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I was shopping the other day and I said, "hello" to the cashier, she grunted something that I could not make out. I looked her when I spoke to her. She looked at the floor when she had to speak to me. I thanked her and said, "have a nice day" whereas she ignored me and asked the next person in line, "paper or plastic".
I know everyone has a bad day every now and then (including me) but is it too much to ask for some basic, common courtesy? It is one of the things that makes society civilized after all. Do you think I am being too old-fashioned? I don't. I don't know if I want to go back to the "old days" (and what does that really entail anyway- is it better or do we tend to fondly remember through rose colored glasses?) or do I subscribe to the thinking of Daffodil in Miss Manner's book and "just want people to behave better nowadays." Which camp are you in? Do you want to go back to the old days? What do you think that means? Or do you want people to simply behave better today?
Who doesn't enjoy going to the movies?
Who doesn't enjoy going to a live performance - musicals, theater, concerts? My mum gave me a pair of onyx opera glasses - love them!
When people go to these types of public events they need to remember other people are around. Seriously.
We recently went to a Tony Bennett concert at Wolf Trap and opted for traditional seats (as opposed to the great option of lawn seats where you are able to enjoy a fun picnic). The boorish woman sitting in the row in front of us blinded us with the annoying light from her blackberry as she scrolled over e-mails and surfed the internet. And then she annoyed everyone in her vicinity when she phoned a friend so she could hear the concert. But the kicker was when she put her friend on speaker-phone so that we could all hear her say, "hello, hello, what, are you at the concert? how is it?" (More than once since they kept getting disconnected.)
Please be marvelously well-mannered by being considerate to the others in the audience.
Here is a good tip - I find it interesting more people don't know this but when you have to enter an already filled row to get to your seat, enter the row by facing the people in the row. Do not face the screen or the stage. By doing so you can properly address the people you are disturbing and look them in the eye as you say , "I am sorry, please excuse me." The bonus for those already seated is that they do not have to stare at your behind as you climb over them.
