Unfortunately it's the trend of our society. Not everyone but most people are so inconsiderate because of lack of family values in their up bringing and all they can think about are them-selves. It's sad but much of our society has become lazy because of high tech devices that make everything easier, quicker and more convenient. The long term effect of this is that people are becoming more lazy physically and mentally!!! Fast foward 20 years and most of our society are going to look like clueless zombies. God help us.

No I really haven't noticed a marked increase in bad manners.I think Gene is right,we are just more aware of certain things than we used to be.

We have noticed more and more people cut across camp sites without even saying anything. This occurrence is increasing especially with adults. Kids will be kids and there will always be those who cut across sites when by themselves. It is the number of adults and the kids that are accompanied by adults who do this that really surprise us. As for cleaning up after pets, I really do not think this number is anymore than before, most do but then there have always been those who do not clean up. The society we live in is becoming more self centered with every generation. If we all could just "Do unto others as we would like for other to do unto us" society would be so much more kind and considerate. We both try to live by this rule regardless of what others are doing, but its not easy sometimes.

I'll admit that I'm the first one to get "excited" about someone cutting through our site.  But, as I think about it, I think that next time I'll try a friendly greeting.  That person may be my new next friend... It can't hurt and may just help out someone in need.  That's what it's all about, to me anyway, is being of service to others.

 

Friend of Bill W.

 

I am not seeing an increase. But I do think it has to do with where you camp. More and more people are camping for economic reasons and not because they want to and on average these people are not as courteous. I do see a lack of courtesy on holiday weekends where people are camping who only do this once or twice a year. Is it ignorance or attitude, I can't tell and I suspect both are involved.

Edit: Where do those typos come from

-- Edited by bjoyce on Monday 8th of August 2011 08:49:54 AM

Actually, I see more mindfulness in RVers than in many other segments of the population.

Overall though, I would say yes in response to OP's question.

Folks seem to simply not take responsbility for themselves these days.

Lordy, do I sound like my parents?!?!    Perhaps I'm just getting older!

I kinda think the most inconsiderate offenders can be classed in two ways. First way is the people that camp (or RV) infrequently. They are tuned in to doing the most with their short time excusrion. Second way are the ones that are newly rich (you can tell by the new motorhome of 42 ft, 4 slides and a Porche or Escalade as a Toad). These are the ones that are too good to pick up after their pets, do not contain their sewer hose when disconnecting and toss cigarette butts all around the site.

I have noticed, most of the time you see inconsiderate RVers, it is on weekends or in the "upscale Resorts". In state parks, M, T, W, Th the campers are more friendly, carry a plastic bag while walking pets, always observe leash laws and would die before cutting across your site. When we have camphosted, during the week, people appreciated your help, always commented on how clean you kept the sites and thanked you for volunteering. On the weekends, not so much. I hated Monday mornings with a passion. Firepits are not garbage dumps. Recycle bins are not for plastic bags full of household garbage. Cigarette butts are not pretty, they are litter. Weekenders always washed their RVs and paid no attention to the signs stating "No washing of RVs". When you asked them to observe the rules, they always said, well, I am almost done. They always said their dog was under control and did not need a leash, and it was another dog that left poop on their site.
On weekends, they come to the host and demand something be done about the mosquitos (we were on the Columbia River). They wanted to buy ice at 11:30 at night even though the signs said no sales after 7 pm.
OK, off the rant now. Like Fred, I notice most RVers are friendly, outgoing and polite. Only a few get my dander up.

We have noticed there are 2 types of RV'ers, the weekend warrior types, and the full-timer types. From what we have witnessed, the weekend warrior group is far less concerned with everybody else in the park. They seem to feel that since they only do this once or twice a year they are entitled to raise some H-E-double L.

What type of rig a person travels in is irrelevant...it's the people inside it that make the difference.

