BAD MANNERS STINK
At the risk of ageing myself about 40 years in one sentence, I really need to ask a question. It’s OK, I’m not going to start using phrases like “Back in my day…” or “When I was a young chap…”. I’ll leave that to my dad.
But what happened to good oldfashioned manners? Not the outdated stuff like greeting your friends with a bow or curtsy. I’m talking about normal, everyday respect and consideration for your fellow human being.
Last weekend, my friend and I decided the perfect way to cap off a relaxing Sunday of brunching and beaching was with a trip to the movies. We settled into our seats and prepared to laugh the afternoon away at the onscreen antics of Girl Trip. We didn’t laugh that much and we’d both recommend you give it a miss, but that’s slightly off topic.
What made this particular trip to the multiplex even more uncomfortable than dumb jokes and bad acting, was the rather unpleasant smell that hovered in the air. I first noticed it about five minutes in. Thinking it was just a really, really bad batch of popcorn I tried to focus on the screen and forget about it. But the stench remained and it seemed to be coming from nearby.
When I turned to investigate, the source of the odour became clear. The “gentleman” in the row behind us had removed his sneakers and gracefully slipped his feet through the gap in the seats and on to the armrest about a metre from my unfortunately high- functioning nose.
Luckily for me and my schnoz there was some relief. Every now and then he’d kindly pull his feet back to his side of the barricade, saving us from his podiatry pong. Instead he’d just lean over the seat, with his rattling, snore- like breathing broken only by loud chip munching.
Unfortunately stuff like this is far too common to be written off as just an unlucky seating choice. How many times have you encountered people chatting through a movie, someone receiving constant text message alerts, or illuminating the cinema with the light from their phone screen? I can’t think of one comedy gig I’ve been to locally that hasn’t been disrupted by annoying hecklers who derail the flow of the show over and over again.
But it’s not just in the anonymous safety of a dark theatre. Out on the roads people are apparently so desperate to get home for what I can only assume is a Netflix binge that they’re cutting everyone off, or beeping furiously at the car in front of them to go a millisecond after the light turns green.
When did we stop caring about our effect on the people around us? The more we ignore and excuse rude behaviour, the more accepted and expected it will become. We’re always going on about how “young people today have no respect”, but the truth is we could all use a crash course in common courtesy, because at the moment it’s a little on the nose.