Rudeness

Here are 3 examples of unadulterated rudeness that has been foisted upon me in the past week:

1. I was driving out of my neighborhood on the way to take my kids to school. There was a school bus ahead, so, naturally we couldn't pass it. I pulled up behind the car in front of me, also waiting for the bus. As we sit there waiting, I wonder what is taking so long. The kids all appear to be on the bus, nothing happening. Then I notice coming up behind me a high school aged girl walking, slowly, with NO apparent concern or embarrassment that she is holding up a whole school bus and at least two cars. She just took her time walking to the bus, didn't even pretend to pick up her pace. My 'rage' is such, that in these situations if I wasn't such a big chicken, I'd probably get myself in a lot of trouble.
2. I was at the grocery store and had just packed all my groceries and Roan into the van. As I was backing out, a car pulled up behind me and stopped. A man got out of the driver's seat, while a woman got out of the passenger's seat and went around and got in the driver's seat. It appears they were dropping off the man. Now, I know they may not of noticed me when they first stopped and this switch can be done quite quickly and it really should have been no big deal. EXCEPT that the man looked up and noticed me backed halfway out of my space with my brake lights on and proceeded to talk to the woman, reach down and pinch her cheek (what the?), talk some more, then pinch her cheek AGAIN! I swear, I wish I had some guts, but then I'd either be dead or in jail.
3. This morning, I was working out, and watching TV. It would seem obvious that I was watching since I was looking right at it and didn't have headphones in or anything. Halfway through the show, someone changed the channel! Then a few minutes later, someone else came in a turned the sound off! Sometimes there is this one guy who changes the channel to Sports Center. Aaargh! It is usually mostly women on that side of the room, can't we leave it on something more neutral, like the Today Show, or even just the news? But Sports Center? Come on. And back to this morning, it is the height of rudeness to change the channel like that in a public place without checking if someone was actually watching what was on. And then to just turn the sound off so you can hear your private earphones better?

I even had a run-in with a very rude child but I won't go into that except to say, what kind of parents...? In all but one of these examples there is a cultural common denominator that I don't understand. I don't see why just because xyz.. you can't have or teach your children to have good manners. About the worst lapse in manners my children have are forgetting to say please or thank-you. (They would never consider calling an adult an idiot.)

Sorry about my little rant. I know in the scheme of things, these are really no big deal, and I'm sure lots of people deal with worse every day, but some days I just want to smack people. Or turn them over my knee...