In this fast paced world of communication, I’m beginning to question who’s making the rules for our behavior? Peggy Post might be one. She writes a Good Housekeeping column where she grinds out answers for folks who feel they need direction. The other day a woman complained about a friend who retouches her make-up at the lunch table. Peggy suggested she invite the offender to the ladies room to make repairs. (“Peggy Post on Sticky Situations,” by Peggy Post, Good Housekeeping, May 2013, pg. 177) I say the woman should order a dry martini and chill out.
I don’t hold myself up as an arbiter of rules, of course. I like to eat with my elbows on the table, for one thing. But I’d try to do better if the rules didn’t keep changing. Take the internet, for example. The other day, I was working with my web designer and used bold-type to emphasize a phrase. The designer looked aghast. “You can’t do that. Bold type is like shouting at someone.” Really? Who knew and when did that become a rule?
I tripped up again when an electronic form required my phone number. I complied by placing parenthesis marks around the area code. The computer spit it back and told me I’d written the wrong number. Besides my name, I’m pretty sure I know my phone number so I typed it again and again and again. Finally, I muttered a few choice words which brought a friend to my side. “You don’t put parenthesis around the area code anymore. People haven’t done that since the ice age,” he hissed.
Again, who knew? Did I miss the announcement in the New York Times or Wall Street Journal ? Some days, I’d like to know who’s pulling the strings.
(Courtesy of ahbehsy.blogspot.com)
