You may experience this every day, or if you’re lucky, just once in a while. What’s even worse is that you may be the cause of it! What I am referring to, of course, is the complete disregard for any sense of etiquette in society. Our manners are slowly going down the drain, and yet many people don’t give this problem a minute’s thought.
So if you’re sick and tired of the man who is continually grunting next to you, or the lady who walks over you without saying sorry, then join me in this etiquette revolution!
What sparked the idea for this article was an incident that occurred to me not too long ago. I was just minding my own business on the subway train one day, when all of a sudden I heard a click click. Upon hearing that peculiar noise I naturally looked up. To my horror, the man sitting across the train from me was clipping his toenails!
Now I don’t know about the rest of you, but the last thing I needed was a toenail to come whizzing at me from across the train.
The truth is that our world has come a long way since the days of old. Today we live in a world that is immersed in pop culture, full of people who swear with every second word and think that bawdy gestures are a-okay. These bad habits have become ingrained in people’s minds to such a degree that their use is barely even noticed. Imagine a world a few decades from now where every child answers with F-this, F-that, or you mother-#$%&@! every time they are angry at something. Wouldn’t that be pleasant?
Before we let our manners slip away from us completely, take this into consideration: having good manners is not about restraining yourself from saying or doing the things you like most (like swearing, or clipping your toenails in public, for example). Rather, think of it more as being a form of respect for both yourself and others.
In the movie Blast from the Past, Brendan Fraser’s character reminds the audience of a lesson his mother once taught him: “My mother says good manners are how you show people that you respect them.” We could all benefit from this advice-saying “please” or “thank you,” after all, won’t kill you.
Eventually one thank you will lead to another, and perhaps, just perhaps, we will all wake up tomorrow in a nicer world.
This controversial topic has infuriated not only me, but pop culture commentators such as Mark Caldwell (A Short History of Rudeness), Kate Fox (Watching the English), and Lynne Truss (Talk to the Hand: the utter bloody rudeness of the world today, or, six good reasons to stay home and bolt the door). Check out these manuals on how to save the dying art of etiquette.
