Melbourne: From swearing, being tardy, dressing down and not even remembering to say thank you and please, modern-day Aussies are shamelessly forgetting their manners, so says etiquette queen.
She says that while ‘formal’ had its heyday in the ‘50s, the refined customs of a bygone era should still hold a place in modern society.
“I am concerned the human race is slipping back to the heathen era and it disappoints me,” the Daily Telegraph quoted Dally-Watkins as saying.
“Even little things like remembering to say ‘thank you’ and ‘please’ are slipping away.”
She says that Aussies’ dependence on technology - the ease of text messaging, emailing, and communicating on Facebook - had spoilt face-to-face communication and made us increasingly unaware of others.
“I see people texting at the dinner table and walking down the street sending messages, causing other people to dodge out of their way,” she said.
“People would rather send a simple email than handwrite a letter of appreciation.”
When it comes to the death of chivalry, Dally-Watkins blames feminist Germaine Greer.
“Men and women were once courteous to each other, and then along came Germaine Greer, who said women should be more like men,” she said.
Dally-Watkins also fears young people are learning nothing but bad habits.
She said families are increasingly eating separately, which impacts table manners.
The way women dress today also makes her blood boil.
“There is nothing more inappropriate than shorts ... especially short shorts. Some ways of dressing ... give the impression of: ``I’m yours, take me``,” she said.
ANI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.