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Joseph Shaffer's avatar

Interestingly enough, today I received this email from my mother: “The descent into indecency continues, Son. Recently, while on the train to Philadelphia to see our estate managers at Woodford, Worthington, and Crump, there was a swarthy man seated at the end of the Quiet Car who was infringing upon his unfortunate female seat-mate with inappropriate advances in a threatening and menacing manner—she was clearly uncomfortable and his voice could be heard all over the car, his thick-accent making it all the worse for those of us trying to enjoy the magnificent scenery as we serenely wended our way towards Intercourse. I gently but firmly attempted to remind him of the protocols of the Quiet Car, but he persisted, as I suspected he might, as it was obvious by his shiny sharkskin suit and loud tie that he was a Cosa Nostra-adjacent fixer ferrying a suitcase laden with a cash bribe to some corrupt kleptocrat MAGA functionary in the City of Brotherly Love. I was forced to summon the Quiet Car Overseer to quell the obnoxious emanations from this miscreant. The descent into incivility proceeds apace, My Son, and I hope I live long enough to see a return to the days when people obeyed the rules.” And now you know the rest of the story.

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Susan Vass's avatar

Even in the early grade school years, I could not STAND the tattle-tale girls -- and it WAS always girls -- who were in training to be future HOA Board Members. Oh, how they LOVED "The Rules". I spent a great deal of time in the hall outside the classroom thanks to these humorless future harridans!

I also did not understand why the public librarian had to "shush" everybody. Who can't read with a little noise? I had younger siblings, an ever-present television set on after age 12, my mother vacuuming -- and the very purpose of reading was to shut all that out!

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