Friday, September 11, 2009

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Is it just me or are people in general a lot less respectful of everything and everyone these days? Last night I was watching the BBC version of Persuasion. Ok, granted it is a Jane Austen novel so not exactly historically accurate, but still, once upon a time people had spoken politely to each other even when they would rather punch each other in the face. I actually kind of like that they addressed each other as Mr., Mrs., Sir, Lady, Captain, etc. I actually have friends that insist that their children address all of the adults they encounter as Mr. and Mrs. I have always been less fromal about that sort of thing but now I am starting to rethink my approach. By teaching our kids to speak respectfully maybe it will rub off on their behavior and maybe even their friends' behavior...or maybe not.
So what brought this up? The congressman who yelled at the President of the United States in the middle of his televized speech. Seriously? Did his mother never teach him 1) it is rude to call people names and 2) it is rude to interrupt when someone else is talking?! You would think that a man who holds a public office would at least have some concept of manners. I guess maybe I am old fashioned.

4 comments:

Brad, Adrienne, McKenna, Bryn, and Lauren said...

I agree! very rude. I don't care if you agree or not with what the President was saying, it was very rude and uncalled for.

International Tease said...

Having lived in DC for a while now, I'm fairly certain many people have tragically managed to pass their adulthood without exercising good manners. That said, I do remember as a child being completely opposed to calling people Mr. or Mrs. when they all called me by my first name. Ah, well--perhaps I belong in Washington!

Steph said...

I really liked that version of Persuasion even though I did think it was kind of weird that the characters would stare at the screen. That last kiss was out of control. And about rudeness...I was talking to a friend about this the other day. Being nice gets you so much farther in life than being rude. It also makes you happier. I guess we all need a good reminder every now and again.

Generational stitcher said...

My kids can count on 1 hand the adults they are allowed to call by their first name. They use ma'am and sir too. Growing up in the south and then coming here was total culture shock...it's never ceases to amaze me how rude people can be.