There has bee some fretting lately about the apparent
increase of rude and inconsiderate behavior in all sorts of settings. I guess must
be seen as yet another alarmist campaign targeting an which practically begs
for a positive spin. And this is provided quite nicely by NYT humorist Joyce
Wadler. She describes how she found herself suddenly transformed from being a
ridiculously polite and courteous person to someone who would blurt out rude
rebuttals, rebukes, turndowns, putdowns, etc. at unsuspecting strangers. At first she was a bit annoyed
at her newly found verbal disinhibition. But then she discovered something
amazing – it turned out this new mode of speaking up held a big promise.
Here is Wadler’s revelatory self-verdict: “I like the newer, blunter me. I sense a whole new world
opening up.” I can almost sense
viscerally in these words the exhilaration we
associate with personal liberation and empowerment. Some cultural critics have
quipped that this may not be exactly the kind of freedom those who stormed the
Bastille or died to stop the Nazis fought for. But, as Wadler concludes, she
wouldn’t be interested in any judgmental comments directed at her new persona.
And this must be liberating and empowering, too.
