Results tagged “manners” from Birmingham Mail - Is It Just Me

Anyone else think that the concept of manners seems to have been abandoned these days?

Yesterday I was driving along, minding my own business, when I came across a woman blocking my lane who had driven out of a side road to turn right. It wasn't a particularly crowded road but she obviously didn't do waiting.

She was of a type, just a bit too blonde to be real, with too-even tan, glints of gold and sun glasses - even though it was raining at the time. Having held me up for about 20 seconds - spurning several longish gaps in traffic - she finally moved and was there even the merest wave or acknowledgement of her actions, holding up traffic? Don't be silly, in any case it would have been dangerous to wave as she was on a mobile phone at the time. She just drove off.

The same journey I let a bloke in from a side road and again no recognition of the courtesy afforded, a courtesy which I am sure many people like me will soon consider withdrawing.

Then this morning as I left the newsagent's a youth, on his way to Arthur Terry school, was heading for the door, hands in pockets, so I held it open for him. He never even took a hand from his pocket to take the door off me, just walked past without even eye contact, let alone thanks or an acknowledgement.

Doesn't give us a lot of hope as a nation does it?