Decline of Western Civilization Part III - The Lard A$# Years

For those of you that remember the Heavy Metal movement of the 80's (and I mean METAL - not Def Leppard and Bon Jovi, but metal - Priest, Maiden, Slayer, W.A.S.P.), you'll remember a film made by Penelope Spherris called The Decline of Western Civilization Part II - The Metal years. Basically a documentary about the excess of the 80's and how metal played into it and sometimes caused it, and was this going to be the downfall of our country.

As we all know, it wasn't the end of society as we know it (although looking back on some of the stupid sh^* that people did - myself included - I wonder how some are still alive).

Now this morning, as I was out running, I noticed something, that while really struck me as more "wow, some people are really lazy" than "I'm pissed at whoever lives here". We had 3-4 inches of snow in good old FDLWI on Monday. My wife, bless her soul, went out and shoveled our drive and both side walks (as we live on a corner), so I wouldn't have to when I got home. When it boils down to it she actually owes me from all the shoveling that I did last year when we got well over 100 inches of snow for the season. She used some excuse about being pregnant so she could shovel. What a bum!!!! (Just kidding mama).

Anyway, so I'm running along and I get to some areas of sidewalk that haven't been shoveled. Today is Wednesday. I know some runners get really pissed when people don't shovel. I've letters to the editor in the local paper that express this anger. Personally, I don't think it's any reason to get angry. It is a reason,however, to revisit my theories that the laziness and dumbing down of the country as a whole could be a reason for a great number of problems that this society has today. The one thing I noticed that really got me going again was that fact that one person, who was so lazy but yet still so concerned about their sidewalk being clean, went out and actually sprinkled road salt on 3-4 inches of snow in a vain attempt to completed rid their little section of the city of snow. They didn't shovel and then salt to stop a ice buildup. They JUST SPRINKLED SALT. Wow.

When you make the choice to live in a city, there are certain social codes of conduct - also known as LAWS - that one must follow to become a productive part of society.

Example #1: Dogs should be kept on leashes. I've seen dogs chase cars, people, other dogs, cats, rabbits, all because their owners don't care enough about not only others but they don't care enough about the dog itself to leash it so it doesn't get hit by a car. In most cities this isn't just a courtesy, it's a law.
Example #2: When someone says "Hello" or "Good morning" to you, you reply with an actual response (acceptable responses would be "Hello" or "Good Morning"), not with an "ugh" or just a blank stare. This is called manners, and while most places on earth don't have laws to enforce manners, they probably should. This is a matter of either poor up bringing or just plain poor attitude.

Now I'm probably starting to sound old. "You damn kids get out of my yard" old. But honestly guys, I don't remember things being this bad 10-15-20 years ago. There just seems like there is no pride for community, no pride for family, no pride in the job that you do, and no pride for one's self. I know I'm going to do my best to instill those values in my daughter as she grows up. Sorry for ranting, but I think I was due.

Here's an idea. Let's end this post on a positive note and list some things we're thankful for. I'll start. I'm thankful for my loving wife and everything she does that I don't appreciate the other 364 days of the year. I'm thankful for my daughter who is truly a miracle in every sense of the word (if you guys don't know the story, ask and I'll post it sometime). I'm thankful for having a job, a house, and food on the table, because I know allot of people don't have any of those things these days. I'm thankful for the support of friends and family. I'm thankful for you - my readers - who actually visit this site to read my stupid posts about a fat guy and his bike.

Who's next? Let's just go around the table. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Craigers