One Clear Dot

Does anyone say “Excuse Me” anymore?

I loathe shopping. Wait, let me qualify that. I loathe shopping in real stores. Online shopping is fun and I do it often. What I hate is having to share space with hundreds of rude people all trying to crawl around one another in order to have the privilege of spending our money.

I have noticed a new trend in public interaction. People – young and old, local and tourist, educated and not – are tossing “excuse me” out the window. When someone wants to get in front of me at a store, or slide past me at a shelf, or squeeze into a tiny spot between me and the person standing next to me they just sidle sideways and push. Sometimes they grunt or act put upon. But rare, and sometimes not at all in any given day, do they people utter even a quick “excuse me”.

I have no patience for those without manners. I do not care if you are an annoying teenager or a seemingly sweet old lady, if you do not say “excuse me” while jockeying for positioning pubic, I am not going to budge. In fact, I may even push back a little.

Posted on November 2nd, 2007 by onecleardot
Filed under: The Way People Think