Is it just me or are we , people as a whole, loosing our ability to use common sense? This is why I ask... this morning I was driving in to town and it was foggy as all get out. I couldn't see two feet in front of my car. I was going very slow on the back country road when I passed another car going the opposite direction. It scared me as they didn't have any lights on and I had no idea they were there. Thank goodness we were both on our side of the road instead of driving in the middle which is quite common on these dirt roads. If they were using common sense they would have their lights on not just to see better themselves but for others to see them. Is common sense on the endangered list?
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I know what you mean. It seems like every time we have a heavy rain, and everyone is going 45 mph on the highway because it's so hard to see, there is someone driving without their lights on. Ok, maybe they can see better than everyone else can...but you'd think they'd want us to see them. I don't think we're loosing our common sense...I just think some people have less of it than others.
I'm not sure. I think some people just use it more. I did hear about some gang members who were targeting people to shoot by driving with their lights off at night, and the good samaritan who flashed their lights at them to remind them to turn their lights on - that's who they went after. Makes you not want to help people, just in case.
Raye ... In thick fog having your high beams on can be worse than having them off ..... the lights can reflect back onto you and you won't be able to see anything ... I've had that happen ... HOWEVER .... saying that ... they should have had their low beams on so they could be seen ... stupid !!
as far as the common sense question ... no, people don't have it anymore ... I mean ... we had -40 with windchill this winter and they were reminding people to wrap up, put on scarves and gloves etc .... I see women out there all the time in 3/4 pants and summer flip flops ... it may be warm in your car but what if you have an accident, drive into a ditch etc etc ... STUPID !! .... men too with their coats open, no hat on their heads and shoes.
Texting and driving ... do I need to say more ??? and yet people still do it ... and that's my rant for tonight lol
Rave on Susan! I'm with you 100 percent!
I agree with Susan and am going to add to her rant. I really hate it when people are walking with their noses to their phones and aren't paying attention to anything going on around them. Can't the phone wait until you get where you're going?
This really annoys me.. the families you see at a restaurant that are all staring at their phones. I mean - come on...how about a little interaction with the people who are with you right now.
Ok, I feel a little better.... thanks for listening.
You've all made such good points that I'm convinced common sense is alive and well... at least we have it.
Marel - that's a scary thought...people wanting to shoot you because you were being helpful...what is the world coming too. Wow, sounded like my grandmother there...I guess that proves I'm getting older.
I often make a statement and follow it by either saying that it should be common sense or asking if anyone has common sense. My boss always looks at me and simply shakes her head saying "common sense isn;t so common." Unfortunately, I think she is correct...
Christy, I like what your boss says... will have to start using it.
In my opinion, both common sense and manners seem to be lost arts these days.
Well said Sally... I quite agree with you. I'd also like to add that our language is being lost. I received a text the other day from my son's girlfriend and I couldn't understand it. I had to get him to translate it for me. I talk on the phone more than I text, but when I do text I like to do it in complete sentences. Maybe I'm just a bit old fashioned and I'm ok with that.
Ooh, one of my biggest pet peeves is people driving without lights in the rain, fog, or when it's getting dark - or just plain dark!! Use your blinker, too, especially if you're going to cut or turn in front of me.
As for common sense, I just saw this on FB the other day:
"Common sense is a rare flower that doesn't grow in everyone's garden."
Lisa Marie I love that ... I think I might make a decorative wall hanging of that one.
Hi Lisa. I thought of you today! Bet you're wondering why. Well, the ambulette service I use to take me to my doctor appointments picked me up at 8:30 AM. (I use a wheelchair.) Now, we had a weather warning all night and this morning about dense fog. All the way to the doctor, the driver and I saw so many vehicles without their lights on that we lost count. You couldn't see more than two or three cars ahead of you, it was that bad. I thought immediately of your post! Have a great day.
Nope, Raye, you're not alone and if this is being old-fashioned, so be it. My one niece gives me grief all the time about using proper punctuation and spelling in my emails to her, posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc. She says I'm trying to "look smart." I told her, "no, I AM smart and that's why I can spell and write a correct sentence." She didn't like that one bit! For Heaven's sake, my major in college was English!
Raye and Sally I do the same thing. I just can't stand all the abbreviations. I can usually figure them out but there are some that stump even me. That's when I turn to my son for the answer. He may roll his eyes at me, but at least I know what they were texting so I can make a proper reply.
