jlee562
I'll Lock Up
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- San Francisco, CA
These statements beg the question: In a given situation, if no one present perceives your actions or inactions as rude or ill-mannered, are they still rude or ill-mannered?
In my experience etiquette and manners only exist if they are recognized and acknowledged by another person (or persons); otherwise, they are nothing more than meaningless gestures. To be clear, I am not saying anyone should dispense with such etiquette if they feel it is proper to follow it's guidelines; merely that one should not react negatively if others do not acknowledge his/her adherence to such.
This is exactly what I am talking about. If there is no offense taken, the action is not offensive, it is only an action.
Other than citing hat etiquette, nobody can ever explain why such actions are inherently and objectively 'rude' in such a context. I would love to hear that reasoning explained...