Friday, May 18, 2007

Let's snark about manners

Has anybody else noticed a distinct lack of manners in the world lately? Or is it just me?

I got chewed out yesterday by someone at work who wasn't clear in his request for what he wanted in the first place, who then wanted to yell when I provided him with an option he didn't like. Why is it easier to throw a fit than to politely ask for the changes you need made?

I thought poor manners were perhaps restricted to those entities in life we call "drivers." It's easy to get frustrated with some nameless, faceless person in the green truck who cuts you off in rush hour traffic, when the only thing that suffers is your own blood pressure and possibly the brakes on your car. But now we've taken it and made it personal, to the point that you can get snarly with anyone you want because you've got the freedom of speech and the world has taught you that You are Special and You are the Most Important Person. Yep, You are a MIP. And the world needs to know it.

A few months back, the Associated Press did a report on today's fresh crop of college students. The basic premise of the report is that today's college students have been raised to have the highest levels of self-esteem ever seen. Fantastic, right? We all feel good about ourselves. Woo-hoo! But what's it do for society as a whole when individuals feel that they're better than everybody else? Less productive team work. Less empathy for the plight of your fellow man. Shorter relationships. In short, a society of individuals who care less about helping each other than any previous generation.

I think this is directly related to bad manners. Think about it. If I'm the most important person in the world, why should I lower myself to speak with kindness to anyone? Then they might get this big head and start thinking they're more important than me, and we just can't have that, can we? Because of course you all recognize that I'm the most important person. That's what makes you my friends. Oh, sorry, what were we talking about? Oh, yeah. Manners.

Please. Thank you. How much time does it take to say these words? How much thought does it take to mean them? Manners might not be the ultimate solution that leads to world peace, but they can certainly lead to peace in our little sphere of the planet.

What do you think about manners?

Labels: asses, friends, Honey Gets Dramatic

Posted by Honey :: 9:44 AM :: 4 Comments:

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