It's so nice to know I'm not the only one who gets annoyed by these types of thing. I thought I might just be getting cranky in my " older" age.
Lol, Sally! I've thought about this thread all week! We've had rainy weather every single day and it never ceases to amaze me the amount of people who apparently don't even check to see if their lights are on when they head out in nasty weather. Or when it's DARK!!!! lol I keep my lights on auto all the time so I don't have to worry about it. I know lots of older cars don't have that option. But still!
I think there ought to be some kind of sign system where we have cards on a stick that we can hold out the window or the sunroof. "Turn your lights on!" "Got a blinker on that thing?" "Hey Slowpoke! Get out of the fast lane!".
I'm a sure candidate for road rage lol.
-Lisa
Lisa Marie, I don't know about putting signs out the window but I would like a horn with those options. I'd probably use the get over so I we can pass you one. We're on a lot of two lane roads, but slower traffic is allowed to drive on the shoulder for people to pass, they even had ad campaigns about it several years ago..Drive Texas Friendly.
Myra, I'm in Texas, too, and the signs seem to be ignored constantly! And yes, I remember when we'd be on two lane roads it was very acceptable to scoot your tush over on the shoulder for faster drivers to pass. Plus, you'd give/get a hand wave acknowledging the courtesy. We still have stretches of roads with just two lanes and invariably we'll get behind someone pulling a trailer going 30 miles an hour on a 50mph stretch of road and will NOT move over for anything! Signs and horns - either works for me lol!
-Lisa
My short answer is - YES. I have too many examples to post here and it's so sad
Some people should not be driving, that is for sure. There is always that one person who thinks that he/she can drive fast no matter the weather...like somehow they are immune to having a wreck. I hate it when it is raining, or there is ice or snow on the ground and someone will get right behind me and ride right on my bumper. I drive slower in these conditions, so I have more of an opportunity to respond should something happen.
Some people shouldn't be driving - that's an understatement for sure Robyne. I quite agree, there always is that one person who thinks they own the road. I hate it when people ride my bumper in good weather, in bad weather it's worse. I think part of it is that they don't think anything will happen, and most everybody is in too much of a hurry these days. I was always told to leave a little early to make sure I had plenty of time to get where I was going. It's a good practice that I still do today.
Lisa Marie, I know the feeling. It's so frustrating getting behind someone going so slow and them not get over for you. I always get over if someone comes up fast behind me, eventually. We are on winding, somewhat hilly roads, and I like to get to a safe place so I can see there's nothing on the shoulder ahead of me before I get over... but I do it as quickly as I can. Maybe they should run the adds again for the new generation of drivers.
I think that's what is most irritating is that he/she thinks they have 100% right to do whatever they want without regard for anyone else. Or that they're more entitled to get to where they're going than you are.
I saw a bumper sticker that said "Lack of planning on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on my part." lol So true and on the odd time that I'm the one wishing Mr./Ms. SlowPoke would move it along already, I keep that saying in mind!
-Lisa
Lisa Marie and Myra that is so interesting. I've never heard of that before. It would be nice if every state had that. We've got some real agressive drivers around here and it would be nice if I were allowed to get over and let them pass. I really hate it when they ride my rear.
Raye .. I don't know about most states, but I think it's mostly a Texas thing. The state being so big and having so many two lane roads is why I think they started it. It would be nice if everyone would do it, but there are still some friendly drivers who will get over for you, and they get a big smile and a thank you wave when they do.
Myra it would be so amazing to see that, it would never happen around here. It seems like everyone is just looking out for themselves when it comes to driving... alot of road rage witnessed. Glad I haven't been a part of any of it....thank goodness.
Raye, if I'm not mistaken back in the day it was just common courtesy to skooch over and let someone pass as long as there was enough shoulder to be able to do so. At least that's what my grandmother told me the first time I noticed that when we'd be visiting.
I guess now people don't use the ... um, common sense (pun intended) to do so!
-Lisa
Lisa Marie, I'm sure that once there were plenty of nice, courteous people, there are just so many fewer of them these days. Society as a whole seems to be loosing common sense as well as common courtesy. Maybe I was just born in the wrong era.
I completely agree that a lot of people are lacking common sense these days. And that manners don't really exist much either. And when you do use manners now, people usually think you're flirting!
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