English over politeness...

[Richdog]

I know I say sorry to much, playing 5 a side, i apologise for everything. It doesn't help im tat at football so every ball goes way of course, but still I do like to say sorry.

I would say that this example is not much to do with "politeness", it's a weakness and unnecessary habit born of your own insecurity and in my experience it's generally not something that people respect when people are constantly apologising unecessarily. it just gets annoying.

Manners are what make us civilized. So as pointless and frustrating as they may sometimes be, they at least keep us from tearing one another's throats out with our bare teeth.

At least for today.

A mark of civilisation? Some of the biggest (and most violent) barstewards I have known were unfailingly polite on the surface.

I'm extremely guilty of all three of your points. The open door shuffle is very common around here as there are doors everywhere in my office building.

Heh. I just had a situation where I was at a water fountain and there was a guy who had been waiting in the queue for a couple of minutes before I turned up and it was his turn to go and he turned around to me and signaled if I wanted to go first, despite the fact he knew I had just turned up. I of course refused. Why on earth would anyone do this?

 

[Mr Badger]

The trick is to be polite in a suitably passive aggressive manner so everyone knows that you don't mean it.

 

[Akagi]

A water fountain? Are you at school or in prison?

 

[dirtychinchilla]

The sorry thing annoys me greatly. There's a girl I work with who often asks me to do some work for her and then apologises about 10 times...why?! Am I not here working, are you not supposed to give me work?!

If someone doesn't say thank you to me I'll thank them very loudly and profusely to embarass them, or just call them rude and they always look horrified. I'll also, in a very un-British way, make comments to people who are rude around me or who **** me off etc, like people who bump into you or hassle you in the supermarket. Particularly if they've annoyed my girlfriend.

 

[Josh]

Please do some work sorrycheersthanks

Corrected for you.

Re-corrected for yous.

Sorrycheersthanks

 

[Mujja]

Heh. I just had a situation where I was at a water fountain and there was a guy who had been waiting in the queue for a couple of minutes before I turned up and it was his turn to go and he turned around to me and signaled if I wanted to go first, despite the fact he knew I had just turned up. I of course refused. Why on earth would anyone do this?

Maybe he had a large bottle to fill up or wanted more than one cup of water.

If I'm at a checkout with a full basket and someone is stood behind me with just one or two items I'll let them through. But I'll ask them if that's ALL they are buying after I let someone through who then wasted minutes decided on with scratch card he wanted and then pulled out a several lottery tickets to be scanned.

 

[russell664]

Chicken Tika. Sorry, I just like it.

Cheers for reading and thank you for your patience.

sorrycheersthanks

 

[Cosimo]

Re-corrected for yous.

Sorrycheersthanks

SorrycheersthanksYourkindself

 

[Housey]

The saying sorry for anything is something I notice to be very Canadian - I have a few Canadian friends and my cousin is married to a Canadian and they do say sorry for unnecessary things... i.e. someone bumps into them "sorry!"

I like that part of the Brits, but I'm just un-British enough not to have too many of those idiosyncrasies! However, when I do visit family in the other parts of the world they do say that "You're ever so British!" - which is amusing!

I was aboooooot to say the same

 

[Stretch]

Another slightly odd Englishism I've picked up on recently is when replying to a question, people say "yeah, yeah, no, that's right". When actually, all they mean is "yes".

Language and manners are a very strange thing. I work for a Japanese company, and some of the culture just defies belief.

 

[Akagi]

I was aboooooot to say the same eh

Fixed.

 

[Schlong&Stable]

A mark of civilisation? Some of the biggest (and most violent) barstewards I have known were unfailingly polite on the surface.

Like who? If we're talking about serial killers, I'd argue they are not necessarily uncivilized.

 

[Admiral Huddy]

Your are right about 3.. We do tend to be an apologetic nation. The exception is my Mrs.. She never apologises for anything.

 

[Akagi]

Is that going to help unless you also know them?

 

[Mr Badger]

Language and manners are a very strange thing. I work for a Japanese company, and some of the culture just defies belief.

You don't really have to commit seppuku if you're late for a meeting - they're just winding you up

 

[Richdog]

A water fountain? Are you at school or in prison?

A water dispenser in a public area. If this is a new concept for you then I see your work experience is perhaps a tad limited.

The sorry thing annoys me greatly. There's a girl I work with who often asks me to do some work for her and then apologises about 10 times...why?! Am I not here working, are you not supposed to give me work?!

Hah yeah, that would annoy me too. I have a colleague who prefaces many request with either an apology or some defensive phrase and I can't help but sigh internally each time.

Maybe he had a large bottle to fill up or wanted more than one cup of water.

If I'm at a checkout with a full basket and someone is stood behind me with just one or two items I'll let them through. But I'll ask them if that's ALL they are buying after I let someone through who then wasted minutes decided on with scratch card he wanted and then pulled out a several lottery tickets to be scanned.

No, he filled up a small cup and then left. No idea why you would invent a scenario for a situation you weren't even there for.

Another slightly odd Englishism I've picked up on recently is when replying to a question, people say "yeah, yeah, no, that's right". When actually, all they mean is "yes".

Heh, also amusing.

Like who? If we're talking about serial killers, I'd argue they are not necessarily uncivilized.

You want me to name the people I know or have known that you have no hope of knowing? Then start referencing serial killers? Erm, ok. Right.

 

[Sankari]

1) People standing there and waiting to hold open the door for you when you are about 20-30m behind them. You then feel obliged to do a quickstep and hurry up to get through asap, or stay at the same pace and watching them fill your vision for the next 10 agonisingly slow seconds, waiting expectantly. What happened to taking a look behind, making a snap judgement on how close someone is, and then if too far just going through the door and letting them open it themselves? Common sense, please. I may try walking slower and seeing what happens.

Happens in Australia too:

 

[HecFam]

I would say that this example is not much to do with "politeness", it's a weakness and unnecessary habit born of your own insecurity and in my experience it's generally not something that people respect when people are constantly apologising unecessarily. it just gets annoying.

Or its because I just fluffed up a goal scoring opportunity for everyone. It may not be necessary, but i thought it would be polite to acknowledge my mistakes.

Im not insecure about my ****e football ability, I'm very secure in the knowledge that I am proper crap. But fair enough.

 

[Akagi]

A water dispenser in a public area. If this is a new concept for you then I see your work experience is perhaps a tad limited.

You said water fountain!

I can understand the need to queue for a water dispenser lol

 

[Lopéz]

Over politeness doesn't bother me. I don't see it as a "weakness" either, but then I don't go about looking for weaknesses in people in general really.