What happened to home training? Cellphones ring in movie theaters, churches and at funerals. People shout over live music in jazz clubs. They excuse themselves to go to the rest-room five times during a play.
Obsessed talkers need posted signs to remind them to get off the phone before conducting business.
Ministers feel it, too, saying some have lost all decorum in church. Between arriving late and leaving early, they sip from water bottles and read newspapers during service.
These days, there’s no telling who will forget their manners or what they will do.
Etiquette experts say they are embarrassed.
“I personally don’t think people have forgotten their manners,” says Gloria Starr, an image and etiquette coach based in Charlotte, N.C. “I think they don’t know.”
We’ve developed a scary culture of “me-ism,” punctuated by people who don’t care how their behavior affects others, says Peter Post, director of the Emily Post Institute.
Post’s overall rule for appropriate behavior is simple: “If it’s going to negatively affect people around you, don’t do it.”
If you’re still unsure of how to act in a particular situation, Starr suggests taking etiquette courses, reading etiquette books or Googling for etiquette tips.
“Watch some old movies where people showed grace and etiquette at the dining table,” she says.
