“The Agony of Social Etiquette”

In this day and age, the concept of decent, old-fashioned manners seems to have all but dissipated into obscurity.  These days, people will act and speak in any manner as they please and, needless to say, it is utterly infuriating!  Incidentally, one cannot even enter a bank or supermarket without being outwardly judged in a discriminatory manner. 

To illustrate, about a year ago, this young woman had a most horrific banking experience simply because she had attempted to initiate a friendly conversation with the banker.  The young woman’s incident unravels in the following form:  She went into this considerably reputable bank on a late weekday afternoon and waited in line to make a deposit.  While she was waiting, a banker initially approached her with evident enthusiasm and offered to personally assist her.  In turn, the young woman gratefully accepted the banker’s assistance.  The banker cheerfully and dutifully asked the young woman some mandatory and routine questions in regards to her banking information and after those questions have been appropriately answered, the young woman’s eyes briefly fell upon a familiar piece of document.  Apparently piqued with interest and curiosity,  the young woman casually inquired about whether the banker was also a member of another job industry.  At this point, the banker’s countenance and demeanor had abruptly changed in entirety and then the banker nastily spewed insulting questions at the greatly disconcerted and aggravated young woman.  In the end, the young woman briskly rose from her seat and stalked out of that stifling financial institution. Two hours later, the woman was still enraged from the humiliating experience until she confided in one of her best friends.  After just five minutes of absorbing her friend’s effervescent attempt of mollifying her anger, she was completely content again! 

Dining out is another form of social etiquette, but alas, contemporary patrons oftentimes find themselves in an absence of customer service!  Even the most well-mannered patron can have an extremely unpleasant dining experience because rampantly and increasingly, servers will slap dishes on tables and clerks will slam drawers of cash register in the presence of patrons!  All in all, the ultimate issue is directed towards professionalism.  Upon reflection, it is really quite bewildering when one ponders why such unfavorable social interactions tend to exist in modern society.

In contrast, in a simpler and more primitive time, American etiquette was impeccably and delicately acknowledged with grace and dignity. Interdependence was a ubiquitous concept and hard-wired into every individual unit of society.  Those golden days of socialization gave an individual a sense of acknowledgment, contentment, and above all, importance!  Alas, the innocence of those blissful social niceties is extinct, and thus, the legacy of good old-fashioned manners lives beyond the crude reality of modernism!