Social Graces

Published by

Clarissa

August 31, 2014

Have you noticed how eager people with poor social skills are to criticize others for their social faux pas?

“Can you believe Peter? He is so rude! He sat down without offering me a chair first!”

Yes, that Peter is such an evil-doer. Of course, you called me to yell at me that I was inconveniencing you with my son’s death 5 weeks after the funeral, but that’s such a small thing compared to Peter’s intolerable rudeness.

“This Anna person is so rude! She grabbed the last piece of gooseberry pie without asking me if I wanted it!”

Yes, Anna is such a freak! Of course, you reduced a colleague to tears the other day by telling her she must be a bad parent if her very sick child keeps crying in this annoying way, but who cares about that when gooseberry pie is at stake?

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10 responses to “Social Graces”

maitreyi1978

August 31, 2014

Is this the same person? Why did you invite her to your party?

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1. Clarissa
  
  August 31, 2014
  
  Yes, the very same. I invited the entire department and it would be very wrong to exclude a single person.
  
  I’m very kind.
  
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  1. Shakti
    
    September 1, 2014
    
    Tsk, tsk.
    Doesn’t she know you’re only supposed to discuss etiquette violations after you leave the party?
    I suppose not inviting her would provoke her to pick the biggest doorstop of an etiquette manual and plunk it on your desk and then whine about it all year round. How distressing.
    Were you able to hold 30 people in your house easily? Perhaps you can contrive to invite only the people you like next time by not making it a department party and by saying you have little space. Life is too short to invite people who actively distress you.
    
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musteryou

August 31, 2014

People who act very discerning about a whole lot of things and do it as a show are really retarded philosophically and in other ways. Somehow to some people they appear to be the opposite.

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ladyleahjane

August 31, 2014

It reminds me of the time I was out to lunch with a woman who constantly criticized my “obviously autistic” manners (or lack of) because I didn’t cut a hamburger in half before eating it and didn’t keep my left hand in my lap while eating with my right. She remained oblivious to how she was making the entire table uncomfortable by continually interrupting the flow of conversation to correct my faux pas.

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1. Clarissa
  
  August 31, 2014
  
  Yes, this is precisely what I mean. 🙂
  
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2. xykademiqz
  
  December 31, 2014
  
  and didn’t keep my left hand in my lap while eating with my right.
  
  Is she for real? Man, I wish I was there, i would have torn her a new a$$hole. Technically, both hands should always be up and one always eats with both hands, using a fork and a knife to either cut or help form a bite onto the fork. It’s rude to put one hand in the lap or to put elbows on the table, edge of table should be around mid-lower arm.
  
  However, a hamburger is a fuckin’ sandwich, and is eaten as such.
  
  But none of this is relevant — people should be left alone to eat however they please. I hate ignoramuses who fancy themselves worldly, and take it upon themselves to police other adults. I can’t believe she called them your autistic manners! What a cow.
  
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ladyleahjane

September 1, 2014

By the way, I thought today’s Dear Abby column would amuse you. Thoughts?: http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/2014/9/1/1/friend-suspects-ukrainian-girl-is-taking

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Good Enough Professor

September 1, 2014

This whole conversation reminds me of http://thatbadadvice.tumblr.com/ The blogger takes questions from advice columns and dispenses precisely the advice that the person writing in clearly wants.

Sorry you have to deal with such a jerk in your department. Sometimes it only takes one.

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1. Clarissa
  
  September 1, 2014
  
  If only this were the greatest problem at our department. . . This is tiny little potatoes compared to everything else.
  
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