What happened to class? All we have is crass.

[Kevin Bourque]

I can remember going to Phillies games as a kid . My mom would make us kids put on nice clothes. My dad wore a hat and tie. Mom wore a nice dress. Fans were respectful.

5 years ago I went to the Phillies home opener and 6 people in my row were thrown out for being drunk and fighting...in the first inning!!! By the end of the game the security guards had to deal with at least a dozen incidents involving fights, general drunkenness, fans screaming obscenities and throwing stuff at the opposing players, etc. Eagles games are even worse.

Kids in my generation were raised by a stay at home mom, and a dad who got home from work at 5:00. Today's kids are raised by television, social media, and pop culture.

As a civilization we are doomed!!!

[Mike Null]

When there are no rules, regulations or laws Americans, without fail, will sink to the lowest common denominator.

[Dan Hintz]

When there are no rules, regulations or laws Americans, without fail, will sink to the lowest common denominator.

You're saying Americans are somehow different in this regard to every other group of people on the planet how, exactly?

[ray hampton]

When there are no rules, regulations or laws Americans, without fail, will sink to the lowest common denominator.

Is the lowest common denominator a one cent coin or a one dollar bill

[Roger Feeley]

My general take is that people use profanity when they have nothing useful to say. They think it makes the petty comments they do have seem important. This is especially true of stand-up comedy. With some exceptions, the humor of stand-up is inversely proportional to the profane content.

There are exceptions. I've know people who could curl your hear with a string of profanity and it was a truly impressive thing. But these people also kept their powder dry. They generally didn't swear so when they did, it really got your attention.

A good friend of mine was the first budget director in Kansas. He served 29 years under 7 governors. He used to tell the incoming governors that, "You single greatest power is the ability to become appalled. Don't over-use it."

[David Weaver]

Can you (anyone) name the last movie you saw that wasn't intended for children that had no profanity in it? I can, but only one. Napoleon Dynamite. Aside from that, I can't think of any. I know whether or not that's an entertaining movie is a big yes or no thing with folks, but I was entertained the entire time and never noticed the lack of profanity until someone pointed it out to me.

[David Weaver]

Is the lowest common denominator a one cent coin or a one dollar bill

What may be interesting only to me, is that the mathematical definition of lowest common denominator involves a discussion of "vulgar" fractions (fractions with whole numbers in the numerator and denominator) and of those fractions, there are proper and improper fractions.

Certainly in the world of southern manners, one would be offended to find out that there is such a thing as a proper vulgar fraction. Most proper southern folks would consider anything vulgar to always be improper. Mathematics doesn't always comply with manners!

For example, 2/3 is a proper vulgar fraction.

It would seem that the LCD is always a prime number by intuition when we are talking about vulgar fractions, but I don't remember enough from early life to provide any proof (that doesn't seem it would be needed, anyway, if a LCD is composed of primes, then it should be an LCD, right, the smallest of the primes should become the LCD).

So, Ray, the answer to your question would be that if we're talking in vulgarities, the answer to your question would depend on whether we were discussion prices in dollars or cents.

[Keith Outten]

When there are no rules, regulations or laws Americans, without fail, will sink to the lowest common denominator.

You're saying Americans are somehow different in this regard to every other group of people on the planet how, exactly?

Geez Dan you should be a newspaper reporter, you twisted Mike's statement around until it seemed newsworthy. There was no reference to any other country or group on the planet in his statement.
.

[ray hampton]

What may be interesting only to me, is that the mathematical definition of lowest common denominator involves a discussion of "vulgar" fractions (fractions with whole numbers in the numerator and denominator) and of those fractions, there are proper and improper fractions.

Certainly in the world of southern manners, one would be offended to find out that there is such a thing as a proper vulgar fraction. Most proper southern folks would consider anything vulgar to always be improper. Mathematics doesn't always comply with manners!

For example, 2/3 is a proper vulgar fraction.

It would seem that the LCD is always a prime number by intuition when we are talking about vulgar fractions, but I don't remember enough from early life to provide any proof (that doesn't seem it would be needed, anyway, if a LCD is composed of primes, then it should be an LCD, right, the smallest of the primes should become the LCD).

So, Ray, the answer to your question would be that if we're talking in vulgarities, the answer to your question would depend on whether we were discussion prices in dollars or cents.

southern I am but Proper I am not and I usual give the coins away, how can you use so many words but not say anything ?

[David Weaver]

how can you use so many words but not say anything ?

Oh, my mind swims with many words that don't say anything. Almost any time something is given, I have no problem flipping the switch and running tangent using the same words but an entirely different subject. Maybe i watched too much TV as a child!

(your use of lowest common denominator and the discussion of proper and improper and vulgar things in this thread just made for a perfect fit to switch the train onto the tracks of the lowest common denominator mathematical definition instead of the hijacked definition that describes taking the low road)

[ray hampton]

Oh, my mind swims with many words that don't say anything. Almost any time something is given, I have no problem flipping the switch and running tangent using the same words but an entirely different subject. Maybe i watched too much TV as a child!

(your use of lowest common denominator and the discussion of proper and improper and vulgar things in this thread just made for a perfect fit to switch the train onto the tracks of the lowest common denominator mathematical definition instead of the hijacked definition that describes taking the low road)

anyone whom take low road will face fog or high water or both

[Mike Null]

I've had the good fortune to travel to a number of countries. Civility and good manners are commonplace throughout most of Europe and the middle east. I haven't traveled the Orient but have had numerous business dealings with Chinese, Japanese and Koreans all of whom were exceptionally courteous in business and social settings.

Americans, without fail, are the crudest, rudest people I've encountered. I am not proud of that remark.

[David Weaver]

I have a feeling that it has more to do with who you're dealing with, and less to do with country to country comparisons. When you bring business to someone, they tend to be nicer than the struggling lady at the local grocery store who's got money troubles and a couple of kids who won't quit.

My parents were just in china for 3 weeks, and they had the opposite thing to say (general public there can be rude and pushy, just culturally coarse when you're in public places).

[Dan Hintz]

Geez Dan you should be a newspaper reporter, you twisted Mike's statement around until it seemed newsworthy. There was no reference to any other country or group on the planet in his statement.
.

I'm not sure how I twisted his words. He specifically called out Americans as being able to sink to the LCD. I was simply pointing out that the behavior isn't endemic to just Americans... people as a whole, no matter the location, seem to display such behavior. Sad, but it appears to be true...

[Mike Null]

Dan

Not that it's the same but a simple comparison of the violence in this country versus that in other countries should give you a clue.