NEWS: Everybody's Ruder Nowadays

I knew philly was expanding!

haha. ditto.

People sometimes accuse Canada of not really being polite, but of just going through the motions. I don't really think that's true, at least not with me (and a lot of others). I always hold doors, for men and women of course, I say please and thank you, I smile and acknowledge service people (I worked at Tim Hortons and Foot Locker, I think it should be mandatory for everyone to get a taste of what it's like to serve some of you fuckers).

I was talking to a woman from Spain a month ago, I asked her what she thought of Canada. She said it was amazing. She said that everytime she went into a store they would thank her and wish her a good day. She said she just wanted to hug every one of them because they treated her so well. Apparently in Spain you're luck if the people even acknowledge your presence. The funniest thing she said, which perhaps summarizes much of Canada, is that "if you step on someone's foot, they apoligize to you!"

I dunno. I try to be polite. And Minnesota is famous for "Minnesota nice"...and yet I notice this too. Mostly it's just people who don't seem to have any idea they're being rude. Taking cell phone calls (or making them) in the library, talking and laughing loudly likewise in the library (libraries are supposed to be *quiet*), starting a new line instead of taking their spot in the line, etc.

But then there are the people who are not only rude, but if you point out that they're being rude, they step it up to the point where I would acquit anyone who killed them on justifiable homicide grounds.

Manners are the lubrication of society- Voltare

I've always tried to be polite, but I can't ever seem to get behind that whole "sir" thing.

my growing rage has finally been validated by the media...yay!!!...i mean grrrr!

right on!
lets agree to say thankyou!
THANKYOU mr.satan

In california - SF bay area, orange county, burbank, along the coast or in the mountains - people always seemed polite. Baltimore, MD - rudest place I ever lived - maybe urban poverty is to blame?

Urban poverty is Cleveland's middle name.

i think the problem (or part of the problem) is that people see manners as an assualt on their autonomy. like, either, "You're opening the door for me when I could open it myself?" or "Why should I have to say please and thank you when what I'm getting is my right?" Part of that is a result of a good thing: we're more (hyper) conscious about power dynamics these days, because we've been educated to see how, say, excessive politeness to the "weaker sex" can be demeaning, or, say, how being a black person expected to call someone "ma'am" can be shitty when they call you "boy" in return.

though it would be a shame if the end result of democracy was that everyone was an ass hole to everyone else, equally.

another thought: which might be the connection gramnegative saw between urban poverty and lack of politeness. if you feel like you're getting the shit end of the stick you're a lot less likely to want to show niceties to someone who isn't--whereas if your rich or middle class you'd totally feel secure enough to act like a nice person (even--or especially--if you aren't...)

I make it a point to be polite to people. I open doors, I say thank you if someone does it for me, I say thank you to the people at McDonald's, all that. That way, I figure they'll feel guilty for spitting in my burger.

I always say please, thank you, and excuse me. I call people sir and ma'am. I open doors (or hold it open so the person behind me can grab it). I don't know why these things are so hard. My parents ingrained them in us to the point where it's just habit (like Destro, I'd have been smacked in the back of the head if I'd forgotten a thank you).

Maybe it depends on the area. I was raised in northern Michigan, which is full of small-town hospitality. People are more laid-back up there, and you still see a lot of manners, graciousness, and chivalry. Yeah, there are assholes, like everywhere, but it doesn't have that "oh my god rush rush rush get out of my way move!" feeling that Detroit has.

I'll take asshole over fake nice any day. I'm so fucking sick of all the "Have a great day!" bullshit here in Oregon.

"Your all fuckers...why don't you all piss off...Your problem is your all foreigners...byye!...did it go well ya think?

-

This is all the more reason why I ought to have bitched out that 13-year-old girl in line in front of me at McDonalds, who paused her cell phone conversations only to yell condescendingly at her parents and then briefly to order. The only reason I didn't is because some parents get really offended if you criticize their kid, even if their kid is an ungrateful, snotty little bitch.

But yes. We should take this as a call to arms. Next time someone's rude, we ought to act on our initial desires to yell at them. It's the duty of any good American.

I'm only rude because everyone else is such a twat.

I guess I should say that I lived in two places in Baltimore (edge of northwest downtown, and north edge of canton). So I was right at a sharp border between fairly new money/renovations, and stark alcohol/drugs/prostitution/poverty. I've never seen so many corner bars!
So my sample was probably less than representative

I found the rudest people in Great Falls Virginia. A tony suburb of Washington D.C.
I lived there on and off for 30 years and it is the home of a lot of senators, laywers and other low lifes. I felt so very French there telling the local Lexus crowd to suck my dick and lick my ass after thier incidences of rude behavior. So it's at both ends of the economic spectrum. And I am super polite unless riled by rude behavior.