“I looked at her and said “You’re welcome!!” loudly enough for the other folks in line to hear. 2 people behind me said the very same thing.”
That’s what’s been missing for a lonnnnnng time — common moral feedback from ‘the village’.
Those like you and me, willing to apply a sound moral correction or lesson to a misbehaving villager, have been whack-a-moled into silence. Happens here, even.
Morals are now relative, not common. “It’s your thing, do what you wanna do.” “Mind your own business!” “Don’t you talk at my kid!” “Excuuuuuuuuuse me?!” “You’re not boss of me!”
Used to be, if a kid publicly misbehaved, any number of villagers would set them straight, pronto. And the kids knew that would happen. Spankings happened, too; by dad when he got home, usually. Ahhh, old school village discipline...
“That’s what’s been missing for a lonnnnnng time — common moral feedback from ‘the village’.
I’ve now reached the age where I no longer GAF. It’s wonderfully liberating. More people on our side should try it. And I say this as someone who grew up on “food stamps” back in the day when they were actually stamps.
My mom cried in line the first time she used them. I’ll never forget the look of shame on her face. But apparently shame is an old fashioned thing any more.
And our society is poorer for it.
L