Saturday, March 15, 2008

Talk to the Hand

It can be challenging to accept mediocrity in yourself. It can be more challenging to accept it in others. After all, we know we ourselves are only human and prone to the occasional error. But what excuse do other people have!?

Mediocrity in manners may be the one area where I struggle to find reasonable justification for its acceptance. And I'm not alone.

Lynne Truss's book "Talk to the Hand - The Utter Bloody Rudeness of Everyday Life (or six good reasons to stay home and bolt the door)" is a wonderful affirmation for all those people who have found themselves annoyed by any of the following:

  • people who can't say please and thank you (is it really that hard?)

  • people who talk too loudly in public

  • people who talk too loudly on mobile phones in public

  • people who talk on mobile phones when they are supposed to be talking to you

  • service industries that make you serve yourself (to lodge a complaint about this service, press 9)

  • people who believe the universe exists solely for them (oops, I ran over your kid, but they did get in the way of my Hummer and my life)

  • people who don't give a thank you wave in traffic, when you allow their needs to precede your own (thereby forcing you to behave in a despicable manner yourself)

  • people who don't clean up after themselves (little piggies)

  • parents who believe their children are born knowing everything they need to know about life and therefore (a) get cross with them when they don't know everything (b) fail to correct poor behaviour

  • people in general

Find out more about the utter bloody rudeness of everyday life at:

http://eatsshootsandleaves.com/talk.html


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