“The Fine Print”, by Michael Schrader
LET ADULTS BE ADULTS AND KIDS BE
KIDS
(Written 07 October 1998. Published in the Neighborhood Journal. Posted 23 July 2009.)
It seems that the older I get, the more crotchety I
become. I did not really realize until
lately that I was morphing into a crotchety old man. After all, the process is very gradual, and I
do have quite a ways to go before codgerhood, but the
signs that the transformation is well under way are there.
I just don't seem to have patience anymore when it comes to
people's nonsense. Especially
adults. Perhaps this is why I
dread those Saturdays when the Razorbacks are in town.
Now don't get me wrong, I think it is great that the
Razorbacks are doing good this year. I just wish that we could get rid of some of
the drunken and obnoxious fans.
I cannot excuse public drunkenness. I'm sorry, but adults should know better than
to get drunk--that is why we are adults.
I will be the first to admit that I have been drunk on several
occasions--when I was a minor. It's not
something I'm proud of, but it happened.
I was, after all, still a kid, still too immature to know better. Adults know better.
The same with obnoxious behavior.
I can barely tolerate obnoxious kids; I have no tolerance for obnoxious
adults. Sorry, but adults know
better. Add a little alcohol to the
equation, and you get somebody that you want to take out behind the
woodshed. Which is exactly
what I wanted to do with a couple of fellows after the game Saturday night.
You see, I was minding my own business buying
groceries. Since the store was
short-handed, I helped the checker bag in order to speed things up. While I was putting my Cheerios in a bag,
these drunk, obnoxious guys who were in line behind me took the opportunity to
come forward to the cashier, pick up my checkbook, and begin thumbing through
it. They then informed me that that was
indeed my checkbook. I, of course,
appreciated the fact that these yahoos took it upon themselves to dig into my
financial affairs. Needless to say, I
was just a wee bit annoyed.
Leaving the store, and all of the
yahoos in it, did not lift my spirits in the least. You see, rampaging through the streets of
Is it no wonder, then, that our
younger generation is growing up to be rude and obnoxious with absolutely no
respect for other's rights and property?
As they say, "monkey see, monkey do." If our children see us, the adults, the role
models, acting like idiots, then they will get the message that it is okay to
act like idiots. We can't expect our
children to behave better than we do.
And it's not just drunken football fans who act like rude
and obnoxious fools. I know quite a few
"good Christians" who are more than eager to extend that middle
finger if you get in their way on the freeway.
Or who refuse to switch lanes to let you on the freeway. Or who will block the intersection waiting to
get through the green light they know they will not get through two blocks
away. (They may not be able to get
through the green light, but they will be damned if they let you get in front
of them.) Go to any road construction
site and watch the cars drag race to see who will get to the lane drop first
while the construction workers prepare to run for cover.
It's time that adults stop acting like children and start
acting like the civilized role models we are supposed to be to our
children. Heaven help us if we don't.
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