How We Evolved Into An Un-Charming Culture...(And What To Do About It)

Charm did not play a very large role in that arrangement. But times have changed (thank goodness) since the days of those primitive humans, and these days, charm can play a tremendous role in a leader's ascension to power, either in politics or business.

The problem is, we haven't changed all that much since our cave days. We have, in fact, regressed from a point we had reached not all that long ago, to a level where our society is as crude, coarse, and inconsiderate as in those days. In fact, maybe these days are worse. After all, those first people didn't really expect any more than they got.

Charm has become a rare commodity, and that makes it something that is by definition very valuable. But that's not necessarily good news, It means we live in a society that's so decidedly rude, someone who exhibits charm at any level is considered an uncommon and amazing specimen. We have not evolved all that much in terms of our manners or our desire to charm others. We have the ability, but we never seem to use it.

In modern society, walking into a supermarket, a fast-food restaurant, or a video rental store can be an exercise in rudeness. The workers manning the store-including many managers-are, at best, indifferent to customers and their needs, and are too often downright hostile when asked a question or required to do the job for which they are being paid. Everyone has a "bad service" story, and when it is told, listeners in the room all nod their heads in recognition: "Yes, they've heard that one before."

The problem isn't that there are a few places where workers aren't charming anymore. The problem is that this has become the norm, the accepted level of overall service that customers assume will be in use when they enter a retail establishment, unless it is an especially expensive and exclusive one.

In those cases, snootiness takes over for apathy, and customers seen as less than affluent and upscale are treated as if they've walked into the wrong bar.

No matter how you look at it, charm is definitely missing from these scenarios.

And there's no reason for that to be. It's just as easy to perform a task with, at least, courtesy for the client, as it is to perform the same task and be rude at the same time