STATION EDITORIAL

Posted October 30, 2021

This is a station editorial, I'm Randal J. Miller, station president.
An October 15th on-line article from Time magazine is headlined "Why Everyone is So Rude Right Now."  Quoting some portions of the article, it says that September was a bad month for manners. On the 21st, a woman pulled a gun on servers at a Philadelphia fast food restaurant when they asked her to order online. On the 16th, several women from Texas pummeled a hostess at a New York City family-style restaurant.  A California woman was charged with felony assault for attacking a SouthWest airlines flight attendant and dislodging some of her teeth.
The Time article continues that it’s the people-have-lost-their-everloving-minds incidents that make the news, but they are also a reflection of a deeper trend; Americans appear to have forgotten their niceties, especially with those whose job it is to assist them. Lawyers are reporting ruder clients. Restaurants are reporting ruder clients. Flight attendants, for whom rude clients are no novelty, are reporting mayhem.
The Time article continues that some people may have thought that, having been prevented from mingling with other humans for a period, folks would greet the return of social activity with hugs, revelry and fellowship. But in many ways, say psychologists, the long separation has made social interactions more fraught. 
The October 15th Time article says this is an atmosphere which can ruffle even normally very calm people, or in which very slight infractions can set off those with less of a handle on their emotions, and that people feel almost entitled to be rude to people who are not in a position of power.
The Time article goes on to say if the rash of bad behavior is not just short-term impatience with the unique situation and actually a symbol of something much deeper, then unwinding it will be more difficult.  Psychologists suggest that people slow down, breathe out more slowly and lower their voices when encountering difficult social situations or irate people so as not to make any situation worse. “All of anger management,” says the Time article, “involves pausing.”
That's our opinion, we welcome yours.  Our e-mail address is editorial@randyradio.com.

This is a station editorial, I'm Randal J. Miller, station president.

I'm recording this editorial at the 36th annual Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest, which took place October 2nd and 3rd on the Taylorville square.  Despite off and on rain October 2nd, hundreds of people came for 2 days of arts and crafts vendors, a great Kidzone for children, and International Chilli Society sanctioned chilli cookoffs with cooks from 8 states participating.

Another great event attracted thousands of people to another community our radio group serves.  September 25th and 26th saw a record number of people come to Clinton for the annual Apple and Pork Festival.

Both events were extensively covered by our group's radio stations in each community.

In this editorial, I want to recognize the hundreds of volunteers that made each event happen.

In the case of the Clinton Apple and Pork Festival, it's been over 50 years of folks stepping up and creating, then doing the work to make the Festival happen.  It's been a fund-raiser for the C-H Moore Homestead, but more important than that, it continues to be an important source of revenue for the many non-profits that man booths on the Museum grounds, and even more important, an economic driver that attracts thousands to Clinton.

In the case of the Greater Taylorville Chamber Chillifest, it also was created by a couple of people in 1986 that wanted a replacement for the long-time Soybean Festival on the Taylorville square.  The Chamber took the challenge, and with the help of hundreds of volunteers over the years, has continued for some 36 years including October 2nd and 3rd.  It also attracts people from all over Central Illinois and this year, chilli cooks from 8 different states.

We salute all the volunteers that make both events, and many others across both of our clusters' coverage areas, happen each year.  It's the work of those volunteers that help attract people to our communities to enjoy our hometowns and all they have to offer.

That's our opinion, we welcome yours.  Our e-mail address is editorial@randyradio.com.