Manners are gone, aren’t they?

I believe so.

Last night I was invited to a dinner and presentation. It was organized and hosted by a drug company, though not an “evil” one. The speaker was a very interesting and well-known Neonatologist. Most people in attendance were physicians and pharmacists involved in Neonatal care.

Then there were the “others”. A handful of people who somehow heard about the free dinner and showed up. They work in healthcare in some way; I’m not sure how. Basically, they were just “crashers” there for the food.

As the salad was served, these 5 people began to devour their food as soon as it was set down in front of them. The rest of us waited for everyone at the table to be served. Ditto for the main course. Though this behavior was annoying, it was not the worst of it.

During the presentation, these buffoons began to talk to each other … loudly. They could not be silenced by stares from the rest of us or by the speaker stopping his presentation and looking directly at them. Finally one of the waiters asked them if they would like their desserts in a “to go” box. They jumped on that opportunity and left. Thankfully.

I was both annoyed by and embarrassed for them. So, why is it we have moved so far away from the basics of decency in human interactions? Are we too busy? Have we read too much Ayn Rand? Why is it OK to just not care?