She means well, but she’s incredibly sheltered and has to be reminded that not everybody does stuff the same way. There’s no real malice behind it, other than not being used to the idea that people are a lot more different than she thinks they are.
Make faces when someone tells you of their own traditions? I’m sorry, but there’s no excuse for that, incredibly sheltered or not. Once you’re an adult, you learn to treat people and their traditions with respect. I’m sure that’s somewhere in one of your mother-in-law’s guides to etiquette.
So what if you are in the presence of a lady and she makes a witticism? Not allowed to smile? Seems rude.
Old Southerners still do this (although I haven’t seen checks displayed) - I’ve certainly been invited a few times to view the gifts at somebody’s mom’s house.
Good question. Malls are tough but I would take my hat off there. I think the point is that a man’s hat is functional, to keep off rain and you take it off when not needed. But you don’t ever HAVE to remove your hat. It’s not like the etiquette police will show up (unless you are in high school.)
Removing your hat shows that you respect the odd, old etiquette rules and some people like that. If you don’t want to be part of that group then do as you please.
Ladies do not make witticisms.
It might not be a joke. Remember, this is a guide for cadets. Maybe ladies don’t make jokes meant for cadets and other inferior males to laugh at.
Not warmth, protection. If you wear your hat in my house, you’re saying that you don’t trust my roof to not leak on your head.
Or that you’re on your way to a combover 'do…
Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m so used to having to accommodate her bad behavior in regard to these things that I’ve mostly forgotten how bad the behavior is.
We need to update those hat-removal rules. These days, many men wear hats to hide their receeding hairline. Asking such a man to remove his hat seems akin to asking William Shatner to take off his toupee.
i guess, and there are times when you’re supposed to be at ease but some people (not just germans) don’t like showing any emotion outside their homes, even towards family. all the same, some rules would seem odd.
One word: Church.
A man - gentleman or not - does not wear any kind of headwear in a (christian) church. Period.
That one I agree with. I always wear a ball cap everywhere to cover up my baldness, and even I take it off during church. The only other time in public that I take off my hat is when soldiers pass by.
I do like a letter written to Miss Manners once: “Dear Miss Manners: If there is a group of people visiting someone in a small apartment and one of them is indisposed and nips into the powder room to relieve himself in a spectacularly noisy fashion, should he issue an apology when he emerges?” “Dear Reader: It would be impolite to make any mention of spectacular noises heard behind a bathroom door. Neither the people in the next room nor the noisemaker need make any reference to such. According to proper etiquette, no one heard anything, so the noises did not officially happen.” words to that effect. Good luck with that one, nowadays! They should just be glad they aren’t invited into the bathroom to peer into the commode to see what caused all those noises.
I can just hear the announcement “Whew! Y’all be sure to vote for that one on ratemypoo.com tomorrow!”