PHONE MANNERS  

            

            To put it simply, why is it that so many people have none? Since the invention of the telephone, the rules have been thus: the caller identifies himself, and then politely requests the person to whom he wishes to speak.

From what I have observed, the same people who are careless about looking up numbers and dialing (and therefore account for the wrong numbers) are the very same people whose manners are atrocious (do we sense a pattern here?).

 

The typical wrong number today proceeds as follows:

“Hello?” (the person called)

“Hello?” (the ignorant caller)

“Well??”

“Huh??”

“Speak up; what do you want?” (exasperated by now)

“Who are you?”

“You must identify yourself! You called me!” (affronted)

 

Now, this is how it is supposed to go:

“Hello?”
            “Hi, this is John Smith. Is James Jones there, please?”

“No, you have the wrong number.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to disturb you.”

“That’s quite all right. Good-bye.”

“Good-bye.”

 

            Now, is that so difficult? Is this lack of manners just plain laziness, or is it yet more evidence that today’s parents have abdicated, and have failed to teach even the most rudimentary social skills needed in a civilized society? It seems to me that many parents don’t really raise children anymore, but simply turn them loose as wild animals on a hapless world.

 

 




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