Page 364 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

I just looked at him, amazed. For most people, a
changing world does not alter the need to be polite. The

man’s narrow-mindedness prompted me to construct my

own definition of good manners for the twenty-first

century.

First of all, politeness in the twenty-first century does not
reinforce stereotypes. The “helpless woman” stereotype

that may have once prompted men to hold doors for

women is gone, but courtesy lives on. As a man, I

should not hesitate to open the door for a woman, but it’s

also appropriate if she opens it for me. Stereotypical

ideas about people with disabilities need to be revised,
too. They are not helpless, nor are they invisible. My

friend Miko, who uses a wheelchair, says she

appreciates it when people hold an elevator door for her.

But she wishes they would look at her, not at the floor or

at her companion. And while stereotypes about rank,
race, or age might at one time have determined who was

considered worthy of politeness, that is no longer the

case. In the twenty-first century, everyone—from the

bank president to the homeless person on the street—is

worthy of the effort of being polite.

Politeness in the twenty-first century also means

considerately sharing space in a crowded world. Having

good manners means not smoking in crowded public

places where secondhand smoke might be offensive to