Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So I guess you have to *gasp* grow up in a protective bubble to be polite??
I don't think that "telling it like it is" and politeness have to be seperated? Is it so hard to be polite while disagreeing or stating your opinion. Yes I know there are many whackos out there on the internet that put on all kinds of facades but there are good people on there too? You don't know who is who so does that mean you should be jaded and skeptical of everyone or should you try to be polite to everyone especially the ones that seem sincere??
It sounds like you equate politeness with naivete. I equate politeness with a strength of character.
I taught my children to say "Sir" and "Ma'am" to every adult they meet. It costs nothing, one syllable. Courtesy does not equate to being a doormat, anymore than kindness indicates a pushover. If a word costs you nothing, and it indicates an idea that age requires a certain amount of respect, why not utilize the word whenever possible? Respect for one's elders has been a watchword in most civilized societies. Is it right that it should fail due to a lazy attitude, or worse, a possibility it might cause you to feel demeaned?
Opening a door and holding it for someone might cost you 10 seconds. Letting the person get in the lane in front of you might cost a red light's wait (maybe). Please and thank you are an indication of proper raising, and not an indication of class. With the loss of courtesy, they might be perceived as such. It shouldn't be that way.
As life in the US becomes ever more frenetic, people seem to lose the sense of courtesy that was a watchword for children for 200 years in this nation. Noblesse oblige means letting the other guy feel good, without making a big thing over it. It means that we should be polite to our lessers, as well as betters and equals. It also means we shouldn't have to notice it either.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
