Ill-Mannered People
Lots of things peeve me and a lack of manners probably ranks way up there on my peeve-o-metre! And, it alarms me also to realize that most people who exhibit this lack are totally oblivious to the fact that they have acted in a way that is rude and/or uncouth.
Today, I was at Genesis Cinema at The Palms shopping mall at Lekki, waiting in line to make enquiries and to pay for a purchase when this young lady casually strolls by me, (I was next to be served and also at the end of the queue) walks up to the counter as the person ahead of me was done and starts telling the attendant what movie ticket she wishes to purchase. Now, I am not of a nondescript or tiny stature so she could not possibly have NOT seen me standing there. So, what was she thinking? Well, I step right up beside her, almost touching her. She turns to look at me, and before she can utter a word, I inform her, very sweetly, that there is a queue. She looks perplexed (so I can only assume that either her hearing is impaired or she just did not get it) and is about to say something when I tell her "Please do not say you did not see me or realize I was in line". What's with people???
I find this behaviour quite common among the younger generation - what are we doing, breeding a generation of badly behaved Nigerians? On several occasions, I have had young ladies or gentlemen try to push their way past me to get through a door with nary an "excuse me, please" - a door that, mind you, I am opening. Well, I must say there are quite a number of these young ones that have had doors almost slamming into them! I simply push them back (they never had to walk down Broad Street at lunch time, so in the pushing and shoving department, they ain't got nothing on me, hmmm hmmm!), step through the door, and before they can scurry through (are they so lazy now that they cant lift their arm to hold open a door?), "WHAM", the door slams back! I never look back to see if any casualties occur, but I have heard, on several occasions, loud cussing and hissing. All music to my ears!!! I just hope that the lesson was not lost on them.
Or, when you are standing in line, waiting for the elevator (or Lift) and someone strolls past the dozens of people waiting and tries to get into the lift. Does that just not annoy you? What do they think the line is about - people just queuing up because they feel like it or they've nothing better to do?
Or at the supermarket checkout when someone cuts in front of you to pay for their goods. Take them on by asking them what they think they are doing and they tell you, like you are dumb, that they want to pay for only one or two items and you have a trolley-load of stuff. What happened to asking if you can allow them go ahead of you to pay for their few items? They do not get that they are being rude and badly behaved by doing what they did. And to compound the situation, the checkout guy or lady attempts to ring up the purchases for them. What to do in such a situation? I always tell the checkout person that if they do not want to see a crazed lady they had better not try doing it. Works every time!
Or people who park their cars behind yours, blocking you in, even after the parking attendant tells them not to. When they are called to come move the offending vehicle, they not only take their sweet time doing it, but also cannot apologize. I have even had a lady insult me thoroughly because I told her to please hurry it up. I really felt like decking her but had to satisfy myself with a few words calculated to insult her intellect and lineage. Earned me a few more insults but more in the spluttering category.
As a people, we need to re-learn manners. I say "re-learn" because I know we were not always this badly behaved. I am not asking for gentlemen to hold doors open for ladies (nothing wrong with that but this is not about old-worldly charm and "genteelity" but about basic manners, courtesy and decorum.) All I am saying is that we should learn to mind our P's and Q's ('pleases' & "thank yous'). Is that too much to ask, people?
Today, I was at Genesis Cinema at The Palms shopping mall at Lekki, waiting in line to make enquiries and to pay for a purchase when this young lady casually strolls by me, (I was next to be served and also at the end of the queue) walks up to the counter as the person ahead of me was done and starts telling the attendant what movie ticket she wishes to purchase. Now, I am not of a nondescript or tiny stature so she could not possibly have NOT seen me standing there. So, what was she thinking? Well, I step right up beside her, almost touching her. She turns to look at me, and before she can utter a word, I inform her, very sweetly, that there is a queue. She looks perplexed (so I can only assume that either her hearing is impaired or she just did not get it) and is about to say something when I tell her "Please do not say you did not see me or realize I was in line". What's with people???
I find this behaviour quite common among the younger generation - what are we doing, breeding a generation of badly behaved Nigerians? On several occasions, I have had young ladies or gentlemen try to push their way past me to get through a door with nary an "excuse me, please" - a door that, mind you, I am opening. Well, I must say there are quite a number of these young ones that have had doors almost slamming into them! I simply push them back (they never had to walk down Broad Street at lunch time, so in the pushing and shoving department, they ain't got nothing on me, hmmm hmmm!), step through the door, and before they can scurry through (are they so lazy now that they cant lift their arm to hold open a door?), "WHAM", the door slams back! I never look back to see if any casualties occur, but I have heard, on several occasions, loud cussing and hissing. All music to my ears!!! I just hope that the lesson was not lost on them.
Or, when you are standing in line, waiting for the elevator (or Lift) and someone strolls past the dozens of people waiting and tries to get into the lift. Does that just not annoy you? What do they think the line is about - people just queuing up because they feel like it or they've nothing better to do?
Or at the supermarket checkout when someone cuts in front of you to pay for their goods. Take them on by asking them what they think they are doing and they tell you, like you are dumb, that they want to pay for only one or two items and you have a trolley-load of stuff. What happened to asking if you can allow them go ahead of you to pay for their few items? They do not get that they are being rude and badly behaved by doing what they did. And to compound the situation, the checkout guy or lady attempts to ring up the purchases for them. What to do in such a situation? I always tell the checkout person that if they do not want to see a crazed lady they had better not try doing it. Works every time!
Or people who park their cars behind yours, blocking you in, even after the parking attendant tells them not to. When they are called to come move the offending vehicle, they not only take their sweet time doing it, but also cannot apologize. I have even had a lady insult me thoroughly because I told her to please hurry it up. I really felt like decking her but had to satisfy myself with a few words calculated to insult her intellect and lineage. Earned me a few more insults but more in the spluttering category.
As a people, we need to re-learn manners. I say "re-learn" because I know we were not always this badly behaved. I am not asking for gentlemen to hold doors open for ladies (nothing wrong with that but this is not about old-worldly charm and "genteelity" but about basic manners, courtesy and decorum.) All I am saying is that we should learn to mind our P's and Q's ('pleases' & "thank yous'). Is that too much to ask, people?
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