March: Week 4, Prompt 3

“Please Read This Story, Thank You”

By Linton Weeks

Central Argument: The decreased use of courteous language may indicate that people have become ruder, or that, while the principles have stayed the same, manners have changed.

                In everyday talk, it seems that polite words and/or phrases such as “thank you” and “you’re welcome” have slowly faded away from common talk. In “Please Read This Story, Thank You,” by Linton Weeks, it talks about how the decreased use of courteous language may indicate that people have become ruder, or that, while the principles have stayed the same, manners have changed. This statement is true as seen through personal experience and history.

                Polite words may not be used as much today, but they are not completely gone either. I still say “thank you” and “you’re welcome” to people according to the situation, but I also use other phrases to express the same thing. To the current generation, it doesn’t really make a difference to us how you express your feelings as long as they are expressed. For people today, phrases like “no problem” and “I’m good” are equivalent to “you’re welcome” and “thank you.” The reason for this may be that courteous talk may have lost its importance in everyday life and/or that culture and manner have changed to have what we have today. Sure, according to the psychiatrist in the article, it may not express the same gratitude on the psychological level, but on the surface we consider it to be the same. However, this generation is different from the last and with this difference is the shift in how manners are expressed. Value such as respect, consideration, and honesty will always be emphasized but manners change over time. Older generations, like our grandparents, may scold us for how we act, but for the culture and society we live in, it is acceptable.

                History also shows the many shifts in manners. Even though the principles are the same, the way people interact with each other has shifted.  For high class people during the 17^th and 18^th century, there used to be a strict code on how to act. Etiquette was a huge part on how people interacted with each other because they wanted to show off their status and not offend anyone. However, over time, this strict way of life slowly became more relaxed. People today use polite phrases loosely because of the cultural context they are in, and in this context, the importance and emphasis on saying “thank you” and “you’re welcome” have faded away.

                Linton Weeks, in the article “Please Read This Story, Thank You,” argues that the decreased use of courteous language may indicate that people have become ruder, or that, while the principles have stayed the same, manners have changed. The change that is mentioned is true as seen through personal experience and history.