It’s funny, but this recent conversation at Nit started by Katherine Coble got me thinking about why I do the things I do. I’ve been very introspective lately, which will manifest itself in an upcoming monster navel gaze post. But, back to the subject at hand.
Why, besides tradition and pride, am I polite to a fault? I know someone from Canada (who lurks here), and she’s the same way, but I think it’s written into the constitution up there. But what about me? Why do I let people, any people, jump in line in front of me? Why do I hold the door, say please and thank you, ma’am and sir? Am I a doormat? Of course, but I don’t think the two are connected.
When I am super-polite with someone, no matter their status or appearance, regardless of how they’ve treated me, I’m making a statement:
I ain’t all that. And although you might not be either, if I treat you like you were all that, perhaps you’d actually become all that. And that’s something I’d like to see.
It’s nothing more than an extension of the Golden Rule. And it makes life a little more pleasant all around.
Plus, it impresses the chicks. 
March 21, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Hey, unless there’s another Canadian girl lurking around here – thanks for the compliment. Think we can turn Nashville upside down and teach everyone that the correct response to “Thank you” isn’t “Uh-huh”?
March 22, 2007 at 6:57 am
You are, indeed, incredibly polite. You and I are at either side of the spectrum of most issues, but you never seem to hammer them home, or bully others into thinking like you do. People like you, (and I’d like to think, me) will move this country forward, one civil discussion at a time.