Whatever happened to please and thank you? (Vanity)

Me ^ | 11/14/01 | Me

[lds23]

Maybe I'm being petty, but I think it's the little details that inform how we look at the world. The decline of courtesy and manners is a well-worn adage.

But why do otherwise intelligent, well-dressed, and financially secure people treat service personnel like servants. At the Starbucks, the businesswoman says "I need a Large Capuccino". At the burger joint "Gimme a doublecheeseburger". Do they have so little self-esteem and respect that it would pain them to ask nicely?

Think of political discourse - it seems to run to "demands" for what is basically a handout from the government.

I'm no wilting flower, but wouldn't it make the day more pleasant? After all that's happened recently, you'd think we'd want to enjoy each day to the fullest.

[wi jd]

PLEASE stop posting these vanities.

Thank you. ;-)

[wi jd]

Always put down the toilet seat when done.

I never lift it up. Then I don't have to worry about putting it down.

[Outlaw76]

Oh no! not Barney.
Barney teaches kids to believe in imaginary things that aren't there and might lead a child into developing an imagination. We all know that leads to them reading and enjoying Harry Potter books and that leads them to explore the occult, and eventualy, HELL!
I will not allow my child to gaze upon Barney(Satan) at any time for fear it will lead to rampant Potterism and then my child will burn forever in hell.

Outlaw76
Founder of the "Barney leads to the reading of Harry Potter wich we all know leads to Hell" Club, or BLRHPWLTH
/Sarcasm

[null and void]

Ooops sorry.

Please accept my apologies, and have a nice day!

(tee hee hee)

[Outlaw76]

Ooops!
Where are my manners, Thank you for the marvelous post about the lack of manners. It is actualy something my wife and I noted a long time ago. We try to make sure to thank people all the time, but it is often met with strange looks.
Too often people look at us like we must be crazy, after all you don't thank your waiter for freshening your drinks... Well, I do.
You can only try to lead by example, if nothing else you keep people off balance.

[lowbridge]

[Revolting cat!]

Now here's a metaphysical question: if I changed my name to Miss Manners (or if I were Miss Manners for that matter) would I still be obligated to use "please" and "thank you"?

[Quilla]

Oh Silly - I love Miss Manners. We have her guide to rearing perfect children alongside Amy Vanderbilt and Emily Post in our library.

I am blessed to have two of the most well behaved children. Sometimes I'll sneak into my 14 year old son's bedroom and gently wake him by saying "son". He'll respond "ma'am" and I say "just checking" - he smiles and goes back to sleep. When my children spend the night out or attend a party, a parent will treat me with a phone call exclaiming what wonderful manners my children have. It is heaven. I, in turn, spoil them rotten.

[Landru]

Please spare this board another lecture.
Thank you.

{~just kidding...}

[null and void]

I don't think you could "Miss" saying please and thank you...

[unixfox]

Also: Always open the door for a woman, not because she's a woman, but because you're a gentleman.

Why? THEY have forgotten how to say "Thank You". It happened to me yesterday, I held the door open for two young ladies and not even a nod, glance or smile, they just kept on a walkin.

FUGGITABOUTIT, they don't deserve to be treated like ladies if they can't act like em !!

[kitkat]

Just like GWB said at the Crawford High School today when a student asked what advice he had for them: "Listen to your Mother!"

Oh, I just LOVE that man. Our President is so down to earth, and at the same time PC--voting moms will love him for that one.

[kitkat]

It's not even the meaningless, "Have a nice day" that insults me anymore--it's the "avnday" spoken in an undertone while looking the other way that makes me want to smack the speaker.

You'd kinda think the managers would train their front-line clerks to say, "Thank you and come again."

[Revolting cat!]

Or this newspaper headline:

Missing Man Errs!

[Aquinasfan]

Try dealing with (and cleaning up after) Welfare white trash 7 days a week. You want to talk about the fall of western civilization...

I was a Big Brother for a number of years for a kid in one of the broken families you describe. I remember picking up the 8-year-old boy at his mother-with-a-live-in-boyfriend's dirty house after he had spent Saturday night watching "Dawn of the Dead" with his drunk dad.

Helps you understand why some kids are the way they are.

[Silly]

The answer to your question is, of course, yes.

Another little-known piece of etiquette trivia has to do with forms of address:

If you are the Pope, and you are addressing yourself, the proper form of address is, "Ma Majeste" (my spelling my not be absolutely perfect). This is actually true, but very few of us will ever get the opportunity to use it.

But a more useful one (and one of my favorites) is:

When an American citizen is writing a letter to the President, the proper way to close it is, "Your good friend,".

[Silly]

One of my "manners" pet peeves is when I say, "thank you" to someone and they say, "That's all right," or, "No problem." Both responses are incorrect and inappropriate. The proper response is "You're welcome."

[Silly]

Your children are going to have a conspicuous and significant advantage over most people in life, thanks to you.

[Redcloak]

You beat me to it. Thanks.

[Revolting cat!]

But how and when does the Pope address himself? Is it during the Latin Mass? Or is it the way Bob Dole famously speaks when expressing his opinions, experiences and so on, for example (paraphrasing from memory) "Bob Dole thinks..." etc?

And then you say this: but very few of us will ever get the opportunity to use it. I would take it to mean that some (or few) of us might have the opportunity to be popes? How do we go about it?