And Now For Something Completely Different

Last night my mother gave my father an ultimatum: either the family goes out to dinner, or we eat at 8:30 pm. Dad naturally chose the former, and after much running (what to wear, which car to take, what lot to park in, whether or not we should use Dad's parking tags, where were the restaurant gift cirtificates, did we all get to the bathroom..) we headed for Cottage Inn. As usual, my parents bickered. "That was a stop sign, dear."

"The intersection was empty."

"Why are we going this way? I thought we were parking at the bell tower."

"The public lot off Williams is closer."

Why are my parents so behind the times? Bickering parents is so 1990s, the third year of the second millenium is all about disfuctional togetherness: Whatever your partner does, no matter how stupid, you stand by them and support their decision.

Other new trends: Revenge of the Nerd apparently died with sudden unemployment of Generation X. Now people can be cruel to the socially and physically incompetant knowing that photographic cellular phone companies and the rest of the photogenic world will look on with approval. The favorite new game of smug, young people these days is to pick new 'boyfriends' and 'girlfriends' out for one another, selecting the ugliest, and most unfortunate American society has to offer.

Humble is apparently 'out', these days.

Can you think of any other social trends in culturally sanctioned social behavior this year, ladies?