It Is A Widespread And Firm Belief

. . . Women Were Brought Up To Have Only One Set Of Manners. A Woman Was Either A Lady Or She Wasn't, And We All Know What The Latter Meant. Not Even Momentary Lapses Were Allowed; There Is No Female Equivalent Of The Boys-will-be-boys Concept.

Ideological Differences Are No Excuse For Rudeness.

Should You Happen To Notice That Another Person Is Extremely Tall Or Overweight, Eats Too Much Or Declines Convivial Drinks, Has Red Hair Or Goes About In A Wheelchair, Ought To Get Married Or Ought Not To Be Pregnant -- See If You Can Refrain From Bringing These Astonishing Observations To That Person's Attention.

Perhaps The Greatest Rudenesses Of Our Time Come Not From The Callousness Of Strangers, But From The Solicitousness Of Intimates Who Believe That Their Frank Criticisms Are Always Welcome, And Who Feel Free To "be Themselves" With Those They Love, Which Turns Out To Mean Being Their Worst Selves, While Saving Their Best Behavior For Strangers.

When Someone Has Tried To Please You, It Is Rude, As Well As Disheartening, To Respond By Announcing That The Effort Was A Failure.