why the need to be so rude?

was at Courts Megastore with Drew and Nic around 9pm. Went to queue at a cashier counter to query about the balance on my Courts value card.

There were 2 customers before us. The 2nd customer, a 20something woman(cant bring myself to call her lady) looked rather impatient fm her body language, opening and closing the plastic cover of the memory card she was holding. The cashier seems to be having some problems with the few items the 1st customer was purchasing, thus taking a slightly longer time. While I was chatting with my sons, suddenly we were startled by the loud voice of the 2nd customer.

She asked the cashier: "IS THERE ANOTHER COUNTER SOMEWHERE?" (she was so loud I had to type this in caps). The cashier pointed the direction for her. Another 2 women standing a few metres away, who looked like her family, seemed to gesture (or asked in a lower voice) what's going on. She answered in an even louder voice: "I ALSO DUNNO WHAT'S GOING ON? I QUEUE HERE SO LONG ALREADY, STILL NOT MY TURN. WAH LAU, DUNNO WHAT SHE'S(referring to the cashier) DOING, SHE'S WORSE THAN A TORTOISE!!" And she stomped away to the other cashier counter.

Drew was shocked by her words and Nic was confused by her loud voice. I told my sons that by saying what she's said, she's not putting the cashier down, but disgracing herself! I think I was loud enough that the Malay family behind us heard what I said and smiled back in agreement.

I think this is a rather common scene in today's society. And to be precise, Singapore society. Where's our graciousness? Down the drain perhaps, since the subject Civics & Moral Education is non-examinable, so parents are just buying the books bcos they're in the compulsory booklist and it'll still be as new at the end of the year. Sigh...