Mister Muni Manners
Photo by Flickr user annnna.
For better or worse, this can go straight into our warm-and-fuzzy category of Muni stories.
I was on a 49-Van Ness/Mission trying to get home one evening after work. It was a really nice day: one of several schizophrenic, nice weather vs. crappy weather ones we’ve been having. As usual, the bus was full by the time it got to my stop. I grabbed a spot, held on, and spaced out. Then, I hear the tiniest “excuse me.” It sounded like it came from a fairy sitting in someone’s pocket. I looked around and didn’t see anything, so I commenced spacing.
I heard it again, then looked down at a little boy sitting in a seat near me. He looked from me to his dad, who indicated that he should give up his seat for the nice lady (hey, that’s me!). But he had to say it himself: “would you like to sit down?” asked the tiniest, politest person I think I’ve ever met.
I thanked him, but declined the seat. On my way out, I told his pop that he had a really nice boy.
1) Yeah, yeah, I don’t care if pop only does that to get at the ladies. It’s still nice.
2) I’m not gonna lie, I think it’s bogus when men push me out of the way to get to a fresh seat first. Equal rights and chivalry aren’t mutually exclusive, after all. So it made me extra happy to see semblances of it on the bus.
3) Did I mention I was on the 49? And that something nice happened on it?
so you’re not annoyed when a woman pushes you out of the way to take a seat?
That sucks, too. Not as much, I’ll admit.
You really can’t have your cake and eat it too – coddling isn’t compatible with being respected as an equal.
Rude is rude and courteous is courteous – there is no call to make #2 about gender instead of able bodied-ness.
miss-the-point-of-the-post comment of the day. thanks!
That is a precious story and it is oh so good to hear that some children are still be taught (and retaining!) manners and a sense of courtesy. It always warms my heart to see a well-behaved child. Too often I find myself amazed and frustrated at children allowed to run rampant, getting in everyone’s way and not corrected for rude behavior (often because the parent is too busy chatting on their cell phone or something equally annoying).
Yeah, I get it, kids can be hard to handle, they like to run around and are naturally not very conscious of or concerned with what’s going on around them. But this is what parents are for, to discipline, to set examples and teach their children consideration and common courtesy. Otherwise they will grow into unruly adolescents and eventually rude adults who will likely in turn raise their offspring to be devoid of manners.
Thanks for sharing your story, there is hope after all!
Of course, we Manner Ladies are tickled to see etiquette in action – at any age!