-me-show-my-ass" display, but in the kids I meet/have met in my children's schools. A few weeks ago, I heard one come out of school, and yell to the teacher across the parking lot, exclaiming to her (and everyone in earshot) how fine she was. And I'm not talking about a "Gee, Mrs. Smith, don't you look professional today!" sort of way. He was yelling at her like she WAS a "professional" (if you get my drift). If a boy had tried this in my middle school, the coach would have made him run laps until his ears bled.

Contrary to the belief of some, manners are not some antiquated notion that died off with New Coke. (Younger readers, you'll need to Google that, too.)

They are one of the things that keep our civilized society "civil".