'Excuse me' are two very simple words. But today's children do not seem to use them. When they want something, they often shout, scream or fight. Also, when someone asks them for help, they just ignore that person. They should take a minute to help or offer advice. It is not only polite; it will make the other person happy.
In my opinion, this behaviour is mainly due to parents. Recently, when I was shopping with my mother, I saw a boy use a lot of bad words when talking to his parents. They did not punish him. I was surprised. No wonder these children are spoiled. When they grow up, they will not be able to communicate, because they do not know how to be polite to others.
Winnas Wong, King Ling College
From the Editor
Thank you for your letter, Winnas. This is a subject I've been thinking about a lot recently. It seems manners are lacking among people in Hong Kong, and this is worrying. It seems that every day I see someone failing to hold open a door for an elderly person, failing to offer their seat to a pregnant woman, interrupting another person when they're speaking, jumping in front of someone in a queue, not greeting one another when they arrive at school or work, bumping into someone without apologising, coughing or sneezing without covering their mouth, speaking with their mouth full of half-chewed food ... The list is depressingly long.
We may not live in an 'age of manners', and perhaps some etiquette isn't as important as it was 100 or even 30 years ago. But we still have to interact with others. Basic courtesy is crucial to modern life. And it will help you get ahead - nobody likes to deal with ill-mannered people.