November 10, 2012
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No one is late for Oprah.... etiquette rules for all.
This blog is not about photography.. it is about etiquette. The definition of etiquette: "The set of rules or customs which control accepted behavior in particular social groups or social situations." Whew!
This isn't a rant or a rave. Just a few sentences that rattle my brain when I see things obviously are wrong with society. I can't blame the children. They are just a sponge. And in fact, like everyone out there, I probably broke a few dozen etiquette rules in my life. I just recently found out that among the email etiquette rule, you are never supposed to respond to someone's email by just saying one word... like "Thanks" and hit the send key.As a parent, I tried to teach my kids to say the usual "please" and "thank you's" when necessary. To show appreciation for a gift even though it was god awful and ugly as sin. Not to interrupt during an adult's conversation was big with me. As a child, when my parents had company, I remember not being allowed to hang around the kitchen table while they were conversing with other adults. Just the other day, I was having a conversation with someone when their 10 year old said out loud.. "Mom, you are a liar... it didn't happen that way!" I was mortified.
Just type in "etiquette" and you will find all types..... Yes, even funeral etiquette. There is etiquette for traveling with dogs as well (who knew?). Some call it common courtesy. Holiday etiquette is a big one. What to give and what to tip. And then there is the party etiquette. Someone once invited me to a party of someone they knew that was having a party. Of course I said "no" because I never got a direct invite from the party givers! Invites should be given out and should be addressed to the person(s) you are inviting. A personal telephone invite is good as well.
I am sad to say I am still waiting for a thank you card for a friend's wedding I could not attend and gave a rather nice gift. Oh yea, that was over two years ago!
The title of this blog is "No one is late for Oprah". Why, because last year, Oprah was taping her last few shows and had Jennifer Hudson on. Oprah tapes two shows a day. Jennifer was supposed to tape in the afternoon. The day before, she arrived and did a sound check on the Oprah stage. Then sometime during the night, she left Chicago and few to NY for a party hoping to come back before the taping of the second show the next day!. Unfortunately, New York got a snow storm and Jennifer couldn't get a commercial flight out as planned. She did eventually get into Chicago, but very very late..... keeping all of Oprah's staff and audience waiting for a very long time. I remember watching Oprah talk about this incident and I'm sure that Oprah had some words to say regarding the cost and inconvenience of Jennifer Hudson's actions.
So, in closing.... I just want to remind you to do the right thing. Teach your kids the right thing. Write the thank you cards, don't send the thank you's through email, don't take a phone call during dinner, don't text someone else while having coffee with someone, keep your elbows off the table and for god's sake..... say thank you.
