No, I’m not writing about the incivility of Trump followers, their obscene signage, the threats they make against election workers, or the cult-like parroting of lies. I’m writing about Red Lobster.
In June 2023 Red Lobster, which was still trying to recover from Covid, announced that it was beginning a program called Ultimate Endless Shrimp. You could have as much shrimp as you wanted for only $20.
Instead of behaving like normal adults, people launched into amazingly greedy behavior. They sat at their tables for hours and stuffed themselves. They boasted on TikTok how many shrimp they ate. “Hi, I’m Jimmy, and I am planning to eat 65 shrimp tonight.” They demanded doggie bags to fill with shrimp. They brought Tupperware containers and hid them on their laps and dumped their plates of shrimp into the containers. They made selfish pigs of themselves. Employees, pushed to keep up with the orders and serve the shrimp, began to quit in large numbers.
In May of this year the Red Lobster chain filed for bankruptcy.
Some of the information for this post is from David Segal, “Tracing the Downfall Of a Seafood Giant, New York Times, (Sept, 22, 2024), pp. 6-7BU.
It doesn't stop there; Many Americans have lost respect for other people, they literally only care about themselves, the hell with everyone else. They can't stay quiet at different events when it really needs silence. Trash they throw out the window because it's easier that way instead of putting it in a trash can. Stop signs are merely a suggestion to a lot of drivers. Think about trump and the way he used Arlington cemetery for a photo op. What does that suggest to people about how to behave, when behavior is necessary. I could go on, but that kind of person doesn't read your blog. Stepping off my soapbox.
ReplyDeleteI do think selfishness is on the rise. I see it almost every day.
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