5 things that were once considered bad manners but are now commonplace
With incredible technological advances, medical breakthroughs and scientific innovation, the world in many ways has become a much better place. But has it come at a cost? It seems the pay-off is a ruder and much more inconsiderate society. These are just five bad behaviours that were considered the height of rudeness in the past which are now so common that they are even considered acceptable.
Cancelling last minute
The non-confrontational ease of cancelling with a simple text message or an email has given some people the assumption that it’s ok to cancel or turn up late to a meeting, a coffee date or a dinner party.
Paying more attention to your phone than the person in front of you
Back in the day when you had a conversation with a person, you looked at them, listened thoughtfully while they were speaking and then replied, expecting the same sort of consideration back. Not anymore. It seems normal, even expected that people will constantly be checking their phones through conversations.
Contacting someone past 9pm
It was common knowledge that calling someone late at night was rude. You knew it would be bothersome and annoying to intrude on someone’s personal – or even family – time. But now with so many different forms of passive communication it is now acceptable to text and call (after all, you can leave a voicemail if they don’t pick up) to contact someone at all hours of the day. It’s now what’s convenient for the sender, not what’s the polite thing to do.
Loud and private conversations in public
The prolific use of mobile phones means that we can now talk on the go and for some people that means having loud conversations in public where no topic is off limits. People seem to forget they are in public places and with that it should come with a certain amount of mutual respect.
Letting children misbehave
This isn’t about the poor parent grocery shopping with three children when the youngest decides to throw the loudest tantrum because the parents won’t buy a treat. Children misbehave despite the best parenting efforts. It’s the parents who are too engaged in their own conversation to discipline children as they run amok, scream and yell, break things and disturb other patrons in public places.
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