Rude Behavior 101

Where does rude behavior start? Are people born with a genetic predisposition to be pushy and self-centered? Or, is it something our kids silently absorb over the course of a childhood, an uncivilized osmosis. The Nature vs Nurture debate rages.

Last weekend, we were over near University Village at our favorite local shoe store, the Shoe Zoo, to replace my daughter's running shoes. A woman and her young daughter entered the store just after us, and proceeded to speak LOUDLY with ostentatious familiarity to the sales staff. Now, I've witnessed people peacocking like this around superiors at work, or with celebrities, or even at high-end retailers, in fragile efforts to build self-esteem. But the SHOE ZOO???

Naturally, she brazenly started asking for help from the salespeople out of turn, who deferred to her and started running shoes from the back immediately, while people who had been in the store waiting, looked on patiently.

Luckily for me, despite being bumped by this woman, we knew exactly what we wanted and were finished quickly, so I went up to the small register desk to pay, thankful to escape this thorn in our afternoon. Just as the clerk finished scanning my credit card, moments away from freedom, THUNK. Within that two feet of counter space, a box of shoes was unceremoniously slapped down, an inch from my elbow, which left me insufficient space to even sign the damned credit card slip. Using every speck of self-control in my person, I held my tongue, moved myself away from this hulking body that was crowding my personal space, and completed the transaction. As I stepped away, I snapped this photo to illustrate the limited space on this counter, as well as to foreshadow the next generation of rude behavior in this poor hapless child.

So, is this just all about the RANT? Of course, that's part of it, but there's also the bigger picture here. We learn basic behaviors from our parents, as well as other caregivers and role-models in our lives, but at what point do we take responsibility for our own actions and stop blaming our parents and our upbringing? Does this woman even realize she's a boor? We all witness bad behavior every day, and are surely impacted regularly, but how often do we turn that critical eye upon ourselves and think how our actions might be considered rude to others?

Here's a hint. If you happen to notice a stranger casually taking a photo of you with her iPhone, it's self-reflection time.