CHICAGO, Aug. 5, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Everyone knows them. They are the people who park in handicap spaces, linger in crowded restaurants, make patients wait for hours and talk on their cell phones anywhere and everywhere. In his new book, You're not the only one on this Planet!: Observations on the absence of Civility: A Book of Leadership (now available through AuthorHouse), Dr. John E. Mayer offers a common sense commentary on these egocentrics, whom he dubs COWs, or sufferers of Center of the World Syndrome.
As a psychologist and a citizen, Mayer has seen these COWs first hand. Everyone who is not a COW, he says, endures their effects.
"There is no vaccine for COWs," Mayer writes. "The only effective prevention is public awareness and intolerance for COW behavior. Right now, this book is our only weapon to eradicate this painful social epidemic."
Mayer exposes the many ways COWs show themselves. From the "supernova COW" of the Internal Revenue Service to the COW clicking away at his PDA during church services, Mayer's book offers funny and enlightening insight to the reality of COWs in today's world.
COWs slow down to talk on their cell phones on the highway and gouge prices for repairs at car dealerships. They are the snobbish, uninformed concierges behind hotel counters. They are everywhere, but regular people can do something about them. Mayer calls it "tipping the COW." He offers tips for putting COWs in their place and making them realize how self-centered their behavior really is.
For example, the COWs who still use the antiquated "universal sign of friendship," the middle finger, can be rebuffed by taking Mayer's advice: blow them a kiss. They will be shocked, dismayed, angry or confused, which are all perfect reactions to receive from egotistical COWs.
You're not the only one on the Planet! says what so many wish they could say to all those who think they are the center of the world. It is a hilarious, cathartic read that inspires people to reject uncivil behavior.
Mayer is a practicing clinical psychologist acclaimed for treating drug use and violence in families as well as disorders of young adults. A graduate of Northwestern University's doctoral program, he is often the expert called in to help with high-profile cases involving youth. He has written numerous professional articles and 10 books. Married with two children, he currently lives in Chicago.
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