3/13/2023 0 Comments Gentle reader miss manners![]() If you, as the mis-caller, can hang up quickly enough to believe, in your heart, that the call did not go through, she is willing to overlook a single, stray beep from another home electronic device she never really wanted. ![]() GENTLE READER: You are correct that hanging up on another person is rude, but Miss Manners, uncharacteristically, will make one, small concession to the Efficiency Over Etiquette crowd: When wrong-number callers say something, at least I know that the phone call was not an important call with a dropped connection. But I was under the impression that it’s rude to hang up silently, and that one should apologize briefly. I assume this is because they realize they have dialed the wrong number. Often, people hang up without saying anything. If you hate the book, but are asked about it, you can repeat how much you are looking forward to reading it.ĭEAR MISS MANNERS: Answering the phone is not my job, but I still do so about 10 or 12 times a day. I have not told my friend about Jason's meanness and bullying because I don't need to drag her into it. I do my very best to avoid him and his wife, which works, for the most part. He is a bully and has low-key harassed me over the years. ![]() If you then like it, it will give you something to talk about when next you meet. DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am good friends with a woman, and we have a mutual acquaintance, Jason. Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website READER: Thank the giver now, before reading the book. In the situation you describe, your sister will no doubt be far more grateful for an extended phone call at another time, and such assistance as you can provide from a distance. Were you an infirm matriarch who could only be included through such means, Miss Manners would agree to such an accommodation for a limited portion of the event. But for now, asking guests to squat in a circle around a computer monitor or phone, jockeying for a position in which they can see and hear the speaker, is an imposition. ![]() The technology will, no doubt, continue to evolve. GENTLE READER: While Miss Manners encourages worldliness, she also assures you that you do not have to be embarrassed for not knowing every language spoken in your town. GENTLE READER: “Attending” virtually, is not, as you acknowledge by your use of quotes, the same thing as attending. Is it acceptable for me to propose to the hostesses that I “attend” via videoconference to let my sister know that I am happy for her, despite my inability to attend the shower in person? I can barely afford the plane ticket for the wedding itself. I will be the maid of honor and realize it is appropriate for me to at least attend, but the shower is taking place literally halfway across the country from me. They pay a large premium to be here, and they are all adults who could choose to leave college at any time. First, the students have been unmotivated, coming to class unprepared (if at all). My problem concerns a bridal shower being given by some of her friends, to which I am invited. DEAR MISS MANNERS: I teach at the college level, and was recently lamenting some of my communications with students. These days she assumes that anyone, at any moment, could truthfully say, “I’m sorry, I can’t, I’m expecting a package.” But if that is not the case, there is always, “I need it clear for the next hour.”ĭEAR MISS MANNERS: My widowed sister is remarrying, and I couldn’t be happier for the couple. This is not a breach of etiquette, nor is it one you cannot decline if you wish. Given her area of expertise, this is fortunate. GENTLE READER: The etiquette question seems, to Miss Manners, to be more interesting than the legal one. GENTLE READER: It is a pitiful truth that it is often far more lonely to be with someone who treats you poorly than to actually be alone. GENTLE READER: The best way to demonstrate that it is not a problem is to take little or no notice: Engage the person when awake, overlook any discomfort demonstrated, and quietly remove any. ![]() Were they wrong in asking me that favor? What should I have said? I honestly didn’t need to leave during that five minutes, but it still bothers me. I ended up saying “fine,” just to be done with it. Also, I have no power to allow anyone to park illegally (or to commit any other crime). I kind of see the logic, but I want to be able to leave my driveway whenever I feel like it. They explained that they were asking my permission to park in front of the driveway “for five minutes,” which is illegal. I am struggling with whether I should go to the funeral or memorial service. My car was parked in my driveway, and as I was loading stuff into the back, a person drove up and asked, “Are you leaving now?” I said, “This is my driveway,” and repeated it a few times, adding, “I’m the only one who can park here.” DEAR MISS MANNERS: A person I was once very close to, but who was not family, has died. DEAR MISS MANNERS: I live in a crowded area and parking is a hot topic. ![]()
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