g0t manners?

[Tha-Flash]

The post before, about people not saying thanks... this reminds me of many times when I'm out and people just don't use their manners.

Why is this, is it because they're shy or just to lazy to say a word? It doesn't cost a thing.

MOST people will say thanks if you hold a door open for them or let them past. I will hold a door open for ANY person, but from my experience I have never had one Muslim female say thank you or anything? Is there any reason for this?

If you do a stranger a small favour like holding the door open and they don't even thank you, what do you usually say back to them, or do you not say anything?

I just feel passive if I don't say anything back, but I wouldn't ever be aggressive.

[lankeela]

I say 'thank you is the phrase you are obviously searching for'

What I hate is when I serve kids and they don't say a word, just thrust the money at you and snatch the change. I always say 'that will be �??? please sir (or young lady) and tell them to wait for their change if there is any. I then make a big thing of saying thank you very much. Goodbye. Occasionally you get a well mannered one who says thank you, and I always say you're very welcome. If they say nothing, I say, 'its been a pleasure doing business with you'.

[horselady]

I may be totally wrong here and if so, I apologise, but I think that Muslim women are not supposed to speak to men (I am assuming you are a man)

I agree that people should always thank someone for holding doors open etc. you feel an idiot standing there while loads of people charge through without a word.

[andy-hughes]

Manners are learned. If your parents learned common courtesy, chances are they will pass it on to you, and if not, then not. So when people appear to be ignorant, they are blissfully unaware that they are causing any offence.

When Mr. Blair mumbles on about 'respect', this would be a very good place to start. Courtesy is a mark of respect, and vice versa.

[annavc]

More an observation than anything else but regarding the manners of the young in this country. I've recently spent a lot of time in France and have been struck by how polite the French kids are. Almost without exception as you're walking down the street (admittedly in a fairly small town, it may not be the case in cities), youngsters will smile and say "Bonjour Madame, Bonjour Monsieur". It's really taken me by surprise and made me even more aware of the lack of manners in this country. I think you're more likely to get sworn at by kids here!

[leandrews]

I'm currently living in Germany, and most people here seem to have a very skewed idea of acceptable behaviour.

Whenever I get bumped into whist walking along,most people never turn around or even acknowledge that they've even seen you. And 75% of shop assistants put the change on the counter and not in your hand.

Getting off a train is nigh on impossible as everyone crowds around to get in, and Lord help if you've got a heavy bag, because you won't receive any help with it.

But I try to spread my good manners on. I hold doors open for people and they look at me like I'm mad. I was holding one open for a woman with a pushchair, and she wouldn't let me hold the door open, thinking I was going to drop it on her on purpose.

The nutters.

[Mr Songman]

Good manners sometimes means simply putting up with other people's bad manners.
H. Jackson Browne

Children are natural mimics; they act like their parents in spite of every effort to teach them good manners.
Author Unknown

And as my dear Mother used to say " Manners are the happy way of doing things!"

[xanderma]

I just say "Don't mention it" as if they had thanked me.

Hull (my nearest city) is known as a friendly city, but its people are not well-mannered, in my experience.

Any other cities or towns you'd call ill-mannered? Or anywhere you feel is particularly polite?

[Tha-Flash]

Great answers people, THANK YOU :P

I was talking with my teacher about this today and she said she gets annoyed because when she's walking her dog down the side where the canal is, she'll move to the side and get the dog to come to the side but if someone comes past on a bike and she lets them through, they will sometimes just not say anything.

I think the manners learned from parents is the main reason why people don't have them.

I thought Germany was supposed to be a more well mannered place than England, I saw some program on TV about it.

What I've also noticed is that alot of old people don't say thanks. The people who mostly use their manners (in my experience) are people from their late teens to mid 20s, mostly females.

Interesting posts people, keep em coming :)