Kids, and plenty of them

[Mortblanc]

I saw something today that I have not seen in some time and it set me to thinking.

I was at Walmart, out big GP universal utility store. 5 acres of everything you need to set up housekeeping, feed the crew, or stock a hospital.

I try to stay clear of the place through the holidays due to the crowds but the closest one to me is a "country Walmart". I am out in the sticks and this big Walmart is 30 miles south of the next and fifty mile north of the other.

It is so far out in the woods that it is located on a road called Skeeter Davis Parkway. Skeeter Davis was a singer back in the early '60s and her top hit was a song called "Don't They Know It's The End Of The World."

This being the backwoods of Kentucky the kids normally don't go to school past Highschool and many drop out before they finish, which is a big deal over here. They measure the efficiency of the system and allocate money by what percentage completes HS. Many of them marry young, if they marry, but all of them start families young.

At any rate I was in the grocery section shopping and I passed a young girl reading her shopping list. She looked about 19, she had one child about 2 years old in the cart, a baby that looked 6-8 months in a baby carrier in the cart, and she was about 6 months pregnant.

The kids were clean and happy, she was clean, tidy and smiling, and she was doing some serious comparison shopping and knew exactly what she was about. A very young mother planning meals for her family and saving the family more by doing her part than she could have pulled in on an outside job.

It caught my attention since I had not seen "stair step children" in some time that were not in tow by a suspected junkie on benefits.

When I was a kid everyone was a stair step child. Not so much any more.

[Straight Shooter]

We have noticed people’s attitudes have changed .....in a bad way this past six months in particular .....as we shop it’s becoming obvious people shop in their little bubble ....they are on a mission .....their mission and have no regard for anyone or anything .....its all about THEM .....to the point of arguments breaking out over the least and silly things which ratchet up close to violent behaviour and threats being offered up within the exchanges ....being rammed with a trolly is even on the raise in a desperate charge to get the shop done and get out as fast as possible ......( it’s all about them) nothing and no one is even on their radar.......this overspills to the highways .....a race to the roundabouts who can make it first ! Never you mind the rule of law ....that’s for wimps attitude ! .
It’s all about me ....not you .

Just the fact that it’s happening right now ! Is a good reminder and the future expectations of things to come .....
It does not board well ......we all need to explore these scenarios in more detail and formulate some plans to counter them ....if we have to go out .......in a emergency

It’s defiantly getting worse ...at least around here ....the ME people are on the increase .

[bigpaul]

I have never much cared about other people, what they do is their business not mine, but we saw a long time ago, 15 or 20 years ago this attitude of grabbing everything and leaving none for anyone else, the ME, ME, Me, attitude.

[Straight Shooter]

You may well not care , and what they do is none of your business BP .....until they nudge you in the back with their trolly ? That makes it your business ...or would you say nothing ? ....well I say and do plenty every time it’s happened to us ....three times over the last six months ....I put them straight right there and right then ....they are in no doubts where I’m coming from ....old guy or not ....I will not take any shit , now this sort of behaviour may not have reached Devon as yet , but it has here .....something for you to look forward to ! ....now I realise you venture out on a monthly shop as you have said in other posts ....this is why I am only quoting the past six months in particular ......this might be the reason for not noticing the events I am describing ....that or the people of Devon have impeccable manners and show considerable restraint ? .....it’s getting to regular up here BP make no mistake .

[bigpaul]

at the (early) times I go to do my monthly shop SS the staff in the supermarket outnumber the customers by about 3 to 1, and they are usually putting up the boxes for home delivery, I am in and gone again long before any of the masses have even got out of bed, I do not see any of the behaviour you mentioned nor do I wish to.
yes in general Devon people are well behaved especially out here in the sticks.

[Mortblanc]

You never go anywhere.
You never do anything.
you never interact with anyone.
You avoid all human contact at all cost.

So how do you know anything about the people in your area?

[bigpaul]

because I have made a life time study of human nature.