Common Decency

I wrote on this topic years ago on my old blog site and I probably didn’t save the post properly when I shut that site down. That post had long been deleted. Since we are still in the Covid 19 pandemic, I think I will write a few of those points down. It’s been about three years so I will write things down to the best of my knowledge.

First and foremost, I wrote on this topic  primarily because of the way I see some people lack the sense of common decency. I ride the train. I ride the bus. I walk on the streets. The results were more of the same. The lack in respect for others.

Picture this… Pre-Pandemic. You are in a crowded subway or bus. A person coughs or sneezes and never covers up. These are mothers, fathers and grand parents alike. You would have expected this behavior from a child or even a young adult. I witnessed this behavior many times over the years. What a shame!! What about yawning? If anyone can see inside your mouths, that’s indecency. Just cover up!!!!

You cough, you sneeze, you lose. I witnessed quarrels for those who refused to cover up nor wearing a mask. How those indecencies changed most people since the pandemic.

Here is a something for the dinner table discussions: “Employees must wash their hands” When I saw this notice in one of my favorite restaurants, it gave me pause. What were they doing before it became lawful in that place. As in one of the episodes in Seinfeld, he says, “Pappy is sloppy” when he spotted his girlfriend’s father kneeding the dough to make him dinner.. since spotted the man moments earlier not washing his hands after using the toilet. That led to the infamous kneeding of the dough. Then Seinfeld refused to eat the meal. He coined that “sloppy” phrase afterwards. It was a funny episode. Maybe one of my favorites but in real life, this isn’t a joke. To this day, I still see folks not washing their hands after using the toilets. Gross!!!

For the life of me. I always walk with some form of hand sanitizers. Never had I ever find it difficult to get more if I ran out until during the beginning of the pandemic. I walked for miles. Checked every stores. None to be found. Not even a cheap, watered down version of it. I thought it was a joke. No one was laughing. I was close to tears. People were buying them up by the droves.

The letter grades which are now given to eating establishments is still somehow ridiculous. This freaks me out if you have a “C” or “pending” grade today after having an “A” yesterday. These letter grades are surprisingly  given to those movable food stands as well. Not too sure what these Health Departments are looking for in cleanliness, but you must wonder, what was going on before these inspections came to light? Scary!!!

Tossing trash on the streets even if many trash cans are available nearby  is even surprising. You will have to be mentally impaired to do such a thing, especially in public. For the record: while writing this, I observed a couple eating, finished, then left their garbage behind just feet from a garbage bin. I do not share unauthorized photos of others or events in my blogs so I won’t share them in my blog today even though I’m tempted to do so.

I believe common decency goes behond saying “thank you” “excuse me” or “I’m sorry”. It goes with having respect for others’ space and time as well.  Common sense in making it safe for others by firstly carrying yourself in a respectable manner; making it safe for others around you, tossing out your trash, washing your hands, covering up while coughing or sneezing goes well way before the pandemic and a wake up call for everyone. Germs do carry. But as you can see, some germs can do greater damage than others.

When this pandemic is over, will some people go back to act pre-pandemic. Absolutely!!! Will some change for the better post pandemic. Maybe!!! But we all know that common is not so popular a word whether it’s common decency or just plain common sense.

Continue to stay safe everyone

Until my next post.

Bye for now.