> Why are so many adults so fearful of correcting disrespectful behavior in young people?
Possibly because those adults are Baby Boomers... and they knew deep down that the sixties and seventies are their fault, and that they are thus not deserving of respect. How can anyone respect a generation that gave us hippies, disco and Jimmy Carter????
I'm no puritanical prude, I can swear like a sailor as well as anyone - however there is a time and place for it. A checkout line in the supermarket or on public transportation or in front of children are not among the times or places.