There's so much conversation about the War of the Generations these days. Millennials pitted against Baby Boomers. Boomers shaking their collective fists at Gen-Zers.

Meanwhile, Gen-X just keeps its head down and hopes no one remembers it exists.

Were Ya Born in a Barn?

There are some universal indicators that someone was raised by wolves as my grandmother used to say. That, along with, were ya born in a barn? Close the dang door!

She had a lot of sayings, but those ones were a not-so-subtle warning that I wasn't using the manners she herself helped raise me with.

The Sign of Bad Manners

I'll assume you were raised by humans who had the intention of creating a solid citizen fit to merge into society.

While it seems like our social norms keep shifting and certain expectations blink in and out of fashion, I think we still have some fundamental ideas when it comes to good manners.

Things like sending a Thank You card have fallen out of vogue. A phone call or a text message seems like enough acknowledgment of gratitude for a gift. Posting a "Happy Birthday" message on someone's social media wall has mostly replaced sending greeting cards.

But there are some things we expect. When we see (or don't see) certain behaviors in those around us, we immediately assume the person wasn't raised right.

Arizona weighed in on this question. Here are some of your best answers.

The List: What Immediately Tells You A Person Wasn't Raised Right?

1. Not returning a shopping cart.

This one gets talked about a lot, which is why it made the top of this list. When you see someone just abandon the cart in the middle of a perfectly good parking space, it's even more mannerless.

2. Throwing trash out a car window.

Nothing says, "I was raised by wolves" faster than watching a Big Gulp get lobbed out a car window. Find a trash can, ya hooligan!

3. Abandoning items in the wrong place in a store.

When we asked this question, Katie said she was freaked out when she was shopping one day.

"I found a package of rotting hamburger meat in a flat of water I was going to buy. It was so gross!"

Not returning a can of beans to the right aisle in a store is one thing. Dumping food that's going to spoil if it's not in cold storage is just disgusting!

4. Leaving trash in the parking lot.

I had a friend who would leave half-full fast food drinks right outside her car door in parking lots all the time, along with food wrappers and even her kids' diapers. I asked her once why she did that.

"They clean the parking lots every night. It's okay."

Um. It's not. It's gross.

5. Badmouthing someone in public.

"I was in a grocery store in our small town," Tina told us. "I heard this elderly woman talking about the mayoral candidates. She apparently knew them and had some VERY strong opinions on those she didn't agree with!"

You never know who's listening to your conversation, others told us. You should be careful what you say when you're in public!

Message Us!

What other signs of bad manners have you seen in your fellow Arizonans? Send us a message with your answers!

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