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The decline of manners in the U.S.
CNN ^
| Friday, October 14, 2005
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 ...
TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: civility; manners
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To: echoBoomer
The other day a young lady was coming in from the parking lot with an arm load of papers. As I opened the door for myself, I held it open for her too. She passed through the door without saying a word. Fed up with rudeness I passed her in the hall and cheerfully said in a very loud voice "You're welcome."
She had the grace to turn bright red and murmer "I was thinking thank you, but I guess I didn't say it out loud."
People need to be taught manners and they need to be reminded that in a civil society it is an obligation.
41
posted on
10/15/2005 7:26:47 AM PDT
by
McGavin999
(We're a First World Country with a Third World Press (Except for Hume & Garrett ))
To: I'm ALL Right!
(BTW, my 4 year old knows how to hold a fork properly...because I cannot stand watching kids hold utensils in fisted hands.)
It's depressingly impressive how many adult "kids" use the fisted fork maneuver - along with suffering from glued-on cap virus in dining and other public places.
42
posted on
10/15/2005 7:33:52 AM PDT
by
mtntop3
("He who must know before he believes will never come to full knowledge.")
To: I'm ALL Right!
(BTW, my 4 year old knows how to hold a fork properly...because I cannot stand watching kids hold utensils in fisted hands.)
It's depressingly impressive how many adult "kids" use the fisted fork maneuver - along with suffering from glued-on cap virus in dining and other public places.
43
posted on
10/15/2005 7:33:52 AM PDT
by
mtntop3
("He who must know before he believes will never come to full knowledge.")
To: Merlinator
My pet peeve are the people who don't return their grocery carts to the cart corrals at the supermarket. If you'll notice, it's usually the lard butt who could use the exercise ;-)
44
posted on
10/15/2005 8:08:39 AM PDT
by
varon
(Allegiance to the constitution, always. Allegiance to a political party, never.)
To: King Prout
Ummmmm, are you paying tribute to the smurfs???????
45
posted on
10/15/2005 8:27:09 AM PDT
by
teenyelliott
(Soylent green should be made outta liberals...)
To: echoBoomer
May I bring it to every Northerner's attention that if you live in the South or are planning to move here YOU MUST TEACH YOUR CHILDREN TO SAY YES MAM AND NO SIR!!! The Yanks have tried to let their children ruin the courteous South but the South will not loose this waaw.
46
posted on
10/15/2005 8:59:13 AM PDT
by
ladyL
To: teenyelliott
nope. I'm paying homage to the wise and far-seeing Gargamel.
47
posted on
10/15/2005 9:20:30 AM PDT
by
King Prout
("La LAAAA La la la la... oh [bleep!] Gargamel has a FLAMETHROWEEEEEAAAAAAARRRRRGH!")
To: Carolinamom
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?"yes, that is extremely poor telephone etiquette
48
posted on
10/15/2005 9:22:09 AM PDT
by
King Prout
("La LAAAA La la la la... oh [bleep!] Gargamel has a FLAMETHROWEEEEEAAAAAAARRRRRGH!")
To: echoBoomer
Please and Thank You have fallen out of favor. The family, church, school and all of society must/can teach politeness.
Whenever my manners were less than appropriate my Italian Grandma would motivate me by yelling "cafone"(apporximately "Bum") and applying her wooden spoon to my backside!!
Civic duty demands being helpful to your fellow man, so said my Mom, Dad, and teachers. Flat tire demanded you stop and help. Trash in the road, pick it up even if it's not yours!
Several years back there was a campaign to be agressively compassionate and helpful. Maybe we need to reinstitute that!!
To: King Prout
Why? Cause he was racist toward blue people????
50
posted on
10/15/2005 9:58:23 AM PDT
by
teenyelliott
(Soylent green should be made outta liberals...)
To: teenyelliott
No, because he knew a good meal when he squashed it.
51
posted on
10/15/2005 10:01:27 AM PDT
by
King Prout
("La LAAAA La la la la... oh [bleep!] Gargamel has a FLAMETHROWEEEEEAAAAAAARRRRRGH!")
