Where have all the good manners gone?
I frequently voice this lament while driving around Johannesburg (and I'm sure it's true of other cities also). Give someone a gap in the traffic and they may as well give you the middle finger because they certainly don't often seem to say thank you. Those who use turning lanes to avoid traffic queues, drive the wrong way down a one-way, oh the list is endless!
Stop at the garage for some...um...probably chocolate...and the guy next to you says to the cashier "Give me a packet of <cigarette brand>" with not a please in sight. Sometimes I just strip gears and turn to the person and ask them if they know how to say please. Needless to say this is met with a variety of replies, from bashfulness to outright hostility.
Perhaps the worst thing of all is that all too often the children are watching. Children are always watching, and that's how they learn. Is it me or do children also seem brattier than ever?
Good manners cost nothing, and speak a great deal about one's character. I implore one and all: please save them from their dying spasms. Let's all say please and thank you today.
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