Soceity's slow demise...

For years now, I've been lamenting the slow but certain deterioration of our society. Many years ago, I noted that in my opinion, the advent of the self-flushing toilet in public restrooms marked the beginning of this deterioration. When we can no longer be counted on to flush a toilet, then something clearly is wrong. So, someone has to come up with a way to make the toilets flush since we're too unconcerned to do it ourselves.

At some point in the early 80s, having "attitude" suddenly became the cool thing; it somehow became attractive in an odd way. Prior to this change, people with "attitude" were merely considered bitches or pricks. And loudmouths. Now, attitude not only is acceptable, but it's considered a valued trait. Being a loudmouth has now morphed into being "outspoken," and this too has become desirable.

Recently, Chee-tos changed the company mascot from the hip, cool Chester Cheetah - a sunglasses-wearing cheetah with huge feet and a disproportionately large head who wanted nothing more than to enjoy his cheese puffs. Now, the cheetah has changed into some sort of European hipster with a generic accent. He still wears sunglasses lest the American public forget the association to the parent company, but now he's a sardonic and cynical mystery (he disappears in the commercial). In this new commercial, a woman is doing laundry in a laundromat and she has about six or seven dryers going with her clothes in them. A woman across the way in the laundromat looks at the other and says, "You know, other people are doing laundry too." Here is the outspoken attitude I mentioned earlier. People are more confrontational now. In my view, if you get to the laundromat before the other patrons, and you want to use six dryers, that's fine. If you don't like it, get there earlier. Rather than take responsibility for your actions (i.e. get up earlier) it's easier to bitch about it and put the onus to make things right on the other person.

The woman's comment irritates the original woman using all the dryers. She looks around, perplexed as to how to handle the comments. The new cheetah is playing chess with an old man sitting at a table. The cheetah looks at the camera as if he is addressing the woman directly and says, "You know, those are HER whites behind you." The woman takes the hint and puts a handful of Chee-tos into the dryer with the other woman's clothes. The idea is that all of the powdery delicious goodness of the Chee-tos will turn her white laundry orange. When the Chee-to woman looks back for approval from the cheetah, he has disappeared.

I understand the way commercials are supposed to work. I have a degree in public relations and I studied advertising in college. I'm also aware that the world changes all the time. I'm fine with all of that, but why do we have to become a nation of rude people with an attitude?