While it is possible that, as I get older, I am becoming the stereotypical grumpy older dude, incredulous at the younger whippersnappers' lack of respect and values, there is no doubt that etiquette and decency are steadily being eroded in our society, even in supposedly polite Seattle . Riding the bus each day and working downtown provides a first-hand view of what social conservatives call the "coarsening of the culture", one of the few points on which this left-wing blogger and the right-wing culture warriors are in agreement.
Waiting for the bus at the notorious 3rd and Pine corner, one is confronted by all the symptoms of the MySpace generation's F.U. attitude: spitting, littering, cursing, young thug-wannabees blocking the entire sidewalk, aggressive panhandling, and worse after dark (Seattle is pathetically lacking beat cops, but that's a whole other post).
Some of this antisocial behavior, of course, makes its way onto the buses, especially the 358. In addition to the activities outlined above, on any given day one can encounter people taking up two seats (even if the bus is standing-room only!), eating and drinking disgusting fast food and other crap (I have had a Slurpee-like drink spilled on me by a homeless man who was allowed on the bus with a lid-less container, in flagrant violation of the posted rules), loud cursing and altercations, and the aforementioned thuggery and posturing, usually in the back of the bus.
If all that weren't enough, there is the amazing lack of self-consciousness of so many bus riders. People loudly yak on their cell phones, shamelessly discussing all manner of personal topics. Women feel that the bus is an appropriate place to apply make-up during the morning commute, in full view of the other passengers. Teenagers chomp on greasy burgers or munch bags of neon-orange cheese doodles, oblivious or disdainful of others.
When did so many Americans come to feel that a public place is no different than their living rooms, an appropriate environment to let it all hang out? What happened to the social compact of living in a major urban area, putting on a public face out of respect for one's fellow citizens (and bus commuters)? Have the concepts of privacy, decency, and a modicum of modesty become quaint relics of a pre-Facebook generation when each private moment wasn't captured on YouTube or a reality television show?
It's heartening to know that in Yokohama, Japan, at least, someone is saying enough is enough and has mustered the wherewithal to start fighting back. Seattle (and undoubtedly many other American cities) desperately needs a program like this. Public shaming is a vastly underrated, and underused, public policy-tool. If ever a society needed to have a mirror held up to itself and be forced to acknowledge its excesses, exhibitionism, and rudeness, it is the United States in 2008; bring on the elderly manner police (with younger bodyguards to back them up).
Or at the very least, bring on Howard Beale to help rouse us from our collective stupor.
I'm not suggesting that we impose a quasi-fascist nanny state, à la Singapore, here in the U.S. I'm just urging that we decide what type of city, and country, we want to live in and take the steps necessary to realize that vision. Do we want to continue along a solipsistic and vulgar path towards instant gratification? Or perhaps we could strive to achieve the goals outlined in the following, an exercise recited by students at Adams School in Ballard, Seattle, in 1927:
I am a citizen of Seattle, of Washington, and of the United States. It is my right and my duty to make an honest living and to be comfortable and happy. It is my privilege and my duty to help others to secure these benefits. I will work hard and play fair. I will be kind to all, especially to little children, to old people, to the unfortunate, and to animals. I will help make Seattle a clean, beautiful and law abiding city. These are the best services I can render to my city, my state and my country.
Maybe after we elect Barack Obama as the next president, we will be in a good collective mindset for change in this country. We need it now more than ever, from the 358 Express to The White House.
