A question of respect...

I was in St. Louis all week this week. I stayed in a hotel with one of those hot continental breakfasts (actual hot eggs, sausages, gravy, biscuits, french toast, plus all the yogurt, donuts, etc that all the old continental breakfasts seemed to have). Bland, but you could fill up on something hot and tasteless to get through the morning.

Well, I was struck by something this morning. The cook, who happened to be this older lady that looked like life had been a bit rough on, was cooking and smiling at all of us as we went through the line and saying "good morning". I was shocked when I noticed that I was the only one who seemed to be responding back to her. In fact, one "gentleman" basically just gave her a big old frown, as if to say "Why are you speaking to me? You aren't worth a response."

Have we slid so far in American society that all people who are "below" our standard of living no longer exist? WTF? I was insulted for her - I don't think she was bothered by it, but I was. I mean, where does this line of non-existence fall? Is it because she had dentures (it was pretty obvious, and she was only a few years older than me, maybe mid 40's)? Is it because she was our "servant"? Is that what we are going back to, a feudal view of the other people we live with, depending upon what they do, how much money they have actually sets their value as a human being?

If so, I really think we, as Americans (and for that matter, HUMANS), are on a very, very wrong path...