Rubbernecking: Yesterday I sat for way too long on a hot highway, stuck in a traffic jam. Flashing lights ahead foretold of an accident, yet the road had already been cleared, the wreckage moved off to the shoulder, and all other cars parked on the median strip. It should have been smooth sailing right by the scene, but instead the cars crept by at a snail's pace so people could gawk at the ungodly mess.
Gossipy: Today our entire internet and news cycle is based on gossip. In fact, what passes for news is little more than gossip repeated ad nauseum, like the children's game of Telephone. Only in the adult version, the whisperers get paid big bucks to spread secrets they've heard from people who may or may not have the slightest idea what they're talking about.
Self-centered: I recently hosted a dinner at my home. Not one of the guests ever asked even one question of me or my husband, and instead talked only of themselves, their children and grandchildren. This behavior is so typical that I barely expect any different treatment from anyone.
Liars: Lying has become totally acceptable in our society. In several speeches, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut spoke often of his time as a soldier in Vietnam, only he never was in Vietnam and yet he keeps getting re-elected by his constituents. Brian Williams is a former NBC TV news anchor who years ago made up out of whole cloth seeing a dead body floating in the French Quarter of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. (The French Quarter did not even flood.) He also cited people jumping to their death inside the Superdome at the same time, only no dead bodies were ever found. He also lied to viewers about his helicopter being shot down in Iraq, concocting the story for the benefit of his career at the expense of the truth. After a year's hiatus, Williams returned and now delivers the "news" on MSNBC.
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