The Stare That Broke America; Rudeness is now revolutionary.

 There is an old saying “Courtesy is the grease of a civilized society.” It does indeed help to hold society together. We forget it at our peril.

The American Spectator  

"Previous generations understood something vital — courtesy wasn’t always heartfelt, but it held society together. You smiled. You nodded. You engaged. Not because it was authentic, but because it was necessary." 

Decoding Expressionless Gazes

"The internet has discovered that young people sometimes look blank when confused or bored. Panic ensues.

"It’s the latest “phenomenon” rattling the internet: the so-called Gen Z stare — the earth-shattering discovery that 20-year-olds sometimes zone out. Millions of TikTok views later, we’re treating blank expressions and dead-eyed customer service like they’re some anthropological breakthrough.

"This is what passes for cultural analysis in 2025: dissecting teenage facial expressions like we’re studying alien life forms. The same media apparatus that gave us think pieces on “soft launching” (not oversharing) has now discovered that young waitresses look annoyed when customers ramble.

"Revolutionary stuff.

"The “Gen Z stare” joins a proud tradition of transforming mundane human behavior into complex sociological phenomena. We’ve become a society that needs trendy labels for basic rudeness and social failings.

"Consider “ghosting” — the fascinating discovery that some people don’t return calls or texts. Previous generations called this “being an ass” or “having no manners.” Now it’s a dating phenomenon worthy of academic study. “Breadcrumbing” is the equally groundbreaking concept of stringing someone along, a practice documented since humans first figured out courtship. “Love bombing” is showering someone with excessive attention early in a relationship, which your grandmother would have recognized as “coming on too strong.”

" 'Doom scrolling” elevated “reading too much depressing news” into a clinical-sounding condition. “Phone stacking” is putting phones in a pile during dinner. Previous generations accomplished this by simply not bringing electronics to the table." . . .