Gifts December 27, 2008
Posted by A in Random, Society, Western Civilization, manners.Tags: gift-giving, gifts, manners, Society
2 comments
Every once in a while I read or hear about avaricious children. They rip into their beautifully gift-wrapped packages, displaying the gift to everyone around, focusing on the “thing”.
The culture in which I grew up does not handle gifts like that at all. Sure, gifts are given, but they are not opened with others around. If you’re a kid, you open them with your parents (and maybe grandparents, if you live together with them) and that’s it.
There are a few reasons that gifts aren’t open in front of other party guests.
One reason is that the person’s presence is enough of a gift and you should be thankfull for spending the day with those you love. It would be considered the height of rudeness to open gifts when the guests are still at the party.
The other reason is that it could embarass some of the guests. What if someone isn’t as well-off as others at the party? People might feel self-consious. Again, it’s the duty of the party host to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable. And if the gift recipient is a child, it’s the parents’ responsibility to make the guests feel comfortable and welcome.
Manners – revisited June 24, 2008
Posted by A in Life, My Favorite Links, Random, Society, manners.Tags: chewing gum, manners, politeness, work-appropriate behavior
add a comment
Last week I was observing a vendor demonstration at work. The vendor sent somewhere between 3 to 5 people for the demo (I don’t remember exactly how many). The one thing I do remember has absolutely nothing to do with the company I work for and it has nothing to do with the product that was demonstrated. What it does have to with is one of the presenters.
The woman chewed gum like there was no tomorrow. She was chewing so vigorously that at first I thought she was finishing up her breakfast. But that was not the case since she continued to do chew for the next 2 hours with the same fervor. When she was chugging her water (yes, chugging), I was hoping she’d swallow the gum, but no such luck. It was absolutely, horrifyingly disgusting.
I was not the only one who noticed it. Other observers mentioned it a few times during the wrap-up. The woman was old enough to know better, to have better manners, and to know better business professional/appropriate behavior.
The Bus June 15, 2008
Posted by A in Society.Tags: bus, manners, morning commute, Society
3 comments
I take the bus to work. I don’t like it. As a matter of fact, I really dislike it. There are numerous times that the bus picks us up, but the one that makes it downtown by around 8 AM is the one that’s always full. And by “full”, I mean there are usually 5-10 people standing because all the seats are taken.
There are usually a handful of women in that bunch who are standing. I noticed that there are plenty of men who remain sitting while women stand. And no, it doesn’t mean that the woman can’t stand. I’m just making an observation about culture. I was raised with the understanding that men give up seats to women, younger people give up seats to older people, able-bodied to the not so able-bodied, etc. However, I noticed that only one gentleman (yes, gentleman) consistently gives up his seat to a woman. Another thing I noticed about him is that he appears to be from a different culture and looks to be in his 40’s. But that’s all based on appearance. I have never talked to him, so I don’t really know.
Yes, women can stand just as much as men can. The point I’m trying to make is that there seems to be an erosion of decency and manners.
