Ah, civilized society. Well, allegedly civil. It’s been a tough week for civility, never mind social graces. Do we have a Manners Czar?
Currently competing to be permanently banned from the island:
n “Stranger at Wal-Mart slaps crying child”: Roger Stephens, 61, of Stone Mountain, Ga., was charged with felony cruelty to children after repeatedly slapping a 2-year-old girl in the store after telling the mother, “If you don’t shut that baby up, I will shut her up for you.” After hitting the girl, she began to scream and Stephens said, “See, I told you I would shut her up,” police said.
We’ve all been there or have witnessed it: Parents who won’t attend to noisy or disruptive kids; parents who yell at and “discipline” children for imagined or tiny infractions; parents mortified by a fussy baby; strangers “offering” parenting advice; strangers, parents and children ready to go bonkers at any and all of it.
Relating to the urge to lash out is human, resisting that urge is what separates us from, well, people who hit toddlers at Wal-Mart. (It’s understood that if the woman had slapped her own child, it wouldn’t have been a story.)
n “Finger bitten off during California health protest”: Totally uncivilized, not to mention unhealthy. A man demonstrating in favor of health-care reform in Thousand Oaks, Calif., crossed the street to confront 25 counter-demonstrators. The man got into an argument and fist fight, during which he bit off the left pinky of a 65-year-old man who opposed health care reform, the Associated Press reported. A hospital spokeswoman said the man lost half the finger, but doctors reattached it. The spokeswoman said he had Medicare, AP reported.
Biting during a fist fight with a 65-year-old? Is that the Mike Tyson technique applied to health care? Changing hearts and minds by taking a bite out of one appendage at a time.
n “Four Mountlake Terrace men say they were swindled by strippers”: These are the intoxicated gents who called a Craigslist listing in the wee hours, were unimpressed with the looks of the women who showed up, but handed over their money ($440) anyway.
The men say one of the lovely ladies then stole something from a bedroom. The women fled, the men gave chase, and one was hurt while hurling himself onto the getaway car.
These people sound perfect for each other, but it wasn’t meant to be. The men called police. How very civilized and generous of them to take time to share their special learning moment with the rest of society.
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