Elevator Etiquette

There are many indicators of the impending demise of civilization as we know it, not the least of which is currently unfolding south of the 49th. However, there are some slightly more subtle occurrences that also suggest a sorry decline in certain aspects of day to day society.

Take getting off an elevator, for example. Before leaving my apartment this morning, I was returning a small flat cart to the building recycling center. I normally take the stairs, but the cart necessitated that I use the elevator. As the doors opened into our lobby, some nimrod with his head down walked right into the elevator. Of course, he also walked right into the cart, which caused him to tumble head first onto the cart while grabbing his ankle which had met the blunt front end of the cart with some force. He then gathered himself up, cursed at me, and backed out of the elevator.

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but is it not good form to, when waiting for an elevator door to open so one can get on that elevator, first take a look into the elevator? Furthermore, is it not actually just common courtesy to allow people already in the elevator to exit before others enter? I’m not imagining things here, right? That’s pretty common knowledge, yes?
So why is it that more and more people are choosing to ignore this generally accepted practice? The now limping fellow that I encountered this morning is just a slightly more extreme example of what I have been observing for some time. Elevator doors open and everyone tries to enter and exit at the same time. The result? A traffic jam that makes intersections in India look orderly!

About all I can surmise is this is just another example of the ongoing decay of the fabric of our society. First it was trudging mud across Mom’s living room carpet, now this. The future looks grim…