You can't create the stuff out of thin air, folks. Sorry.

It wouldn't be out of thin air though. Ma'am, Sir, and Miss are pretty deeply ingrained in the culture. They're just (rediculously, I agree) legally mandating manners.

I remember teachers thinking me horribly rude before I caught on.

Teacher asked me some question.

"yes"

"yes WHAT?"

"um... yes... Mrs. Williams?"

"Yes MA'AM!"

That was a rough year. She and the principal thought I was horribly brought up because my Mother didn't paddle me and wouldn't let them either.

You can legally mandate certain manners. For example, almost everyone pulls right over for ambulances here in LA, because they will get a ticket if they don't. I was shocked when I moved here from NYC to see how quick motorists were to respond to emergency vehicles.

Deciding WHICH manners to legislate and enforce--there's the rub.

That was a rough year. She and the principal thought I was horribly brought up because my Mother didn't paddle me and wouldn't let them either.

You should write to them and assure them you've since made up the shortfall voluntarily.

And there is nothing like an impromptu boring journalism lesson

I kinda liked the j-talk. Which not surprising since it was my major, but still. Ledes and nut grafs and -30-...

I loved the article on Mr. H's bar and am still wishing that we'd been able to make it there in May.

Laura, I hope your MiL takes good care of herself now.

Kristin, I finally upgraded my phone (Soooo easy, I took it in for them to troubleshoot and try to fix and then make me send it back to Verizon and wait for a new one. And the guy said, "Handset bad?" "Well, that is what the woman on the customer service line thought but she ... Are you just replacing it? Thanks.") so next time I make it in to work, the dragon wearing my glasses shall be photographed. Along with random shots of my day cause I pick up my phone and hit the side button and insta-pic.

Um, to sum up, dragon in glasses picture to come and I forgot everything I learned in j-school on how to write effectively.

I just remember how little respect my teachers got from the state. Like, it was more important for them to have "flair" in their classrooms than what they actually taught.

Also, "yes" was a perfectly valid answer, "yeah" was not.

Also, "yes" was a perfectly valid answer, "yeah" was not.

How about "I like the cut of your gibberish, Ma'am"?

You can legally mandate certain manners. For example, almost everyone pulls right over for ambulances here in LA, because they will get a ticket if they don't. I was shocked when I moved here from NYC to see how quick motorists were to respond to emergency vehicles.

See, for me, that's more along the lines of not interfering with emergency services than manners.

ETA: Pulling over for a funeral procession may be a more apt example of motoring manners.

For example, almost everyone pulls right over for ambulances here in LA, because they will get a ticket if they don't. I was shocked when I moved here from NYC to see how quick motorists were to respond to emergency vehicles.

I've always assumed that was a matter of logistics in NYC -- it's sometimes impossible to hear just where the siren is and really hard to pull over once you do. I know in the Jersey 'burbs where I was raised we always pull over.

You should write to them and assure them you've since made up the shortfall voluntarily.

BWAH!

It's funny, actually. My Grandmother went on to teach in that school system for 25 years. She and that principal NEVER got along (apparently she was a witch in general), and G-ma always made a point of bragging loudly in her hearing whenever I got an award or something. Too bad Gramma is retired now, I'm sure she'd be happy to pass along the news... "Oh yes, Trudy is SUCH a kinkmeister now..."

Also, "yes" was a perfectly valid answer, "yeah" was not.

That was often the case up North as well.

FTR, I loved living down there in lots and lots of ways. I just happened to have a particularly evil teacher that year.

Dude, grade school is a freaky ass place where just as you're trying to figure out who you are, seperate from your family and parents, you're being alternately slammed and praised for your precociousness, which pretty much goes hand in hand with the whole "CONFORM, but be well above average!" thing- all very confusing. And I went to a pretty progressive school.

I appreciate manners, and I think they're a lovely way to set boundaries and be respectful of people you don't know. If manners ruled the world, I think, it would be a much nicer place. But I also think respecting someone is just something you do, not something you can make people do.