Monday, December 18, 2006

Manners? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Manners


I’ve pretty much recovered from my case of the flu, and I hope to be blogging a little more regularly than I have been.

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Bunny & Early wrote briefly about people who have an aversion to saying “Thank you” in one of their blog entries the other day. Why don’t people say it any more? Why is our society getting more and more rude and distant every day?

My real peeve is with people who don’t say “Excuse me.” It started bothering me a few years ago for some reason. People just don’t say it much any more. Instead, they squeeze (and inevitably bump into you) through the too-small space between you and the shopping cart next to you, or they stand there with blanks look on their faces, apparently assuming that you can read their fucking minds. Then there’s the squeeze-through/zombie combo that is a mix of the two aforementioned techniques. The idiot will start to squeeze through the too-small space and will hold an awkward-looking pose in hopes you’ll be smart enough to figure out that in “contortion language” that particular pose means, “Excuse me.” And if one more person bumps into me and doesn't say anything, you'll be reading about me in the news: "He was a quiet man."

And is “You’re welcome” now taboo? I hear a lot of “mmm hmmm” and “”not a problem,” but not “you’re welcome” so much.

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Our local hardware store shut down and I’m a little bummed out. I liked going into that little store. I liked the convenience (it was only a mile away), and I liked being able to ask dumb questions. Even more, I liked the fact that the person being asked the dumb question would take the time to answer it…Accurately; and if there was a better product for the job, or a better way of doing what I needed to do, they’d take the time and explain it to me.

The next closest independently-owned hardware store is five miles away. Not so bad, but I liked “my” store.

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My foster grand parents in Los Angeles (late 40s maybe)

13 comments:

jules said...

I hadn't thought about the excuse me not being used much, but I think you're right. I think overall we're becoming a lot ruder as a nation. Kinda sad.

rlb3773 said...

I friggin hate when someone bumps into you and does not say excuse me. It makes me want to jerk them bald. I believe people are being raised with less and less manners. If I ever see Ayden do something like that I will smack him through the wall. I dig your foster grandparents Ford!

Anonymous said...

What's so horrible about thank you and excuse me? In the good ol US of A people act like those words are terrifying to say. It's almost like showing a vampire a cross. I don't get it...
I asked a shrink friend of mine about it, and she said that people feel so vulnerable now days with everything going on, that those words may make some people feel less empowered. Who'd a thunk it?
Early hates the fact that the small hardware stores are disappearing. He likes them better because they do take the time to explain things as you mentioned. The bigger stores seem understaffed, or maybe it just seems that way & really they just hide when they see us walk in.

Anonymous said...

Ditto what rlb said! Except I won't smack the stank through the wall lol.

Ivy the Goober said...

Is it bad manners to say "excuse me" in a sarcastic way? I'm thinking of how when I walk to lunch and 3 or 4 people heading my way take up the entire hall. Where the heck do they think I can go? I can't just disappear but not one of them will fall back and let me by, I just have to shrink up against a wall as they barrell by.

Carlos said...

Jules: Ruder and more distant/disconnected from one another. It’s very sad.

RLB: “Jerk them bald.” lol! My kids’ manners are very good (thankfully). They may forget them around the house from time to time, but they sure don’t forget much once they’re outside the house.

Bunny-Early: Less empowered? That’s an interesting perspective. :-)

Sheila: Good! One less person I gotta dime out to CPS!

Ivy: Not at all in the situation you described! Love the “new” pic in your profile!

mist1 said...

"you're welcome"? "excuse me"?

I'm sorry, but I am not familiar with these expressions. ;)

I JEST!

mist1 said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

dammit - THAT WAS ME - WEBMIZTRIS...

sorry, working on her template...

Anonymous said...

"you're welcome"? "excuse me"?

I'm sorry, but I am not familiar with these expressions. ;)

I JEST!

P M Prescott said...

I show parts of the mini-series Shogun to my world history classes. It opens their eyes at how the Japanese dealt with people who had bad manners.
Thanks for the comment you left.

Anonymous said...

Yes, less empowered. They see saying thank you is acknowledging they needed help with something. Saying excuse me is acknowledging they were at your mercy to get somewhere.
Is that frigging dinked or what?!
I have to admit when someone does say thank you (rare) I sometimes say "no problem" or "it was nothing". I guess we can all use some manners lol.
You never answered my question, is The Boy thinking about The Guard as a career option? If not, what direction is he heading? Mine are looking at prison as an option lol.

Carlos said...

WebMiz: LOL. Rough day? ;-)

PM Prescott: I’ll have to watch it. Maybe I’ll pick up some tips on how to curb the trend!

Bunny-Early: Yes, very dinked. To answer your question…The Boy once thought about following in my footsteps, but opted against it. At this point, I think he’s gonna be going to a local university.