Do you remember the TV ad that depicted a man walking down a crowded street in Manhattan? As might be expected in the noonday rush, he bumped into another New Yorker, and excused himself, whereupon the crowd excitedly pointed at him. "Get him, get him!" the mob yelled. Shades of Donald Sutherland at the conclusion of the classic movie remake
Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
In reality, New Yorkers are as courteous and friendly as people generally are everywhere, but the ill-mannered stereotype worked well in this tongue-and-cheek advertisement.
Folks say common courtesy is a thing of the past. Perhaps so, but it's interesting that most people inexplicably go out of their way to hold doors open for strangers. On the other hand, I'm willing to bet that some of these same overly considerate door holders are the same people who eagerly flip the proverbial bird and hurl unrepeatable epithets at other automobile drivers. Respect is a function of time and place, I suppose.
One of these places is Japan's Yokohama subway, where city fathers have approved a manners patrol. These officers, officially dubbed the Smile-Manner Squadron, make sure subway car seats that are occupied by healthy young people are immediately offered to older passengers or the infirm.
The Smile-Manner Squadron officers have no legal authority and they can't hand out tickets for seating infractions, but the Yokohama courtesy edict is enforced by their presence alone. Smile-Manner Squadron members wear bright green uniforms, too, so there's no mistaking their identity or purpose. Interestingly enough, bodyguards tag along with the etiquette squadron people, presumably to thwart outbursts from unwilling passengers.
Regardless of the potential for that brand of misfortune, for other reasons not everyone is sanguine about the courtesy police's role. Psychologist Taizo Kato at Waseda University says the Smile-Manner Squadron signals the collapse of the Japanese mentality of courtesy. "The squadron shows citizens aren't aware of basic human manners anymore," he says.
How many courtesy infractions can you think of? Have you ever had a guest at your dinner table answer a cellphone during supper? I remember the days when you were expected to ask your host if you could use their telephone. Speaking of cellphones, how do you feel about users loudly gabbing in public places that would otherwise be silent? What about cellphones with garish overly loud music that blares in inappropriate places? How about iPod users whose earphones leak crackly audio? How about people who use gutter language in daily discourse?
Can you think of other infractions? What’s your personal pet peeve? Tell us about your observations about courtesy. Write me at
amm at en-genius dot net, or post your comments on our blog.
