COMMON COURTESY

Whatever happened to good manners?

Jan Brewer, the Governor of Arizona, demonstrated her lack of good manners when she shook her finger at the President of the United States on the tarmac of Tucson’s airport last week. Shame on her. Shame too on Joe Wilson for yelling “You Lie” at the President, during his state of the union speech a couple of years ago. Both demonstrated a lack of respect for our highest elected official. Ms. Brewer’s and Mr. Wilson’s mothers would probably be mortified, and Emily Post, (remember her?) would be deeply saddened at such conduct. During her heyday, “According to  Emily Post” was an oft heard phrase. She represented a model of behavior that governed generations of people.

Here are some common courtesies we seem to have forgotten. Feel free to add to the list.

Handwriting thank you notes.

RSVPing to invitations (répondez, s’il vous plaît.)

Saying “Hello” instead of “Hey.”

Arriving on time.

Dressing appropriately.

Standing and greeting older people when they enter.

Here’s one that I find particularly annoying: How to be addressed properly by our server in a restaurant instead of ‘guys’ (as in, what can I get you guys?)