( CNN ) -- A politician , an athlete and an entertainer . What do they have in common ? Some would say rude behavior . In less than a week , millions of people witnessed displays of anger and rage that have many wondering whether decorum is a thing of the past . Kanye West 's behavior at the MTV Video Music Awards was widely condemned . `` I think we 're seeing a decline in our protocol and etiquette skills , '' said Pamela Eyring , director of the Protocol School of Washington . Last week on Capitol Hill , South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson yelled `` you lie ! '' at President Obama as he addressed Congress on heath care . `` It was an obvious breach of decorum . There 's a time and a place for everything , and that was obviously not the time or the place , '' said Sen. John Cornyn , R-Texas . Wilson apologized to Obama but has balked at the idea of giving a formal apology before the House of Representatives . Just days later , in a heated display of frustration over a questionable call , tennis star Serena Williams threatened a line judge at the U.S. Open . The outburst , like Wilson 's , was seen by millions on live television . Williams later issued an apology and has tried to put the incident behind her . Watch : Where have our manners gone ? » . One day after the Williams meltdown , it was Kanye West 's turn . But this was n't a fit of rage ; it was an outrageous display by the rapper toward singer Taylor Swift . The 19-year-old was accepting her award at the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony Sunday when West took the microphone from her hand and told the audience that singer Beyonce Knowles ' video had been better . West was booed off the stage . Eyring says these three high-profile incidents serve as reminders to public figures and regular people alike to watch their behavior . `` They 're mentors , like it or not . They are mentors , and they need to show their good side , '' she said . It 's one thing for a public figure to have a bad or very bad moment . But more and more Americans are wondering whether rudeness has become the norm in society in general . `` Everybody 's lashing out for no apparent reason . It 's starting to be this virus that 's going on these days now , '' said David Stuart of Washington . How did it get to this point ? Eyring blames technology . `` Blogging , texting , the twittering ; we 're finding that people are n't focused on their people skills any longer , and so they 're doing outbursts . They 're just saying what they feel and what they want to say , when they want to say it . '' Eyring is quick to point out that not all of society is lacking in people skills . But she does stress a return to simple gestures : opening a door for someone , giving up your seat for an elderly person or simply saying `` thank you . '' `` I think actions are more powerful than words . We have to learn this , and you can do it , and it does n't cost anything . You can do it . It costs nothing to be nice or civil or polite . It 's easy , and it makes you feel good . ''
America is experiencing problems in manners , protocol expert says . Politician , businessman and entertainer all have recently behaved badly . Technology is partly to blame for lapse in proper manners , expert says .