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Florida, United States
Southern born, Southern reared. It's a quirky place and we are unique folk... These are my people and these are my stories.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Monday's Musing on All Things Southern

Rude. Pure and simple.

Here's a line you'll hear in the South: Your mama done raised you right.

I've been traveling a lot lately. In one airport, out one plane. Back in another. Rolling my clothes so everything will fit in my luggage. Filing through TSA lines like cattle to the slaughter. Sleeping with my head against tiny windows above the clouds. Listening to children crying and giggling and adults chatting and hacking and all of us in quarters too small.

I was in O'Hare yesterday. Lots and lots of people in O'Hare. Coming and going. I watched them for six straight hours. I walked pretty much all over the airport in that period of time and here's what I noticed: there are too few gallant men out there these days.

Example: I'm walking up to the tram at the same time as this man. He's not young-young. But he is younger than me. I'm assuming he'll step back and allow me to get on first.

Wrong. Like there wasn't going to be enough room on the thing!

Now, if this were the only example of this kind of rude behavior, I wouldn't bother to mention it. But, it's not. It's seriously becoming an epidemic.

Their mamas didn't raise them right!

6 comments:

  1. Can't just blame the mamas. Women's lib had a lot to do with it! Glad you made it home safely!

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  2. It seems that courtesy is a thing of the past. It begins at home. And yes, I agree with Bea. When we stopped allowing men to be courteous, we thought we were being independent but we were really encouraging men to be disrespectful. Courtesy is honoring one another. Now it seems to be everyone for himself. It's sad. I wonder if we will be able to bring back the simple acts of kindness that we took for granted?

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  3. Well now. I have to say good manners are just that, good manners. Home training during those formative years helps more than we know. We can't assume they are just picking it up. But I think I have noticed too that it's a bit of a cultural thing, to some extent. I know down here in Georgia, for the most part, men young and old step back to let the ladies go first. We also greet each other and smile a hello even when we don't know each other. That doesn't happen so often in places, shall I say, "up north", like New York City, and places "out west", like San Diego, and in France the people think you just might be an idiot if you are smiling or acknowledging the presence of another living soul. Ah, sigh, sigh. Mamas, out there, teach your children some manners.

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  4. My 19 year old son said that it is so rare for a young man to open the door for a young lady that when he does, the girl automatically thinks he has a crush on her. I heard a very kind man once say that good manners aren't a bunch of rules, but rather showing preference to another. If you think about it that works. Sorry our city didn't show you the honor you deserve. :{

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  5. I just read Waiting for Sunrise and I must say it's one of the best books I've read in a long time. I had to leave the bedroom where my husband was sleeping so I could cry freely without disturbing him! It touched me on so many levels. Thank you for writing such a beautiful story. I love your writing style as well. I cannot wait for the next one in the series!!! I even checked out Cedar Key on Google maps and it looks beautiful.

    Love, Missy
    Christian Artist
    missygainer.com

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