Diplomats Love (#4): Manners

Sociologically speaking, manners are the unenforced codes of conduct that show a person to be cultured, refined, kind, and polite. They are much like laws, but, and this is a very unfortunate but for The Diplomat, they can actually be ignored, transgressed, violated even, without recompense. Gasp, I know. But it’s a cruel world out there folks. The following are a list of common manner misdemeanors that irk us to no end:

• Talking whilst eating. Listen to me: no one wants to hear a word come out of your mouth, much less see food particles fall from it, while you are eating your lunch. What’s even more tacky is when people tuck what they’re chewing away in their cheek in order to say something. That is just gross. Chew your food with your mouth closed, then speak. It’s also advisable to check your teeth/floss post meal but it is never advisable to remove food from your teeth with your tongue. Nothing more diplomatic than a clean smile.
• Adjusting privates in public. I had a boss once whose husband’s nervous tick was apparently the constant rearranging of his junk whilst talking to you. Yes … I had a boss once whose husband’s nervous tick was apparently the constant rearranging of his junk whilst talking to you.
• Nextel-walkie-talkies-push-to-talk option on cell phones. Please just call the person you are talking to. No one wants to hear your private conversations on the street, trust me. You’ve already revealed the fact that you’re cheap. Plus, it makes my dog bark, a very undiplomatic thing at 3am.

That’s all for now, but more to come. In the meantime, what irks you?

Tags: Adjusting Yourself, Manners, Nextel Walkie Talkies, Talking While Eating