Blame it on the alcohol

   September seems to be the month designated for rude behavior. From Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards, to Serena Williams at the U.S. Open Finals, to Congressman Joe Wilson at a joint session of Congress, apologies have been dished out like Happy Meals on a Saturday afternoon.
   It started when Wilson, a Republican Representative for the state of South Carolina, yelled out "You Lie!" during President  Barack Obama's speech about health care reform. Although Wilson later said, "while I disagree with the President's statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable," his actions remain distasteful and disrespectful.
   The rudeness continued when tennis star Serena Williams used profane language towards a line judge after a foot foul call.  Williams was given a point penalty for it, causing her to lose the match to opponent Kim Clijsters. She was later fined $10,500 — chump change for a millionaire athlete.
   The next night, rapper Kanye West interrupted pop sensation Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the VMAs, saying that Beyoncé deserved the award more than Swift. West has since issued several apologies, including one during the premiere of The Jay Leno Show, where he said, "It's been extremely difficult just dealing with the fact that I hurt someone or took anything away from a talented artist."
   All these events have led people to wonder what has happened to civility. Although Serena may have been frustrated, it is never acceptable to curse at a line judge.
   Regardless of whether Wilson opposes Obama's plan, he does not have the right to interrupt him during his speech.  And though Swift may be a newcomer and only 19 years old, she does not deserve to have a pivotal moment in her young career destroyed by a fame–seeking rapper.
   Some might say that these actions, or reactions, are just expressions of our First Amendment right to freedom of speech, but others would argue that these acts are lack of manners and respect for our fellow man.
   As a result, the public has not ended its own tirade against the rapper, or the congressman. And it may be weeks before anyone will forget about Serena's McEnroe-esque actions.
   The Kanye incident continues to be mocked and derided in all forms of media, and was meshed in a YouTube video with  Wilson's outburst just hours after the VMA incident occurred.  The president was even questioned about the Kanye incident during an interview, in which he called West a "jackass."
   No matter how you feel about these incidents, one thing we can all take away from this is that the public and the media will not let rude behavior occur without notice or comment.