One sad fact of modernity is that in our rush toward "equality," we have (as women) insisted on scrubbing away at our femininity until men no longer are supposed to even notice that we are female at all. Everything is gender neutral and we have gutted our language of the commonplace niceties that used to accompany the acknowledgement of gender and age.

After having been addressed with the utmost disrespect by a young man whose boss stood by while it was occurring, I thought, "My God, young man, you do not address a woman in that manner and you certainly do not address a woman in your mother's age bracket in that manner."

Our culture has thrown out all distinction and with it the manners that rely upon distinction. Children are no longer taught codes of honor, and learn to make no distinction between people (that would be wrong), in fact, they are barely socialized.

The young man in question sat in a beautiful modern office in full view of the public in a tee shirt and jeans, long, stringy hair, with a scowling, resentful countenance.  It is obvious he resents his job and he resents the requirement for civility that comes with it as well. I shudder at the thought about how this boy would behave on a date, if they even have dates any more - just "hook-ups."

No manners required.

How will our girls ever learn to be women if our boys never learn to be men?