Sir, – Finn McRedmond (“I’m with Andrew Scott and Phoebe Bridgers. If you’re at a gig, put your phone away”, June 11th) reminds us of the epidemic of bad manners experienced by concert and theatregoers. Bad manners has now become widespread in all walks of life. This clearly points to no respect for the other person.
To experience good manners now has become rare and must be acknowledged and nurtured.
A few days ago, having experienced so much bad manners, on the bus, in shops, in Grafton Street and a lot more, a man experiencing homelessness approached me to shake hands and asked me to thank my colleagues who had helped him the previous day.
This to me spoke volumes and was much more important than the much used “have a good day” without even eye contact that seems to have replaced “thank you”.
Thank you and a smile cost nothing, it can even be contagious and can go a long way to ensure that the giver and the recipient can feel, yes, they are important. Thank you. – Yours, etc,
ALICE LEAHY,
Director of Services,
Alice Leahy Trust,
Dublin 8.
