Sad, bad Commentary, on the State of Manners 3.0 - RU at a loss, for words... 

(of little) Shock Value: (parentheses mine) - The ones that used either in isolation and then, when that was not sufficient, in combination with other "unmentionable" words (some of which still can't be aired without fear of censor by the FCC) and then, finally, even in the absence of words, some "in-your-face" emoji's, for 😢 out loud! Together with those...

Sacrificing (dis)honor: In an attempt to level the playing field, as in leveling an insult, a "payback" for what was a probably a dis-proportionate response for "he started it!" if not care-full, one might end up scorching the earth upon which the whole thing depends on...our "grand traditions" and other people we have held up as being "beyond reproach"...otherwise "above criticism". The slippery slope which might have started out with something as benign as "my dad is stronger than yours..." which became supplanted, then gradually, almost without notice, by "your mother wears army boots" which, according to "my sources" (an allusion to a source when you probably don't really have a strong one) emerged several decades ago, as a "mild insult" which, in our so-called "westernized", otherwise "civil" society, it became fashionable, and even, these daze, not a-parently sack-religious, to revert to attacking the very personification of the being we used to refer to when begging the question..."didn't your mother teach you manners...? As in "Your mama!" -- I'm not joking here...

Down and out, adding insult to...Why should I be surprised, after watching and hearing such insults being hurled at one another on "social" media, that the gradient of insensitivity would come to include times and "tender" places in our lives, when we should be able to count on at least an expression of concern...empathy, if not all-out sympathy. Whether put in writing, as in the now, almost dis-carded tradition, of "sympathy notes", "dishing out" (as in making food..."I'm taking a dish of...over to the Smiths, as it's the least I can do...") or any other AOK* types of gestures...under the circumstances...in such times of need...

Sweet, Sorrow-full, Nothing-ness: Well, all-most. At least a HUGE reduction in such expressions, out-pouring of sympathy and the like, have been watered down, reduced to almost a sprinkle.  Where we could at least count on words as in "Sorry for your loss..." which, along with the rest of our "love languages" have become truncated, abbreviated...coming up short -- as in "Sorry" (it's up to you to fill in the blank of this newest version of online Hallmark-ish cards, an all-purpose ex-pressor) which might, on occasion, be extended to yet another generic version, which may not come off as so...as lacking in sympathy -- "your loss"...And why should we be surprised, given the callous-ness of other ex-pressions of unwelcome emotions in life, on what's still, curiously, referred to as "Social Media" -- if one trolls, scrolls down, far enough, you can even find a rhyming version which comes off as anything but harmonious: "so sad, too bad..." SO, WHY-OH-WHY...should it come of any surprise at all...

Mocking Awe: "Shocker!" (now, an expression of a condition, of mock surprise) In a word, one which traditionally, at least according to M-W, one which (used to) convey "something that is extremely distressful, offensive...." Why should this condition be immune to sarcasm, im-polite-ness -- I mean, "My goodness!" (when was the last time you uttered, overheard...?) If we have become so de-sensitized as to be able to express sorrow via words that "through sarcasm, convey little or no sympathy towards someone's plight" without even a hint of remorse, than why is anyone in their "right mind" or at least in "hearing distance", after we have self-selected (i.e., "clicked on") images, ideas, that culminate to what used to be called "over-exposure" to anything in its extreme (temperatures, electricity....) other 'current conditions'  that could potentially cause a condition called "SHOCK!" -- "one which is a life-threatening condition of circulatory failure...can lead to a dysfunction of vital organs..." And, if we, our-SELVES circulate such CRAP! (Crude, Rude, Anti-social, Personal) frequently enough, over and over, lead to a psychological state we psychologists refer to as being a bit "desensitized" what animal trainers call "habituation" (where dogs come to almost ignore something they found a bit fearful, a technique used with young pups so they don't develop fear...or aggression...) and what commentators world-wide (WEB-sters) call "INSENSITIVE!" 

"So..." Just what do you and I expect, of each other, let alone our-SELVES? Under such current conditions...how do we find our way...back-and-forth? Not to fret, as there still exist, some guide-posts. At least there will be, back here after a few...

*Acts of Kindness, you silly, nincompoop! (when was the last time you used this term of non-endearment?)