Have we become a culture of rude, crude and obnoxious egotists who have forgotten how to treat our fellow human beings?

Overall, maybe not, but the answer may be “yes” in far too many cases.

A perfect example is Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards. Pop singer Kanye West, who has a reputation as a self-centered jerk, charged onto stage during 19-year-old singer Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video. West interrupted her to proclaim that the award should have gone to Beyonce.

Swift was so embarrassed that she had to leave the stage without finishing her speech, reportedly breaking down in tears.

In a classy move, after winning an award of her own, Beyonce invited Swift back up on stage to finish her speech.

And while West may just be another example of a pampered celebrity who acts with a sense of entitlement, he is illustrative of far too many people in our world.

After all, we empower people like West to act this way because we make excuses for them; we don’t want to hold them accountable and keep supporting them.

Want to send a message to West? Don’t buy his music.

But you don’t have to go to Hollywood to find this kind of behavior. There are plenty of examples right here at home.

From the driver on the highway who clearly has road rage to the diners in a restaurant who seem oblivious to the fact they are disturbing others and being rude to the waitress to the person who simply doesn’t have anything nice to say to or about anyone else.

Many Americans don’t fit this mold but the sad reality is that those who don’t possess any manners give all of us a bad reputation.

If each of us work harder to be nicer to one another this world we live in will a better place.

And hopefully this will create a better class of celebrity too.