Date:  Thu, 23 Oct 1997 07:57:57 EDT
From:  Julia Cochran <COCPROFS[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: thank you . . . thank you

On Wed, 22 Oct 1997 20:17:33 -0400 MELISSA S. SMITH said:

>Can you honestly say that you haven't noticed a decrease in politeness in
>the last 20, 10, even 5 years? People do not speak kindly. They no
>longer use words that show their respect for people. For example, your
>response seemed kind of impolite to me. I know that you had to have
>noticed the change in people today. There is no formality. There is no
>polite small talk amongst strangers anymore. There is no one asking
>stranger how they are doing that day. How could you not notice these
>things. As for a time frame, pick a date and look at the decrease of
>pleasant ness from there on.

Of course, were you to come to Guyton, Georgia, most of the folks would agree
with you. They would agree that the earlier response that you mentioned did
indeed have an impolite tone (and I would agree). They'd also agree that folks
just aren't as polite any more. I, on the other hand, who moved here to Guyton
from a large university environment, am convinced that I have landed somewhere
in the past, in the very heart of gentility. It all depends on where you were
before.