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Keeping old etiquette rules alive

post #1 of 105
11/2/10 at 7:54pm
Thread Starter 
Modern etiquette rules have evolved, and some have gone right out the window. Are there any old rules you keep alive?

One of my favorites is standing for a woman at the table. It's archaic, but it's usually appreciated. (I once did this for a woman in Russia, where the custom has never been widely practiced, when she got up to go to the bathroom. She said, "are you coming with me?")

Another one is opening a car door for a woman. My wife, even after eight years, still likes this.
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post #2 of 105
11/2/10 at 7:56pm
i was raised in the south and i still call women ma'am. i open doors for them; i stand at the table; etc. mostly unappreciated, but i like it.
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post #3 of 105
11/2/10 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by foodguy View Post
i was raised in the south and i still call women ma'am. i open doors for them; i stand at the table; etc. mostly unappreciated, but i like it.
+1
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post #4 of 105
11/2/10 at 7:59pm
i open doors, walk on the street side, say ma'am, challenge people to duels, kiss, and try not to rest my elbows on the table. i also stare straight ahead, not down at my penis when using a urinal. i consider the latter to be the height of rudeness.
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post #5 of 105
11/2/10 at 8:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mharwitt View Post
i open doors, walk on the street side, say ma'am, challenge people to duels, kiss, and try not to rest my elbows on the table. i also stare straight ahead, not down at my penis when using a urinal. i consider the latter to be the height of rudeness.
I am the same, though I can't help looking at the big dog when I pee. Actually, I used to walk street side, but my wife finally told me that she would rather switch -- splashes being less harmful than homeless folk. It was hard to do, but I did.
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post #6 of 105
11/2/10 at 8:04pm
Whenever I'm back at the parents' place, I always open the car door for my mom, and I usually open the door into a building for whoever's after me, regardless of gender. It just seems like the right thing to do.
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post #7 of 105
11/2/10 at 8:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by iammatt View Post
I am the same, though I can't help looking at the big dog when I pee. Actually, I used to walk street side, but my wife finally told me that she would rather switch -- splashes being less harmful than homeless folk. It was hard to do, but I did.
my gf is aware of this, but doesn't understand it. she'll mess with me by trying to switch sides, which, if i'm not paying attention, causes my feet to sort of carry me out into the street without my noticing.
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post #8 of 105
11/2/10 at 8:24pm
remarkably, women appear capable of opening doors for themselves. I don't know how they figured out how to do this, but perhaps it's evolution in action.
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post #9 of 105
11/2/10 at 8:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hendrix View Post
remarkably, women appear capable of opening doors for themselves. I don't know how they figured out how to do this, but perhaps it's evolution in action.

sigh. that's so "rhoda". of course they CAN. the question is whether they should HAVE to.
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post #10 of 105
11/2/10 at 8:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by foodguy View Post
sigh. that's so "rhoda". of course they CAN. the question is whether they should HAVE to.
Sorry, Russ. You are just not progressive enough for this crowd.
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post #11 of 105
11/2/10 at 9:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by iammatt View Post
Sorry, Russ. You are just not progressive enough for this crowd.

i'm so old-fashioned i'm LIBERAL.
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post #12 of 105
11/3/10 at 3:09pm
Walking street side? I now always walk on the side where there are metal grates because most if not all my female companions wear heels.

Of course there are also times when the entire sidewalk is a metal grate and it presents a real conundrum.

However all this chivalry about throwing your jacket so someone can cross a puddle will have to be ignored by me as I can't imagine throwing my SF approved suit jacket on the ground.
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post #13 of 105
11/3/10 at 3:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by foodguy View Post
i was raised in the south and i still call women ma'am. i open doors for them; i stand at the table; etc. mostly unappreciated, but i like it.
I do all this stuff and some other general etiquette things too. What's funny is that it gets noticed more often by 60+ yr old men than by the person that I'm doing the things for.
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post #14 of 105
11/3/10 at 3:15pm
I will be honest. I have a hard time treating the standard young chippie with the same respect I would people 35 and older. Door holding, for instance. I've had too many young chippies let doors slam in my face for me to hold one for them. Totally self-absorbed people on their cell phones, sipping Starbucks, and coo'ing to their purse doggies get squat from me. /old man rant

As far as old etiquette in good company? Yes, all of that.
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post #15 of 105
11/3/10 at 3:20pm
I still stand at the table, open doors, etc. I took some shit from a girl once for doing this. I think she was just upset that nobody had ever done it for her before so it was a new experience, but she was also addicted to pain killers and was Jewish so it's probably for the best that things didn't work out.
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