To: King Prout
nope. I'm paying homage to the wise and far-seeing Gargamel. If only he had wiped them out before they managed to make that stupid cereal commercial.
They ruined the Nutcracker Suite for me.
52
posted on
10/15/2005 10:05:11 AM PDT
by
Harmless Teddy Bear
(Warning: Not a Romantic or hero worshiper. Attempts to tug at my heartstrings annoy me... and I bite)
To: Harmless Teddy Bear
If only he had wiped them out before they managed to make that stupid cereal commercial. They ruined the Nutcracker Suite for me. the horror... the horror...
53
posted on
10/15/2005 10:08:01 AM PDT
by
King Prout
("La LAAAA La la la la... oh [bleep!] Gargamel has a FLAMETHROWEEEEEAAAAAAARRRRRGH!")
To: McGavin999
The other day a young lady was coming in from the parking lot with an arm load of papers. As I opened the door for myself, I held it open for her too. She passed through the door without saying a word. This is exactly the kind of behavior that makes me indifferent to holding doors for strangers anymore. I do it to be polite, and because I was taught as a child to be a gentleman. It would be nice to hear a "thank you", or at the very least get some kind of eye contact and a nod. Maybe I am weird or something, but I think one can only continue being ignored for so long before asking himself if he should even bother.
I still do it, but I have stopped expecting others to be polite.
54
posted on
10/15/2005 10:08:02 AM PDT
by
SaveTheChief
("I can't wait until I'm old enough to feel ways about stuff." - Phillip J. Fry)
To: echoBoomer
This rudeness and insatiable appetite for immediate gratification is making the workplace miserable as well. I am a manager at work and I am literally under assault all day long with cell phone calls, urgent emails, pages and whatnot. 95% of this stuff could be handled routinely. I check my voicemails and emails periodically throughout the day. But there are people (customers and co-workers) who insist upon speaking with me "right now, this instant."
Sometimes I'll sit in my office and I'll see my office phone ring again and again. Then my cellphone will go off. Then my office phone will ring incessantly again. Then I'll hear my name paged over the loudspeaker. Then the receptionist will come knocking on my door and tell me there is a person who is insisting on "speaking to me live."
I know that this is the same person who just spent the past 10 minutes calling every phone number possible trying to reach me live. When I finally get this jerk on the phone, it ends up being something that I could have answered in 10 seconds on email and it wasn't time-sensitive.
Sometimes I feel like disconnecting my computer, smashing all my pagers and phones against a wall and just going to the beach.
55
posted on
10/15/2005 10:19:52 AM PDT
by
SamAdams76
(What Would Howard Roarke Do?)
To: King Prout
That's it.
I'm calling Jesse Smurf.
56
posted on
10/15/2005 10:47:53 AM PDT
by
teenyelliott
(Soylent green should be made outta liberals...)
To: teenyelliott
I fed Jesse Smurf to my cat last week.
57
posted on
10/15/2005 11:16:36 AM PDT
by
King Prout
("La LAAAA La la la la... oh [bleep!] Gargamel has a FLAMETHROWEEEEEAAAAAAARRRRRGH!")
To: teenyelliott
...as well as the Smurferend Jesse Smurfson.
what can I say? Mollie was rather peckish last week... growing kitty and all
58
posted on
10/15/2005 11:17:43 AM PDT
by
King Prout
("La LAAAA La la la la... oh [bleep!] Gargamel has a FLAMETHROWEEEEEAAAAAAARRRRRGH!")
To: SamAdams76
like so?:
59
posted on
10/15/2005 11:18:36 AM PDT
by
King Prout
("La LAAAA La la la la... oh [bleep!] Gargamel has a FLAMETHROWEEEEEAAAAAAARRRRRGH!")
To: garyhope
Is there one man anywhere in the entire country who still takes his hat off indoors? My husband's peeve is men wearing their hats at the table in restaurants. Drives him crazy!
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