On Etiquette

A couple of weeks back while surfing the internet trying to find something to read (that’s what I do most of the time when I surf). I came across a very interesting article talking about “Skype Etiquette” and it made me wonder how would our people react to it? “Excusez Moi?? Etiquette?? Naam Suna Suna Sa Lagta Hai, Do I Know Him??” Sadly, in our part of the world people know Skype more than the Etiquette.

It is not just the matter of electronic communication—not even communication itself for that matter which involves at least two people and some feedback to complete the loop of communication (I hope y’all familiar with the Communication Model). We are short of Etiquette on individual level. I believe that we all lack Etiquette in one way or the other (you can keep telling yourself that this article is not about you :P) and, sadly so, we take pride in lacking them (not to forget that not having them and not practicing them, that too for some legit reason, are two very different things, and debatable too). Don’t believe me? Look around! Where are we doing something according to the ways? Traffic?? Civic Sense?? Politics?? As A Nation?? Sports?? We don’t even prepare for exams the way we must, damn it! Do you have a queue culture anywhere? Do you even know what queue culture is? Negative!

Let’s talk about this queue culture and bear me while I relate it to the etiquette. To me, queue culture is about being organized, abiding the laws, following the ways, the norms, the rules, or in other words, the etiquette. On the other hand etiquette means the code of polite behavior in a society which makes me assert that the queue culture is the foundation stone of etiquette. It teaches us to be respectful towards the intangible queue of rules and to make it, not to break it. Only if we be a little patient and don’t put Me in front of We then we would surely be called a civilized society... Some Day!

Let's see.. Have you ever questioned why we eat from the mouth and not the ears? Why the mother gives birth to the baby and not the father? Why do we shake the right hand not the left? Why are we taught to be respectful to elders and loving towards the younger? Have you ever thought to change that? Have you ever tried changing it? (Not the giving birth phenomenon of course :P) It would look odd spooning your ear wouldn’t it? or too rude to be rude to your elders (however it is in and cool now a days). It is about the same intangible queue, the code, the polite (or in my opinion, the reasonable slash acceptable) way to do things.

For instance, what do you do bypassing the people in a queue? Save Time? How Much? 5mins? 10? 30? An hour? Ok! Big Deal! What do you actually do with that time you saved? Reach home a bit early? Listen to another song? Send 5 more forwarded texts to people just to show that you’re there?? How Mature!

How about using the indicators while driving?? Haven’t it ever occurred to you that your car has them for some reason?? Have you not been told that using them is free?? Don’t you like to be alive and not been run-over by a truck while taking a turn using your suicidal tendency?

Do you deliver what is expected of you being a student? Hell, you don’t even know what is expected of you being a student. When was the last time you called your teachers with good names?? When was the last time you actually gave a damn to what they were saying in the class?? When was the last time you submitted your work in time?? BLEEP It, when was the last time you actually did your work on your own?? It was like… NEVER! Wasn’t it? You have always been looking for a way to bypass the ways and have struggled more to break the queue than to make it, haven’t you??

Have you ever thought about the people you bypassed? The people you freaked out by your heroic moves?? People you robbed of their intellectual property and never acknowledged?? How does their day go?? How many times during the day they curse the BLEEP who bypassed them? Who they said BLEEP BLEEP, BLEEP BLEEP to at the top of their lungs?? How many other people they are going to tell about that BLEEP?? How many times in their lifetime they are going to wish you bad luck for being a user?? A friendship abuser?? How would they take out their frustration by bypassing others the next time they would be in a queue (just to avenge the long gone you) and making a total BLEEP of themselves?? How would they stay occupied by the thought of saying all the swear words to whosoever gets heroic? How would they tend to be not a helping hand that they used to be just because you took them for granted??

Don’t you ever realize that you just add to the negativity and misery by messing around like that? That you spread this plague in the society? Don’t you feel ashamed of moving around photocopying your BLEEPaholic self like that? Don’t you have any moral values?? Had your parents been busy while you were to learn values?? Did I step over something?? Oh, did it hurt?? I’m glad it did for that is exactly what was intended and that is the way I am! The list would go on and I would keep on hurting you till you’d just roll over and die. But that is not what I want. I want you to live. To turn. To argue. I want you to defend yourself on this till your last breath, but believe you me, I never back down.