The Hensons wrote:

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53 Merc wrote:

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Second way are the ones that are newly rich (you can tell by the new motorhome of 42 ft, 4 slides and a Porche or Escalade as a Toad). These are the ones that are too good to pick up after their pets, do not contain their sewer hose when disconnecting and toss cigarette butts all around the site.

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This is a bit presumptuous, don't you think?  

Wealth has nothing to do with one's class. I have witnessed integrity and the lack thereof at both ends of the financial spectrum.

Overall, I have found RVers to be a fantastic sampling of society!

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 Nope, not presumptous at all.  Simply a matter of my observations.  I also agree, that MOST of the time, RVers are the people I enjoy being around and interfacing with.  It is only the ones that are not a part of the lifestyle that put a sour taste in one's mouth.  And, I also agree, money is not the sole determiner of class.  You find it all over.

I do find lots of folks leave TRASH in their fire pits. And it is not stuff that would even burn. Aluminum cans, beer bottles, styrofoam cups. We seldom use the fire pit but I clean it out. I would not want the next camper to think we were that careless. Motto is always leave the site cleaner. I am not beyond bending over and picking up litter. Hey, I need the exercise!

Like Fred Wishnie, I too am a city guy. In the city, I've seen it all, in fact just this morning on a main boulevard, two people crossed the street against the light and caused a string of 5 cars to wait eventhough we had a green light and they did not have a "walk" signal.

When RV'ing, I find folks from the 20's through 60's to be courteous for the most part. Folks from the 70's through the 90's are a little less courteous and folks from the 2000's are getting to be a pain in the..... I know this is a generalization but read on, I'll try to explain.

Being from the 50's, I'm wondering if some of the common courtesies I was taught have not been passed on through the generations as we get farther and farther away from parents brought up in the 20's through 40's.

Or does it have more to do with parents allowing their children to have more freedom and less discipline to find themselves ? This seems be popular in the past couple of decades.

If you're not taught common courtesy, ethics, acceptable behavior or other character building habits you won't know any other way to act.

If you read through the reviews on the RV Park Review websites you'll see reviews from parents of young children complaining about how their children were treated at RV Parks. One that sticks out in my mind was a parent that complained that the park security made their kids stop riding scooters in the park, the parent went on to write that the park has signs posted "No Scooter or Skateboard Riding", but the parent felt her kids were being unfairly treated since they were there to have fun for the weekend. Another person complained that they were told they would have to be quiet because it was past the noise curfew for the resort (10PM). The person complaining felt that the rule should not apply on Friday and Saturday nights for people staying in the park just for the weekend.

Look at Britian those scum bags are destroying things that don't belong to them.

How quickly we forget.  Has anyone here seem any US "scum bags" doing the exact same things?

On this one, I have to agree with Bill in that we already have the destruction in America.  Just look at the last couple of years with both winners and losers in major sporting events.  They seem to riot regardless of whether they win or lose.

Plus, lately there has been significant uprising by the youth in attacking other people.  I feel that the latest generations have been raised with the wrong values and some without the right role models.  It doesn't help that the current economy and the joblessness, especially among the youth (both in Britain and America), leads them to either strike out or turn to crime for their living.

Not that I'm saying that the lack of jobs is an excuse.  It just seems to be an outcome.

Terry

I work in a library and I find that people are just too demanding and disrespectful. You would think in a library that it is always serene. Not so, people do not want to wait, butt in line ahead of other people and are just plain rude. I know it all boils down to customer service and you have to think that they might have something else going on in their lives to make them the way they are, but it is mostly just being inconsiderate. If they are with their children, the children see this and act accordingly thinking it is the way of the land. I wonder if these people ever had to wait in line for their groceries to be checked out, or waited to be called if they had a doctor's appointment. I also agree with, sflanagan21, "much of our society has become lazy because of high tech devices that make everything easier, quicker and more convenient."

NorCal hit it on the head. As for 53Mercs comments, he is entitled to his opinion.

There is a group out of Texas called Texas Boomers. Their story is quiet interesting (click here) and fits the description 53Merc mentioned.

