What not to do at a graduation

So, today I went to my daughter's graduation. Whether a person is graduating from elementary, middle, high school, or college, they are making a progression from one stage in their life to another. They have hopefully learned something, grown from experiences and learned new skills. What I have discovered is that while graduations are celebrations of one's accomplishments and one's progression from one stage to another, those who attend these graduations have seemingly learned nothing and have had no experiences which have taught them manners or common decency.

Numerous people arrived late. If you arrive late to class, you irritate the teacher and possibly end up lowering your grade or having some sort of disciplinary action exacted upon you. If you arrive late to work, you risk losing your job. So, how is arriving late to a graduation teaching our next generation responsibility? Not only does this send the wrong message, but it irritates the shit out of people who are trying to watch their child graduate and might even be trying to take a picture (which they subsequently miss out on taking) while your rude ass is walking right in front of them, not even mindful of the fact that they are trying to take a picture.

One might think that this rude parade of traffic would end after a little while; after everyone has had a chance to arrive, find a parking spot, find a seat and so forth, but no. It never ends. Late people continue to arrive increasingly late. Others need something to eat or drink from the concession stand, as though they have come to an all-you-can-eat buffet instead of a graduation ceremony (I honestly can't understand why obesity is an epidemic). And then, of course, after they finish drinking their sodas and eating their exorbitantly priced nachos (Taco Bell after the graduation would have been much cheaper), they have to go to the bathroom. Then, many of these same people who were late, and those who had the decency to arrive on time, begin to leave early. Not only is this rude, but when 2/3 of the stadium decides to do so, your plan to "beat the traffic" becomes null and void and people like myself are commenting to their peers that not only are you rude, but you are an absolute moron.

So, reader, I implore you. If you are going to attend a graduation this year, or ever for that matter, do not be this kind of person. Arrive on time, pay attention and do not walk in front of people that are trying to take a picture (apologize if you accidentally do so), sit your ass down once you arrive and stay seated (forget the concessions unless you have time to get them ahead of time) and stay at least until they have finished reading the names. There will always be the jabbering that they do at the end of the ceremony that no one cares about and no one is going to take a picture of, making this the perfect time to run for the car (the more intelligent ones will stay put and let the traffic clear out versus trying to beat it). This is what manners and common decency is; it's a shame that it is no longer taught by parents or schools.