Rude and Inconsiderate People Suck - Top Public Etiquette Faux Pas’s

Top Three Public Etiquette Annoyances

1. If I’m walking out of a store and passing through the front door and you’re headed into the store, and I hold the door for you, say “Thanks”.
2. If I’m waiting in line and you need to get past me and you walk directly in front of me, say “Excuse me”.
3. If you’re waiting on a side street trying to get into the main flow of traffic and I stop and let you go, give me a little hand wave to say “thanks”.

Every morning, I drive a couple of blocks from my house to go to a Dunkin Donuts to grab a cup of coffee and all three of these things will usually happen. It’s on a main street in my downtown, and so there’s always slow-moving traffic in front of the coffee shop and there’s usually a line of cars trying to get back onto the main street I’m on. Since the traffic is moving slowly, I usually pause and let a car in. Invariably, they’ll just pull onto the main street without any acknowledgment. They won’t say ‘thanks’ or give me a perfunctory wave or anything, as if it was their god-given right to get in.

I’ll then park and begin to walk into the coffee shop and there will be a person also walking in a few yards behind me. I’ll pause after I open the door and hold it open for the person behind me. Invariably, they won’t acknowledge the fact that I waited and held the door open for them. Again, they act as if they expect the door to be hed for them.

Then I’ll be waiting in the long line and someone will need to get across the shop to get to another line or leave and instead of going behind the line to get to where they’re going, they’ll walk right in front of me, causing me to have to back up a bit, and they won’t say “excuse me”.

Rude and Inconsiderate People Suck

The people who do these things are assholes. They are ignorant and rude and mean people suck.

Were people never taught politeness? Was my mom the only mother on Earth who taught etiquette?

If you’re waiting to get into the main flow of traffic, and someone is nice enough to let you in, for god’s sake, give them a little wave of thanks, will you? Is it that hard? Are you that much of a douche bag that you can’t even acknowledge the person’s niceness? They didn’t need to let you in, so since they did, return the favor by acknowledging their consideration.

If someone is nice enough to hold the door open for you, be a human being and say “thanks”. It doesn’t take any effort at all and it’s the right thing to do. Don’t take people’s kindness for granted.

And if you cross directly in front of a person who is standing in place somewhere, say “excuse me”. Again, it takes no effort and it’s the right thing to do. The world doesn’t revolve around you. No one needs to hold the door open for you, or leave you space to pass in front of them , or let you in the line of traffic. So if they do, don’t be an asshole - acknowledge their kindness. When I don’t get a ‘thanks’, it makes me less motivated to do it again for someone else the next time. I start to think that all people suck.

I predict that if more and more people fail to be polite, we’ll eventually get to the point where no one will ever hold doors open for people or let people in their line of traffic. Let’s not let it get to that point. Don’t be a mean and inconsiderate person who sucks. Don’t be an asshole.

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