[SonOfDarkSkies]

I moved back South after a career in NYC and can attest to such virtues still being a part of daily life in small town Georgia.

And if anyone treated me otherwise, I'd slap the crap out of em.;-)

[SWAMPSNIPER]

It’s fading fast, we are up to our butts in carpetbaggers.

[Errant]

Yes, for the most part if the children were raised in rural areas.

[garyhope]

Yes sir. Yes mam. Please. Thank you. After you.

Please pass that absolutely delicious BBQ. More iced tea? Another biscuit? More gravy?

You're very welcome.

I think so, but of course not everywhere or with everyone.

I must be old.

[submarinerswife]

The South and the Midwest are by far more friendly, less pretentious and generally more laid back.

We’ve been stationed all over the US in the past 27 years and it is really a difference between night and day to compare the mannerism of people from the South to people in CT or Washington state.

[mnehring]

In Texas they do. My wife got a flat a year or so ago and before she could finish dialing roadside assistance, she had a couple of country boys out with jacks ready to change the tire for her, they finished and drove off before she could thank them.

We still hold the door for ladies and wouldn’t ever let a woman pay. (yes, we are talking about younger people too, not just old folks raised when this was common). It may be a shock, but one of the most polite towns I’ve ever been to was pre-Katrina New Orleans.

I travel a lot and I actually believe the ‘lack of courtesy’ stereotyped across the country isn’t as bad as people think. The only place where people were overtly rude was Los Angeles. The people in New York City, for example, are generally very nice. I usually try to avoid all the touristy areas and when you get out where the locals are, they have the same level of courtesy you would find down here.

“Enlightened” Europe is one of the worst places I’ve been regarding courtesy. Prague wasn’t bad in Paris the people are down right rude to everyone, even each other.

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

About 10 years ago my dd went to NYC with her small Christian school graduating class for their senior trip. While in a store, she said, "Yes Mam" to a clerk when asked a question. The clerk was astonished and complimented her on her manners. She's raising her small children the same way, as is my son with his boys.

That being said, it really isn't as it used to be in some demographics. There are rude, crude children, and adults swearing in public, which you never used to hear, and profane music being blasted in parking lots at stores. So, no, it's not like it used to be.

There are fewer gentlemen who will protest if other men swear around ladies (my husband, fortunately, is one of those who will politely remove his wife from such situations )but he's a vanishing breed.

[Jemian]

I grew up in Auburn, AL and I raised my children in this tradition. The answer to your question is “yes” and “no.” We taught our children to say “Sir” and “Ma’am.” My son holds the door for his wife as his father before him does. My girls don’t quite understand how to wait for the men to get in position to do this. Hmmmm. There is still a deferment to older people but not quite as much as it was. It is not automatically assumed that an adult is correct, but issues of disagreement are attempted by many to be kept “within the family” and out of the public eye. It isn’t anybody else’s business.

Courtesy is very important.

[cashless]

Yes we still salute the flag with our right hand over our heart, we know the words to the National Anthem, we still say a prayer before we eat recognizing the true Source for everything in our lives, we still say “Please”, Thank you”, and “Yes, sir”, “Yes, Ma'am” to those who are older than us and most likely wiser, and we try to teach our kids the same. We open doors for ladies, stand when a lady enters the room, take our hats off when indoors and did I mention we pray at meal time? We still make sure that when we walk down the street, we are between the traffic and our wives and mothers, and we smile and say hello to all who do likewise.
Manners are something we try to model not dictate.

[Tupelo]

I found it fading fast in northeast Mississippi.

[Roos_Girl]

The metropolitan areas are a mess, but the small towns generally still have all the charm, hospitality and friendliness you’d expect of the South; including the propriety between the younguns and their elders. As the cities have expanded all of it has or is starting to fade, as Swampsniper pointed out.

[ConservativeChris]

Short answer, yes, however,

Raised my son (for the most part) in Omaha NE, then moved to Branson, MO (pretty far south), My wife and I get compliments daily on his manners, (they are very good).
Having said that there are still some “punks” around here.

My point is geography doesn’t matter as much as who your neighbors are.

[MissEdie]

They are still very prominent and important for us Southerners. Unfortunately they are still very misunderstood by all the rest :0)

[GOPyouth]

I'm soon to be 34 and have lived in Louisiana and Texas all of my life. I still say yes/no sir/ma'am to all of my elders. The only time I have ever cursed in front of my mom was on 9-11 when the 2nd plane hit. Mother's day is probably the most important day of the year in my family. My great aunts are the greatest cooks ever (outside of my mom, of course). The patriarchs of the family are highly respected, as they are in their 90s now. The quickest way to get whipped from my dad was when I sassed my mom. Getting a spanking at school was the worst because I would get a spanking from my mom when I got home, then one from my dad when he got home because my mom had gotten upset from spanking me. :)

My daughter will be raised to respect her elders, and to appreciate the southern charm.

[davisfh]

I was born in my Mother's front bedroom in a small Mississippi town in 1936. Southern society has changed since that time and by "changed" I mean coarsened. The old Southern manners and charm are still practiced and embraced by certain families and with others these attributes have disappeared altogether. It is not difficult to learn which element of society you're dealing with. It is the "yes maam," "no sir," the holding of the door for elderly people and a myriad of other subtle behaviors that allow one to understand who this or that person is. And, don't be deluded by the word "society." Good manners are not limited to the wealthy and influential and oftentimes the exact opposite is true.

During my life I've traveled quite a lot and have met people from various parts of America. During those travels, I've learned that good manners are not necessarily a Southern attribute. Accents and the manner in which we frame our conversation are often misleading and misunderstood and we should be careful to not allow these things to color our opinions of others.

[DemonDeac]

Not in central NC. The Yankees have taken over.

[Fast Moving Angel]

I love traveling to the South, just for this reason — the people of Georgia and North Carolina in particular are wonderful. Everyone has always been extremely friendly and polite to me. But then, for the most part, I’ve found that if you treat people politely, they’ll be polite in return, no matter where they are.

[kacres]

I live in small town Ga. and the answer is Yes. But there are Yankees here, and they refer to our well mannered children as “Rednecks”.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

We do try to keep it going.I cannot pass up the opportunity to chastise a young man failing to open the door for his date and I let him have it loud and clear so everyone can hear.I am constantly on my children about manners as well.Sometimes it seems that I am not getting through and then other times it does.Time will tell I suppose.We were just raised right here in the south.

[19th LA Inf]

I'm 81, have only one working ear (with hearing aid) and it's time for my cataract surgery. I have also had hip surgery, and maybe I hobble just a little bit. Last week I was in the eye clinic waiting room with my wife, who heard my first name "Fred" called out - - unfortunately I didn't hear it at all. I remarked something to my wife about this new custom of calling us old geezers by our first name. She said "why don't you tell her?" As I followed the young lady, I said "Some of us old folks don't like being called by our first names." The young chick replied "Then I can tell everyone to call you Mr. **** (not my correct name)." I corrected her on that, and we went on to the testing procedures. I spent about an hour with her going through the tests and giving my medical history. Actually she was cordial enough and all went well. My wife noticed that she had put a Post-it note on my file: "Call this man Mr. ####" (my correct last name).

Lately, though, I have noticed that many younger people are now holding doors for me. I always thank them, but have to admit it's kinda embarrassing.