Compared to many of the topics on the course, bad manners or rudeness seem fairly trivial. Yet, it's something that a lot of people don't like (to varying degrees) and can sometimes find quite offensive. Personally, there are a lot of supposed "bad manners" that really don't bother me (and most of which I do myself). I don't care whether someone rests their elbows on the table, eats off their knife or wears a hat indoors. The things that bother me are things like not saying please or thank you, walking into someone and then not apologising, letting the door slam on the person behind or not offering seats to 
pregnant, disabled or elderly people. What I don't like about these things is that they are all very inconsiderate and sometimes selfish.
pregnant, disabled or elderly people. What I don't like about these things is that they are all very inconsiderate and sometimes selfish.It could be argued that many people display bad manners unintentionally if they are in a rush. Another issue that could lead to accidental social faux pas is how familiar someone is with a particular culture as the concept of "good" or "bad" manners is very subjective (e.g. in many countries it is perfectly acceptable not to queue): http://people.howstuffworks.com/13-examples-of-good-and-bad-manners-around-the-world.htm
An article relating to a survey and programme on the decline of manners in Britian: http://www.itv.com/News/tonight/episodes/Badmanners/default.html
Info about what is (supposedly) considered good or bad manners in British culture: http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/behaviour.html
I completely agree...some "bad manners" are not as bad as people make out; like elbows on the table, not such a big deal.
ReplyDeleteBut things like pushing in a queue however, really makes me mad.! If people are all standing in a line, we're not just doing it for fun.!
Or say if you ram your trolley into somebodies ankles in the supermarket, whether it's an accident or not...an apology is compulsory.
I do agree that some bad manners are unintentional, however, everybody should know what is acceptable and what isn't, and if they have done something wrong then they should be able to say sorry.
But yes bad manners are subjective and some people may beleive that it is acceptable not to say please or thankyou etc. so how can we judge others on manners?