So far, we have only encountered the friendly folkes who take pride and care of their site.

ScottieGirl wrote:

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Having taught at university level, mostly 18 to 25 year olds, I find a lack of manners across the board, whether it is youth or middle-aged people or elderly. "Respect" seems to have virtually disappeared in spite of certain segments of the population running about with "shootin' irons" plugging those that "diss" them. One small splinter of America's problem, in my opinion, is instead of teaching true respect, we are immersed in "political correctness" a euphemism for having one's head in a very dark and awkward place. Teachers are admonished to tell the child he/she is doing well, even when the child isn't giving a twit about actually doing the work. Discipline and self-discipline has gone out the door, while a sense of entitlement snuck in the window. Maybe it's because I'm "mature" (read over 60) but I've worked since I was 13 years old, raised in the church, and feel entitled only to what I work for. Of course I'm with that cartoon kid, Eloise at the Plaza, "Good Lord! Never turn down a gift!"
I wonder if this group feel jobs are owed them. Are they just opportunists who see a change to loot and pillage? Are parents and governments promising too much? Are they encouraging or establishing an un-redeemable myth? Are we handing too many cards, race cards, religion cards, kids-will-be kids cards along with the credit cards? It's very complicated, n'est-pas? We need to perhaps establish a different conversation with the young and listen to them and tell them the truth. Change is inevitable in this world and there's no "there" there unless we work for it.

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Thank you, thank you, thank you, Scottiegirl!  You have written what I have been thinking for a long time, but was not able to put in such an articulate way. 

I agree with you 100%. More and more Americans are feeling deflated due to our economy. "What once worked, doesn't work anymore." Many people are RVing today that perhaps did not choose the lifestyle but had no other alternatives for surviving without a RVing rulebook to go by. Common sense is a gift but not necessarily a learned behavior. Be a friend and you will have a friend for life and the lesson learned will be passed forward with a smile.

maintguy62 wrote:

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Ive seen it all, and its a shame. I also own an rv park, but I think its people as a whole in this country. Sense of entitlement.

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Brian,

You might mention your RV park in the "biography" section of your profile, and if you have a website, you might put that as a part of your signature in the forums.  That way, we know whom to patronize if we are ever in Connecticut.

Oh, and welcome to the forums.

Terry

tworootless wrote:

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I blame it on TV and video gamesUh huh. . .

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TV and video games certainly play into this lack of social skills.  So does air conditioning, computers, smart phones, texting....  As we become more technologically advanced, the less we interact with each other.  Therefor the more self centered we become.  Look at how many kids and adults you see playing video games or texting on smart phones instead of actually socializing with each other.

I once read that it all started with air conditioning.  With the advent of AC people no longer sat outside to cool off so the ability to socialize started to decline.  Fast forward 40 -50 years and think about how all of our technology now allows us to sit in air conditioned homes or RV's and be entertained or communicate without even seeing or talking to other people.  Also look how quickly people now retreat into their air conditioned RV rather than sit under the awning or a shade tree and actually socialize with others. 

Maybe it is just a case of spending more time outside with other people and teaching the next generations the fun of interacting with other people instead of being so dependent on technology and independent of other people.  Ever notice how naturally social a young child is before they discover all of the technology around them???

-- Edited by RickandJanice on Saturday 20th of August 2011 08:23:04 AM

Ok sorry a little late to this thread but wanted to give my 2 cents LOL!

I don't think this is a "this generation" problem but a "whole society" problem. Yes the younguns are terrible and the electronics don't help but....

I've also had 50, 60, 70 yr old men not hold the door for me (44 yr old female) and when I hold the door for grandma & grandpa I don't get a polite "thank you"! tisk, tisk! This has happened many times at restaurants and of all places Camping World (gasp!). It's unfortunate what we have become... :(

I think people are basically the same as they have always been, the changes may be in what you are currently paying attention to....