Posted on 10/14/2005 8:09:40 PM PDT by echoBoomer
From road rage in the morning commute to high decibel cell-phone conversations that ruin dinner out, men and women behaving badly have become the hallmark of a hurry-up world. An increasing informality -- flip-flops at the White House, even -- combined with self-absorbed communication gadgets and a demand for instant gratification have strained common courtesies to the breaking point.
"All of these things lead to a world with more stress, more chances for people to be rude to each other," said Peter Post, a descendent of etiquette expert Emily Post and an instructor on business manners through the Emily Post Institute in Burlington, Vermont.
In some cases, the harried single parent has replaced the traditional nuclear family, and there's little time to teach the basics of polite living, let alone how to hold a knife and fork, according to Post.
A slippage in manners is obvious to many Americans. Nearly 70 percent questioned in an Associated Press-Ipsos poll said people are ruder than they were 20 or 30 years ago. The trend is noticed in large and small places alike, although more urban people -- 74 percent -- report bad manners, then do people in rural areas, 67 percent...
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Peter Post, a descendent of etiquette expert Emily Post, is hawking his book. Do you get a cut?
You reminded me of when I worked for a couple of sales reps. One took on his daughter who was out of a job. When daddy was out of the office, she'd sit in his chair and put her unshod feet on his desk.
She was in her early twenties at the time while I was in my 30s. When I was her age I worked at GE and it never would have occured to me to do that, even if my Dad were the boss.
I guess I came off as a bit too judgmental. I'm considering how loose carts can roll into cars or block parking places because some people really don't give a d__n.
Whenever I had to take any of my four kids to a supermarket, I didn't have to be a member of the Mensa society to take care of the child AND respect other's rights.
If you could ask your grandparents or great-grandparents if returning a store cart to it's place was a hardship, they'd laugh at you. We're pretty much become too soft these days.
I stopped a stranger and asked
"Excuse me sir, but can you tell me how to get to Madison Square Garden or should I just go screw myself?"
I bet it is all 'Bush's fault'---at least one might might that assumption reading FR lately-
I bet it is all 'Bush's fault'---at least one might make that assumption reading FR lately-
A persistent problem for me is to receive a phone call and have the caller ask to speak to so-and-so WITHOUT identifying themselves first. I resent HAVING to ask "Who is speaking?"
setting asside trivialities such as using the correct fork for your salad (lordy, such Victorian stupidities SHOULD be abandoned), the problem with public civility has been exacerbated by making it impossible/illegal for the community to enforce public decorum.
I agree..if it's quiet then it's no different than if they were talking to a person sitting with them. The height of cell phone rudeness that I've seen so far is when I'm at the airport. I've been in the bathroom and there will be a guy talking to someone while he's standing there taking care of business. Imagine how that must sound to the person on the other end !
Amen, Ma'am! I was just giving my two young ones breakfast. They were yes sirring and no sirring me, along with pleases and thank yous. But they're both Alabamians, so it is expected.
Oh yes! I went into the bathroom at work once and the only other person in it was in a stall with the door closed. I only had to 'stand", so I assumed my business. The other person started up a conversation with me....
Him: "Hi, how's it going?"
Me: "Uhm... Okay. How are you?"
Him: "Uh huh. Right. Ok. Did you get my message?"
Me: "Uhm... No. What message is that?"
Him: "Hang on a second. Somebody in hear keeps talking to me and I can't hear you!"
Me: (OH! He's on the cell phone. How rude!) (Leaves quietly)
Damolrats are a good example of bad manners.
It used to be that going shopping was one of life's pleasures, a way to get away from it all, wander, imagine, enjoy. But last week, a woman was on her cell phone going up and down the aisles apace with me, and the conversation was so depressing that I was tempted to say something rude like "I came here to get away from depressing problems, not to listen to them".
That's one of the funniest stories I've ever heard! Tell me it isn't true.
I'd reply, "Just checking!" They'd giggle and fall back to sleep.
I stopped a stranger and asked
"Excuse me sir, but can you tell me how to get to Madison Square Garden or should I just go screw myself?"
LOL
Growing up back in the 1950s, I often went grocery shopping with my Mom. In those days they did not let you take the cart out of the store, the bag boy bagged your groceries and then CARRIED them in his arms out to your car for you!
Perhaps that's because the ersatz edibles these days are more woodlike than foodlike. ;)
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