Between our technological advances that have made it almost impossible to find someone without a phone in their hand, and feminist movements that have liberated women to empower themselves to fight to be treated the same as men, a lot of etiquette that was once considered proper is overlooked today.
Here are 17 good manners no one seems to have anymore.
It used to be a standard for men to take off their hats when they walked indoors. Nowadays, however, any indoor place you go to, you are likely to see a man in a baseball cap.
A lot of people think chivalry is dead, so many women find themselves pleasantly surprised when their date opens their car door for them. Though this used to be a given decades ago, and is still appreciated today, not many people get bent out of shape if their door isn't opened for them. Some women even demand that they are fully capable of opening their own door.
In this age of technology, sending a handwritten thank you card isn't as popular as it once was. Whether it is for a gift, a job interview, or some other reason, thanking someone can usually be done via text, phone, or email.
You used to let women out first or at least hold the door for the next person behind you. As anyone who commutes in a busy city via the subway can tell you, when the doors open at a stop, especially during rush hour, you won't see men waiting until all the women exit first. Now, the general rule of thumb is simply to make sure everyone gets off first before the new passengers get on.
Giving up your subway seat to a senior citizen or pregnant woman should always be a given. Unfortunately, it's not always the case. From my experience, part of the problem with people not offering their seats when they should is because they are too immersed in their cellphones to take inventory of their surroundings.
Many women make it a point to sit with their ankles crossed because crossing them at the knees can supposedly cause unwanted spider veins. But the polite thing for women to do while sitting used to always be to cross at the ankles.
Our society has become far too obsessed with their smartphones and gadgets to go so far as completely powering them off when they are at dinner or seeing a show. It seems the unspoken agreement is that "powering off" really means "making damn sure it is on silent."
In the past, it was considered to be in poor taste to discuss money or ask people how much they are making. But now people seem to be more transparent and willing to discuss their salaries and financial issues. Most family issues were kept within the family.
It used to be that men were to hold the door open for women. But now women are holding doors open for men, children are holding doors open for adults basically, if you are entering or exiting a place, and there is someone nearby, you should hold it open. But, again, many people are too caught up in their own hustle to waste precious time standing there and letting other people in before them especially if that person is still 100 feet away.
Few things can be more frustrating to women than walking into a unisex bathroom only to see the toilet seat still up. If you are a man with female roommates, or are using a public bathroom shared with the opposite sex, the polite thing to do is to put the seat down once you have finished your business.
While it used to be implied that a man would pay the entire bill during a date, now more women are offering to split, or even pay the bill in full. Typically, whoever asked to have the date should be the one paying.
There was once a time when asking for gifts, even for your wedding, was considered impolite and presumptuous. But now it is extremely rare to open a wedding invitation that doesn't list where people can find the registry.
There are some people today who have never heard of this polite gesture, but when walking on a sidewalk with a woman, it used to be considered proper etiquette for the man to walk on the side closest to the street.
There are few things ruder than laying on your car's horn to signal your arrival. The polite thing to do when picking someone up has always been to get out of your car, trek up the walkway, and knock like a civilized human being. But nowadays, people seem to opt for sending them a text to announce their arrival.
While some people still make it a point to keep their elbows off the table during dinner, it seems to be less important than it once was. Many people don't seem to think twice about it, especially if they are engaging in casual conversation with friends.
Unless you are living the real-life version of "Desperate Housewives," you probably don't live in a neighborhood where people bring their new neighbors baked goods. In this day and age, simply making eye contact and smiling at people who live on your street or in your apartment building is polite enough.
Back in the day, if you wanted to organize an event properly, you'd have to send invitations to your guests through the mail or by personally delivering invitations to their doorsteps.
It's so much easier, and faster, to send an informal text or e-mail to the invite list. But getting a Facebook Invite or a text is tacky in lieu of an actual invitation.
