THE DAYS (THOSE WERE) — The Weekly Opine

Remember when fans dressed up to go to baseball games? Me neither, but the photos don’t lie. (Photo credit Cleveland dot com)

Norms gone astray

Today, admittedly, I may date myself and risk sounding like an ‘ol fuddy-duddy. A curmudgeon. These things sometimes happen when you are 66 years old. Tolerance levels, once filled to the brim with patience and understanding, are prone to sputtering near empty, ready to pounce whenever anybody or anything tests your reserve nerve. So, today I proceed with a small chip on my shoulder.

To begin, I am not suggesting we return to a time when people dressed up to go to baseball games. You may have seen photos from 75 to 100 years ago, when men wore suits (some wore 3-piece suits) and women wore skirts and high heels to watch the national pastime. We all agree that wearing your Sunday’s best to a major league baseball game, in the heat and humidity of summer, no longer makes sense.

On the other hand, there are several examples of us shelving norms that used to signal our common sense was intact. Most of us do not require formal etiquette training to learn time and place matters. We acquire manners and etiquette from our parents, teachers and other adults in our orbit. But nowadays, many folks submit to a type of largesse whereby displaying restraint takes a back seat to the “me, me, me, gotta have it right now” attitude that permeates much of society. For example:

Restaurants

Once upon a time, everyone dressed up when eating at fine dining establishments. Even kids were expected to dress nicely, as evidenced when my parents took our family to nice establishments. My sister, brother and I were dressed appropriately. And my parents didn’t drag along coloring books to keep us occupied.

Now, with few exceptions, pretty much anything goes. Walk into upscale restaurants and you’ll see some patrons dressed appropriately but others dressed rather sloppily, considering the setting. Cargo shorts, tee shirts and baseball caps should be “no-go” at fine restaurants, same for tank tops, Daisy Duke shorts and flip flops. And too many kids have their face pressed into mobile devices, oblivious to their surroundings. (I get it with toddlers, but older kids should learn to participate in dinner without texting and playing video games.)

Recently in New Orleans, we had Sunday brunch at the supremely appointed Commander’s Palace. The Commander’s dining room is exquisite. They place festive balloons on each table. There is music provided by a 3-piece combo (trumpet, bass fiddle, guitar). The staff wear white shirts, ties, black vests and black pants. In other words, there is a formal feel to Commander’s. It is a lovely, classy place. And Commander’s strongly requests that men wear jackets. Disappointingly, more than a few men ignored the jackets “request” and showed up too casual, refusing to rise to the restaurant’s decorum.

What are you hiding? (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Car windows

There was also a time when it was illegal to outfit your car with dark-tinted windows. Light-tinted were OK but not the dark tint where you cannot see inside the car. Maybe dark-tinted windows are still illegal, but it’s certainly not enforced. With the number of cars and SUVs rolling around with dark windows, if municipalities enforced the law by leveling fines against anyone with dark windows, annual budgets could be balanced quickly.

Honestly, I wouldn’t take issue with any cop who draws their weapon when approaching cars with dark-tinted windows because there is no way to see what the person inside the car is doing (or reaching for).

Driving is less safe when a car has dark windows because you cannot see the driver’s face or hand gestures. For example, it’s impossible to tell if the other guy is waving at you to go ahead. And in tight rush hour traffic, it is much safer when you can see through the rear window of the car in front of you, which allows you to see when traffic up ahead suddenly brakes.

License plates

Not yet as prominent as dark-tinted windows, but I’m starting to see more cars with lightly tinted plastic covering their license plate, making it more difficult to read the numbers and letters. What’s the point of this? If you are not up to no good, then you do not need to obscure your license plate from the police.

In preparation for promotional interviews, I was media trained in 1994. An obvious no-no; swearing during interviews. (Photo credit The Weekly Opine)

Salty language during interviews

In early-September, after winning a quarterfinal match during the women’s U.S. Open tennis tournament, the normally classy Madison Keys uttered a swear word during her post-match interview at center court, broadcast nationally on ESPN. (The reporter immediately reminded Madison they were on live TV without the ability to bleep censor.) Maybe Keys has grown tired of being a nice, likable role model and decided to experiment with being uncouth. I was embarrassed for her.

Last Saturday, the University of Michigan’s interim head football coach, Sherrone Moore, let loose with a couple of f-bombs followed by a s-bomb, during a post-game interview on Fox Sports’ national television broadcast of the Michigan – Penn State game. Fox’s interviewer didn’t break stride as she continued asking questions. Moore, sobbing uncontrollably, looked cartoonish and uncivilized while ruining the image of Bo Schembechler’s “Michigan man.” Ironically, Moore began the interview by saying, “I want to thank the Lord…” before busting out cringe-worthy language.

Oh well, I’m hungry. Where’s my jacket?