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

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..."

A long, long, time ago, when I was just a little girl,people in polite society played by certain rules. Children used courtesy titles to address their friends' parents -- or any adults for that matter. The use of the words "please" and "thank you" in every day conversation was commonplace. Most importantly, no one discussed "sensitive subjects" such as religion or politics outside of intimate circles. Ever.
Of course, that was long before the advent of the Internet and the instant-information age. Back then, no one could imagine a time when people would be able to use a gadget called a computer to say whatever they wish without any consequences.
Yet all these years later, some things remain the same -- at least as far as I'm concerned. I seldom discuss religion or politics publicly. When I do, I choose my words very carefully. My opinion remains my own.
So imagine my trepidation when the conversation turned to politics during the opening reception for my photo exhibit "Unique New York: 50 Photos of New York City" at our local library. The person who initiated the discussion had no qualms about sharing her opinion. I had no qualms about ending the discussion before it turned ugly.
I refused to engage in the conversation (if it could be called that) because it wasn't the time or the place. I refused to engage in the conversation because I didn't know the woman who initiated it. I refused to engage in the conversation because a constructive dialogue with that particular person would have been impossible under any circumstances.
You see, she was so consumed with her own beliefs, so utterly convinced that she is right and the rest of the world is wrong, that she resorted to name-calling when confronted with a different opinion.
Sadly, her behavior is hardly unusual. If any thing it is far too common.
Until next time, "That's life..."