What Is Thanksgiving Without A Nutty Relative?

Being Listened To Should Be Sufficiently Gratifying In Itself, Whether Or Not The Advice Is Followed.

The Pejorative Term "political Correctness" Was Adapted To Express Disapproval Of The Enlargement Of Etiquette To Cover All People, In Spite Of This Being A Principle To Which All Americans Claim To Subscribe.

Shame Is The Proper Reaction When One Has Purposefully Violated The Accepted Behavior Of Society. Inflicting It Is Etiquette's Response When Its Rules Are Disobeyed. The Law Has All Kinds Of Nasty Ways Of Retaliating When It Is Disregarded, But Etiquette Has Only A Sense Of Social Shame To Deter People From Treating Others In Ways They Know Are Wrong. So Naturally Miss Manners Wants To Maintain The Sense Of Shame. Some Forms Of Discomfort Are Fully Justified, And The Person Who Feels Shame Ought To Be Dealing With Removing Its Causes Rather Than Seeking To Relieve The Symptoms.

It Is Wrong To Wear Diamonds Before Luncheon, Except On One’s Marriage Rings. Before, After, And During Breakfast, Luncheon And Dinner, It Is Vulgar To Wear A Mixture Of Colored Precious Stones. It Is Always A Comfort To Know That So Many Things One Can’t Afford To Do Anyway Are Vulgar.

When A Society Abandons Its Ideals Just Because Most People Can't Live Up To Them, Behavior Gets Very Ugly Indeed.