Mind Your Modern Manners

I know i usually do my ranty posts on a Monday but seeing as its been a long weekend and i am now officially suffering from Tuesdayitis, i reserve the right to have a rant and rave today instead.


See what i want to know is: when did people stop RSVP-ing to things? Because i'm not all that old but i remember being taught that if you want to attend an event you send a reply of " yes " and if you couldnt attend you still sent a reply of " no ". There was none of this dithering about with " maybe " ( thank you Facebook.... ) and it was considered rude to send no reply at all - and even worse, send no reply at all and then actually turn up. I know people are super-insane busy these days but when i'm trying to organise something its usually important that i know how many people are coming.

I know i had a similar whinge to this last week in regards to my school reunion ( which did not go ahead, by the way - i just could not be bothered when i was the only one trying ) but this weekend is my hens party ( yay! ) and out of the 20-odd people i invited, only 5 of them actually rsvp'd to my SIL. OK, granted that a half dozen of the non-replyees are related to me and just gave us a token " we'll be there! " but what is up with the rest of my friends? I love them all but how is my SIL supposed to arrange things when she doesnt know how many people to arrange them for?

Ditto for my wedding - i'm going to arrange the food and bevvies at my reception venue next week and as of today i'm still missing replies. That means i'm going to have chase people up and be all " So are you coming or not ? ", without sounding either too cranky or too desperate. And i cant just assume people aren't coming due to lack of response, because i risk the major faux pas of running out of food and having people hitting up Macca's on their way home from the reception ( actually, scratch that - no doubt Mick will be fanging for a cheeseburger when we leave for the night.... ).

And my rsvp's are tres cute - how could you resist them?

So what about you - is it just me or are people forgetting their manners? Or am I just having a Bridezilla moment and expecting too much?

Modern Manners

Its time again for another Blog This! challenge ( i've missed the last two or three... ). This week its:
C'mon. It's time to shout out your cause, your gripe, your mission. Get on your soapbox and talk about something that really matters to you. Something you think about but perhaps don't talk about. Start a conversation, be heard!

Ok, so those of you who read me fairly regularly know that i dont grandstand very often. I like to keep things fairly light and fluffy and only get really opinionated when something is really important to me, and to others. You know, things like:
a) breastfeeding
b) blood donation
c) leggings as pants.
Important stuff. Seeing as i've blogged about these things in the past and you should, by now, know where i stand on those issues ( breastfeeding, yes; blood donation, double yes; leggings as pants, hell no ) i thought i'd get my knickers in a twist about something new for this challenge. Or rather something old and, apparently, frequently going missing from our society - manners.

Thats right - manners. I dont want to sound old before my time, but it seems to me like manners have kind of fallen by the wayside these days. I dont just mean kids, or teenagers - i mean basic manners from everyone. My son may only be (almost ) 5 months old but i'm already saying to him " Ta Mum " when he takes something from my hand, because a simple " Ta " or " Thankyou " is about the easiest thing in the world to learn, and amongst the most courteous to use. Its pretty simple - you say " please " when your requesting something and " thankyou " when receiving it; " excuse me " when you need to verbally or physically interupt someone;don't point and dont stare, its rude; no talking on your mobile at the checkout or at dinner; and, my biggest bug bare, you hold the door open for others when you are simultaneously using a doorway.

It really gets up my nose when people forget these most simple of things. Like the guy at the supermarket this past weekend who pushed in front of Mick and I at the self serve checkout. Even when i said " um, excuse me, there is a line here ", he just looked at me and then went back to scanning his bread. Not even an insincere " Oh, sorry, didnt see you there ". That guy ? Douche.
Or the middle aged man who, despite seeing me coming with my pram, rushed through door to the carpark and went on his merry way, even though he could have ( and should have ) held the door open for me. I was taught that if you're coming up to a door way at the same time as someone else, you hold the door open for them - and i do just that, whether i'm pushing a pram or carrying my bub or am by myself, and whether the other person is a man or a woman. Its just basic manners.
Or the people who get a friendly " have a nice day " from the cashier and dont even offer a " Thanks! " in return.Is it so hard to give them a one word answer? Uh - nuh.

So, blog type people, please go out of your way today, and everyday, to use your manners. I know your parents taught them to you so hold those doors open, smile and say thankyou, and make your children say " please " instead of stamping there little feet. And if you come across someone who forgets to use their manners when dealing with you, smile ever so sweetly and wait until they're out of sight before you give them the finger. After all, its bad manners to flip the bird to someones face....