Manners and Common Decency

Where have all the well mannered men gone?

Call me old fashioned but at the grand old age of 30, the manners drilled into me as a young boy have stuck with me. It what defines me as an individual but of late the manners I possess have not been received as well as I would like by my peers, although they do not say anything out loud, it has to be said that in some circumstances when I show my manners they look a little confused and almost seem to be a bit put out by it. For example last night in a bar I stood up from my seat when a woman walked into the room and I stood to shake her hand and greet her. I could almost feel the darting eyes from not only my peers but the rest of the bar; 'he didn't just stand up for her did he?'

What gets on my wick the most are those men who fail to allow a woman through a door first or at least hold the door open for someone who is approaching. How about answering or fiddling about with a phone on a date? Eating and speaking with your mouth full, not looking at someone when you are speaking to them or the most incredulous - text speaking! 

Who is responsible for the decline in attitudes towards being graceful and well mannered? The obvious answer is TV and culture - or behaving how our friends behave because it is cool and its easier to blend in than to stick out.

Come on people we aren't at school anymore - we are grown (and I use this term loosely) mature adults. We shouldn't be trying to fit into a group of people by changing ourselves just to be a part of the herd. 

Whilst tapping this blog out in Starbucks I have noticed a young mother with a boy in her arm - she dropped her change and no one helped her pick up her coins. 

We are all zombies.

Everyone is way too busy and self obsessed and that's a shame. 

You know what makes a city great? It's not the history, the buildings or the culture but its the people within it - that's what makes a city great and right now I can't see that being associated with London.