What has happened, ladies and gentlemen, to our sense of decorum? To our understanding of how to behave in a well-mannered society? To our tacit contract with one another to hold to the ideals represented by so many Olympians who aren't named Tonya Harding or Marion Jones on Ben Johnson or -- well, let's just leave former Olympics cheaters out of it to save space.

It's bad enough that people are clobbering one another in Pittsburgh over parking space disputes and bus arguments. It's amazing the recent weeks haven't brought riots in the streets, with angry neighborhood mobs hijacking the city's snow plows from Department of Public Works drivers in a "War of the Worlds"-style frenzy.

The true word on the breakdown of modern civilization came with the behavior of the Canadian women's hockey players after winning the gold medal in Vancouver.

These young women were drinking champagne and beer on the ice, as well as smoking cigars there. We presume the arena in which they did this bans smoking, and it is known that at least one of the Canadian players is younger than British Columbia's legal drinking age of 19. The public celebrating caused quite a stir, with the International Olympics Committee head stating, "It is not what we want to see. I don't think it's a good promotion of sport values."

We can only imagine the reaction of our teenagers if they hear about this: "You're allowed to drink alcohol at 19 in Vancouver? Awesome! Let's move there, Dad, eh?"

Seriously, who can blame the Canadian women for doing what nearly every person in Vancouver devoted their own efforts to in the past two weeks?

Sean Gregory of Time.com reported that these Olympics have been one non-stop drunken party for the fans, outdoing in that regard all other Olympics he and the other experienced writers there know of -- perhaps even back to ancient Athens. (Important historical footnote: The Olympics have never been held on the South Side, or their perspective might be different.)

"If public intoxication was an Olympic sport, Vancouver and Whistler would own the podium," Mr. Gregory wrote recently. "At 2 a.m., Granville Street was still packed, and there were plenty of drunks wandering about. Vancouver appeared to have more morons per square foot than the 'Jersey Shore' house."

While arrests have been low, alcohol-related emergency room visits have spiked. If only Salt Lake City could be permanent host of the Winter Olympics, we wouldn't have to worry about such things. We've never tried to get drunk in Utah, but our impression is that it's hard to do.

You may have heard about the efforts by the California Assembly, described by PG columnist Sally Kalson on Sunday, to promote more civility by establishing a "Cuss Free Week" in that state. That doesn't mean it would be free to swear at other people who cut you off in freeway traffic (though, technically, there's no charge for that).

Instead, if it passes, Californians should try to avoid cussing for a week, though sponsors admit the measure is unenforceable -- sort of like Pittsburgh's sidewalk-snow ordinance. It would be like Pennsylvania lawmakers trying to ban open-the-car-door-spitting by local motorists, which will only be outlawed about a million millenniums after they restrict cell phone conversations in cars.

The Morning File first reported on the California cuss-free movement two years ago, after McKay Hatch, then 14, began gaining attention for a club he formed for the purpose.

Now he is billed as "the most cyber-bullied kid in the world" on the cover of his paperback book about the movement. That makes it sound like a lot of people have been cussing at McKay online for trying to interfere with their First Amendment right to swear.

Still, www.nocussing.com says 35,000 members have joined the effort. Very few of them must be from Vancouver, as Mr. Gregory's Time.com account made it sound like the Olympics fans there excelled in F-bombs every bit as much as alcohol.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.