Is Rudeness really on the rise or are we just distracted?

Think about a time someone annoyed you in public. Were they on a call full volume and on speakerphone or scrolling on social media while stalling traffic at the light. You’re not alone, nearly half of Americans feel people have become ruder since the pandemic. 

But here’s the thing, maybe it’s not that people are inherently less polite. Etiquette expert Lizzie Post calls it a “crisis of attention.” We’re constantly juggling work, school, notifications from family and friends and never ending todo lists, so it’s easy to miss the small social cues that keep interactions smooth. Often rudeness isn’t intentional, its distraction showing up in real life. 

Even so, the effects are real. A single impolite encounter can negatively alter your mood, increase your stress and make collaboration harder. Rudeness spreads quickly and it’s a chain reaction so if you’re upset it can follow you in future interactions with others. In turn spreading the negativity to those you care about even if they’re not the source of your pain. 

The solution isn’t complicated. It starts with small intentional actions like putting your phone down when someone is speaking, holding the door or simply saying thank you. Those small moments of awareness and care are contagious in the best way. 

In a world where attention is constantly being pulled in a million directions, civility might just be the radical act of our time. Not flashy or performative, just noticing the people around us and choosing respect over reaction.

https://www.vox.com/even-better/458283/are-americans-more-rude-incivility-polite-speakerphone-public