In the 1990s, a show called Full House kept kids like me entertained in the afternoons. Each 30-minute episode involved some caper that taught a life-skill or moral lesson.
My favorite character was the middle child, Stephanie, because of her direct commentary on the world around her. A regular observation was "how rude" - usually in response to someone's action (or inaction) that caused her to feel left out, overlooked, or tromped on.
In honor of Stephanie, and her no-nonsense approach to surveying her surroundings, I offer the following courtesy requests:
On elevators ... We are all in a hurry. Few, if any, people enter an elevator without a specific end-point in mind. This does not relieve you of some responsibility to 1) identify whether the elevator you enter is going in a direction the coincides with your needs before entering it, 2) diligently try to not step on people as you enter or exit the box, 3) pretend to be aware of some level of personal space within the box - your personal space includes a bubble around any bag(s) or child(ren) you may be carrying, and 4) when you exit, refrain from gabbing about other passengers' smell, attire, or personal life ... at least until you are out of their hearing.
On hallways ... generally speaking, many people apply road-rules to hall travel. Walk on the right. Give some indication that you are stopping (such as slowing down) before halting abruptly in a crowded thoroughfare. Move out of the way if you need to take a call, talk with a person, address a map or guide, or ponder the issues of the world.
On interactions ... It is not appropriate to be sugar-sweet to everyone all the time - especially if its fake. It's bizarre to interact with someone who is ridiculously sweet one day, and a monster the next. Even if your "average" is a little more 'monster' than you'd like, at least try to be consistent.
All I want to say with this brief look at common courtesy is that, amazingly, small tweaks in behavior create spans of difference in the receiver's perceptions and response. It is usually just as easy to be kind, or minimally considerate, as it is to be harsh.
If you've got more instances of "how rude" moments, or anything else you'd like to share, leave a comment :)
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