Everyday Etiquette for Public-Place Encounters
11 unwritten rules while in parking lots, planes, stores, and beyond.
by Michael Joseph Gross
On a cross-country flight, I'm seated next to a chatterbox who wants to swap life stories. How do I let her know that I don't?
Start with nonverbal cues, if possible. Carolyn Hanley, who flies about 60,000 miles each year as a technical trainer for a semiconductor-equipment company in Austin, Texas, has dealt with nosy seatmates on several continents. Her advice: Thumb through the pages of a book, open your laptop, or pull out your PDA. Or, if you've already started to engage the talker, "break off the conversation by calling the flight attendant over and asking a question like 'When do we actually land?' or 'Could I get a rum and Coke―quickly?'"
MY QUESTION: WHAT IF THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU DOESN'T GET THE HINT?
And, these are things the person sitting next to you SHOULD NOT say (but I have experienced myself)
1. Is your (biological) clock ticking? (Really??? Do I look that old???)
2. When you die, you'll see the light. (This was right after I sat down and he inquired about my religion.)
3. I have to go to the bathroom, but my zipper is stuck and I can't get my pants down. (This poor woman... craziest flight ever!)
4. I'm prejudice, are you? (He was serious.)
5. I was going to sit by the beautiful black woman, but then I saw she had a baby. I don't sit next to those things. (Thing?)
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