(this one isn't so hot, is it? I should really redo it and make it nice.) Rudeness is, regrettably, an all-too common ailment on the net, and in society in general. Alas, I am unable to be as pithy as others on the subject, so in my time of trouble, I turn to One Who Knows. Here's what that Empress of Etiquette, Miss Manners, has to say on the subject:
Here are the two etiquette lessons Miss Manners needs help in teaching:
1. Being rude is not glamorous, original, daring or funny. It's just rude.
2. Rudeness is still rudeness when it is inspired by -- and intended to punish -- somebody else's rudeness.
These have a far wider application than to traffic. But if they can be learned and practiced in that situation alone, the world would be a better place.
Copyright 1996 by Judith Martin
Distributed by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
Miss Manners can be read in your local newspaper, hopefully, or (if your ISP is a refined person of taste), on clari.living.columns.miss_manners.
Just to expand on this a little bit myself: One of the primary excuses I see people giving when being confronted with their rudeness is "Oh, you aren't one of those PC police, are you?" First of all, the term "PC" has been distorted enough in this culture to be absolutely meaningless. But more importantly, they're confusing the issue. They are attempting to turn what's basically a rudeness issue into a "freedom" issue. Please, don't let them. Part of the deal with living in a society that that we all make sacrifices of our personal freedom in order to keep from being a constant source of annoyance to people around us. We willingly do this.
In return, we expect other people to make sacrifices of their freedom to suit us. We expect them to not push as we walk down the street, to say "excuse me" when walking by us in the movie theatre, and we expect them to not run over our cats in their cars. It's really all part of the same system. And, to return to the original idea, someone who is crude and insulting is not fulfilling their half of the societal bargain. Don't let them pretend to be "fighting the power" or otherwise being Robin Hood fighting the evil king. All they are is rude. And rudeness, as Miss Manners says, is never glamorous. It's just rude.
It's regrettable that rudeness is such a tricky issue. But really, we never know if what we do will offend people. But not caring about whether or not we offend people is not the answer. Rather, we all should work towards changing our behavior when we find out we've offended, and also being gracious when someone unknowingly offends us.