Old thread revival of the day!

When I was working downtown I was following a guy through the walkway system and even though he knew I was directly behind him he would open the door as little as possible and slip though it.
He wasn't impressed when my work boot accidentally stopped the next door from opening that little bit he needed to squeeze through it causing him to run into the door frame.

OK, this actually made me snort and laugh....

My story is when I was starting middle school about a million years ago where I was called out for being polite.

My parents, a Southern Lady and a Catholic Polock father, instructed me to be polite and say "yes sir" and "yes ma'am" when I talked to my teachers. Interesting thing is that the female teachers did not blink an eye when I said yes ma'am, but the FIRST time I said yes sir to a male teacher, he got this truly annoyed face and obviously thought that I was mocking him. He asked right then and there why I was calling him "sir"...and he had this total attitude about it until I told him that my parents raised me to use those terms. It was amazing seeing his face melt and he had an "ahhh" moment and he told me I could just say OK Mr. Woodland.

From that point on I did NOT say yes sir to any more male teachers...ever.

One thing I will say for being in Tejas, adults and kids alike are very polite...they might be fake as a wooden quarter but they sure are polite.

was this guy a surgeon?

maybe a neuro-surgeon??

I always liked the term "Big hat no cattle" :eek: for some of those folks.

I also have a counter-example:

I was in this funky alternative grocery 2 dyas ago - my shoelace was untied. I'd just tied it, shoes are new, so I figured "eff it, will fix later." A woman helpfully pointed out that my shoelace was untied - I nodded or something. A few minutes later, I am behind her in the checkout line & she turns around and offers to tie it for me. I thanked her and explained the above. ..thing is from her face & hands, she had to be about 70 yrs. old.

I expect that the size of the town/city and the region of the country determine how nice or how polite people are.

I also agree with Lubey's dual comment above - people in the South are very warm and outgoing (there is even a Louisiana saying about the friendliness and want to know all about you thing) - BUT yankees are always perturbed when they discover it is just a sort of front - people are sincerely friendly but they'll still knife you in the back like everybody else (but sweetly!).

Of course, that cannot apply to his home state of Texas since it is a Western state, not a Southern state.

Last year I was walking across the parking lot at the grocery and found an elderly lady standing in the middle of the aisle staring at the handicapped zone. I asked her if she was ok and she just pointed at her car and said "how am I supposed to get in?"

Some knucklehead had squeezed his/her car in the gap between the cars in the two extra-wide handicapped spots, leaving no more than a foot between the cars on each side. Who knows how they managed to get out. It was so outrageous, that I could barely suppress my laugh. I could kick myself for not getting a photo of it.

Of course I did ask her for her keys, squeezed into her car and pulled it out for her. I wish I had more time so that I could have stuck around to see who came back out for the car. My guess is that it was probably another elderly person who didn't have all of their faculties.

I see rudeness in traffic - OMG!
Not just tailgating - that's obvious, but when I give someone a free pass, a go-ahead, I always look for some sort of acknowledgment or a "thank you" wave. I get nothing. It's our narcissistic (me first) society. Sad.

A good friend recently pointed out to me re: children from the south who speak using respectful tones/words. Still true to this day down there. She was born/raised in Arkansas.

In general, I think it is genuine. I saw lots of fake politeness in other parts of the country.

(in my best Southern drawl...)
Sir, with all due respect afforded to a man of your caliber and range, it is blatantly apparent that you are both geographically challenged and liberally leaning - both of which can be excused due to birth place rearing...and remedied with a shot of whiskey and a brisk slap upside the head. ;)

Cyclist and a car guy here. I have honked at a guy that did that to my car.

Almost got in a fight over someone sitting on my fender ! Buthole was sitting on my car on 2nd street in LB I walked up and said "hey that's a nice car your sitting on!" he said "thanks!" next thing I know he's giving me a poo sandwich!

I spent 4 months on crutches due to breaking the back of my ankle off. I travelled from SLO to San Diego on sales calls. LA I would say that 20% would open doors for me. OC about 30% same with San Diego. 90% in SLO and Bakersfield!

Tell ya whut, Glubey - I'll agree that you live in the southern part of yore Western state.

Which is east of here.

i live in the northern part of a southern state ;)

I actually find a pretty good ratio of polite people in L.A. and I'm always a bit shocked by it, even after all these years. I always hold doors for people and practice elevator etiquette, most people seem to acknowledge or thank me. I live in a building where I ride the elevator up and down everyday with a variety of different types of people from old to very young, and from various parts of the country and world.

My hat is off to Moses. If I witness someone being outright rude, they're going to get it. Whether it's a parking thing, littering in front of me, whatever...I confront. :cool:

I concur. I do a lot of business in LA and have almost never come across a less than polite person, let alone a rude one. I also think drivers out there are super around motorcyclists.

I've held doors etc. Joanna and I went out to a local burger place tonight and a 20 something girl with blue & green door tried to get around us to open the door for us.

We moved into fullerton last year from Cerritos it's much friendlier than Cerritos only 15 miles down the road.

Santa Monica area is the worst and city center next.

I watch for bikes and motorcycles and will give room.

A pack of wolves tearing snow tires into shreds kept me awake all night but this morning they were gone. Wolves can be sooo rude (I'd never step into an elevator with one).

When I was growing up my mother took me somewhere and a woman gave me something. I accepted whatever it was she gave me and was ready to walk away, my mother said "what do you say?" Well, stupid me didn't get the hint. Just missed it completely. Well my mother was embarrassed to say the least. When I got home I got my ass kicked.

As demonstrated, I don't remember much about that day but to this day I always say "please" and "thank you"

Thanks Mom!