Episode 489 - Hold the Door
Your Awesome Etiquette podcast episode for the week, Monday joke and a etiquette extra on thinking big about etiquette.
On today’s show, we take your questions on teaching kids manners in public, handling homemade gifts, hosting gifts for team dinners, and getting a gift but not being able to return the favor. For Awesome Etiquette Community Members, our question is about strangers sleeping on you on the plane. Plus, your most excellent feedback, etiquette salute, and a postscript on the practice and meaning of holding doors.
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Etiquette Extra - Thinking Big
In case you missed it, ‘etiquette’ is a hot topic right now. Readers of this Substack know that businesses faced with rapid social change are increasingly turning to etiquette training and etiquette experts to help them think critically about and build cultures of consideration and respect. There is increasing curiosity about how communities function and how we can find common ground and expectations of each other in an increasingly complex and connected world. Lizzie Post joined Allie Volpe of Vox to talk about etiquette as a big-picture topic in 2024 for the well-researched article (quoted below) Who is etiquette for? Etiquette is about respect, not table manners. It is a deep dive into American etiquette: past, present, and future that we think is well worth the read. And we would be curious to hear what jumps out to you. You subscribe to an etiquette publication, you may even listen to our Awesome Etiquette podcast, what do you think about who etiquette is for and what it is about? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments about how etiquette does and doesn’t work in your world.
A form of etiquette for the 21st century
Is it possible, then, for etiquette to guide but not police, to include but not ostracize, to allow for civility but not insist on submission? Done effectively, “etiquette is like the fabric of society,” according to Post: It facilitates caring interactions with others, which is the basis for healthy communities. However, this doesn’t mean deferring to everyone else’s preferences at the expense of your own comfort, or not speaking up in the face of injustice.
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Thank you for spending some of your time with us today. And for a truly bad joke about time, don’t miss the Monday joke at the bottom of this email.
We are still gathering your thoughts on business etiquette and your wedding experiences; please keep them coming. Already, there have been a few surprises that are getting us thinking. We hear you and appreciate the information.
As always, this Monday post has a comment thread that is open to all for you to post your etiquette questions for the podcast, feedback, and salutes for good behavior.
Next up this week is the Thursday Etiquette Article. Until then, take care!
All the best,
Dan and Lizzie
Happy-Monday Joke
Q: "What do you call a belt made of watches?"
A: "A waist of time.”