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You know those days that start out alright? The days that start out with you and your friends all in good moods, no one criticizing your choice of breakfast food and discovering that you aced your most recent history test after doing horribly on the one before? Only to, about halfway through the day, find it ruined by someone letting out a massive flatus? And we are talking about the kind that smell like a pair of guys gym socks after they haven't been washed for a month and a half combined with flaming fecal matter.
And just when you finally think the smell had dissipated, someone let another one rip. All of this being done repeatedly in a public place, indoors, with only moderate ventilation? Yeah, that happened yesterday, multiple times.
Which brings me to today's topic. Common courtesy.
Common courtesy or etiquette, is defined as a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group. In this case it would be admitting to such behaviour and apologizing for it. From there, if such an event must be repeated, you rise from your seat and make an effort to leave the vicinity and go outdoors to release such noxious gas. Simple, easy, and makes the atmosphere much tolerable for those of us of weaker constitutions.
Now, there are other forms of common courtesy that should be exercised but are not. For example, when someone's hand are full and you see them approach a door and you are in range to help, you should do so, at the very least open the door. Another is if you see someone on crutches struggling under a burden or with a door, you assist as well.
It is a simple thing to be courteous, and to exercise it can make life better and can improve the day of everyone involved. Thus I present to you my guide to simple courtesy.
1) If you see someone, anyone, gender matters not, struggling with a door when their hands are full, if you are physically capable of opening the door you should. If you receive such aid, you should say thank you, or some equivalent thereof (among such alternatives are merci, arigatou, thanks, gracias, grazie and danke as well as many others).
2) Little words like please and thank you, come on people this is something that you should learn in kindergarten or earlier. It's not hard.
3) When you bump into someone, apologize. On the reverse, if you are bumped into, you should also apologize and then accept said apology because you don't know for sure who really initiated the contact in the first place.
4) When you are congregating in a group, do not block public pathways. Blocking stairwells is not acceptable, neither is blocking a hallway (this is one of the worst infractions seen in high school hallways and perpetrated by high school students who are dual enrolled in college classes)
5) Blocking doorways and preventing doors from opening the whole way. Come on people, this is a FIRE HAZARD.
6) Chew with your mouth closed, this is a big one. You don't want to see me chomping my food and making the chew noises, and I don't want to see it either.
7) Do not worry about how bad news is going to effect someone, if you worry about how to tell someone bad news because of their potential reaction, tell that person first, the longer you wait, the worse the reaction is going to be, especially if you let other know because of this worry. Treat it like a band-aid, it'll suck at first, but at least you took the chance to be courteous about it.
8 ) Do not ask someone who is not associated with the medical field for an opinion on a medical issue. Just see a zarking doctor.
9) When you set rules for others to follow, you should follow them yourself, no one likes a hypocrite, look at politicians.
10) If you know someone's insecurities, don't bring them up.
11) When eating out at a restaurant, don't criticize what someone else orders.
12) When on a date, even if you have seen the movie once or twice before, don't complain about it every few minutes until the movie starts.
13) Also when on a date, don't go shopping for something to give to someone else
14) When someone says that they are not interested, they REALLY are not interested, take them at their word and be a grown-up about it.
15) When someone asks you out, and you are not interested, do not laugh in their face, do not go "Guys, so-and-so just asked me out." A simple "no" should suffice, if further explanation is required, then "I'm sorry, I'm not interested in you, I don't think we'd be compatible" should work as well.
16) If you are friends with someone, even if they seem to be upset, a polite greeting can go a long way to help. Heck a simple greeting is just courteous anyway, and you never know what sort of negative things a simple greeting can prevent.
17) Yet another one that should have been covered in kindergarten or before, don't interrupt when someone is talking.
18 ) If a relationship ended and you and your ex are still friends, don't flaunt your new relationship in front of the ex's face.
19) Promises should be kept. Don't make them if you're not sure you can keep them.
20) When keeping promises don't complain. It makes them seem like it's a burden to keep them.
21) When in a relationship and someone wants to tag along on what is supposed to be a date, for the love of God, LEARN to say NO
22) When someone's life takes a bad turn and is upset about it, DO NOT compare their life to someone who's life is worse. It makes the person upset that much worse because they feel they have to bottle further
23) Don't assume that someone was there for something that they weren't.
24) Don't tell someone that they are welcome somewhere and then two days later take it back.
25) Learn the meaning of excuse me, something else that should have been covered in kindergarten or earlier. (Also something that high schoolers have an issue with) If you ignore someone saying this multiple times, expect them to get rude.
26) Knocking before entering someone's room, office, or home, also waiting for an invitation inside.
27) If you release a flatus, apologize and try to go outside the next time. As stated above.
28 ) Don't say "Be glad you weren't there" and leave it at that, go into detail about it as to why.
29) If you feel someone isn't interested in going to an event, invite them anyway, give them the chance of refusal
30) When viewing something in a public venue, be respectful to your fellow viewers.
Finally (for now at least), the golden rule should typically apply. "Treat others the way you wish to be treated" Meaning the more courteous you are, the more likely you are to receive such courtesy yourself.
Seira Phim · Sat Oct 23, 2010 @ 07:47am · 0 Comments |
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