Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "common-sense"

Being a former police reporter and having lots of friends in law enforcement has its advantages. For one thing, you learn a lot about human stupidity.
No, I'm not talking about stupid cops (although there are thousands out there). I'm talking about your average, every day, run of the mill citizen.
You know, the person who brags about their intelligence and proves just how smart they are by doing something absolutely brilliant -- like posting all the details of their upcoming trip (including departure and return dates) on social media sites. Or leaving valuables in plain view when contractors are in the house. Or leaving their car unlocked and then complaining when their purse, wallet, camera and electronic devices are stolen.
If I had a dime for every news article or police blotter item I wrote about someone being victimized due to an utter lack of common sense, I'd be a multimillionaire.
Keeping all of that in mind, I didn't do a blog post last week. You see, I had absolutely positively no intention of letting anyone other than close friends and family know about my weekend trip to Virginia. But now that I'm back, I can say that I had an absolute blast.
I returned to Warrenton (where I lived for more than eight years) for the annual running of the International Gold Cup steeplechase races and to catch up with old friends (most of whom are cops). Because I was only there for two-and-a-half days, I didn't get a chance to see everyone who became my extended family when I lived in Fauquier County. And I didn't get a chance to spend as much time with the people I did see as I wanted to.
But when I walked into the convenience store across the street from the Great Meadow Field Events Center in The Plains on Saturday afternoon, I knew no matter how long I've been gone, or how infrequently I'm able to visit, the rural community approximately 40 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., will always have a special place in my heart.
Hey, honey. It's great to see you again! the clerk exclaimed. Welcome home!
Until next time, "That's life..."

In an unprecedented act of narcissism, I recently quoted myself on Twitter - twice.
Judging by the number of followers I've lost since then, some people weren't too impressed. I suppose that should bother me, but it doesn't.
Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of my quotes resonated with a couple of people who were kind enough to "favorite" and re-Tweet it.
For the record, the quote they liked was simply, "Common decency cannot prevail where it does not exist."
Given such a broad statement, one might think I was referring to the lack of civility among politicians or the lack of manners among holiday shoppers. I was actually referring to the continuing lack of common decency and civility online.
All one has to do is visit the comment section following any online article to find people engaged in bad behavior. Mutual hostility manifests itself in name-calling, foul language and other brands of verbal abuse.
This activity is especially rampant in the comment sections following certain news stories, especially those pertaining to politics. However, poor behavior isn't limited to that realm. Trash-talking among sports fans is par for the course, and I've seen some pretty nasty comments (bordering on all-out vitriol) on home-decorating blogs.
There's no need to discuss what transpires on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter... Sadly that speaks for itself.
And while much is made about the effects of poor online behavior, specifically cyber bullying, on children and teens, the fact is that adults are just as guilty, if not more so than young young people of engaging in unacceptable behavior on the Internet.
So as the U.S. politicians debate the merits of "Net neutrality," the proposed rules meant to regulate Internet access costs, the fact remains there is no way the government, Internet administrators or anyone else can regulate the far more pressing issue that is the lack of civility online.
In the end, it is up to us to regulate our own behavior on the Internet and in society at large. I just hope common sense will prevail.
Until next time, "That's life..."