DEAR MISS MANNERS: When sitting in an airline seat, you needn’t ask permission of the particular person behind you to recline your seat. As soon as permission to maneuver is granted by the captain, you may recline, in case your chair has the power to take action.
On what planet would you ask another person (as you’ve gotten advised) in case you can modify the seat that you simply paid to take a seat in?
If engineers and airways didn’t need the seats to recline, they’d take away the choice. Get a grip, or go the torch and retire.
GENTLE READER: By all means, blame the airways. They need to not have tools that can be utilized to discomfort their passengers.
And Miss Manners can be completely satisfied to retire simply as quickly as you and everybody else be taught the essential premise with out which civilization doesn’t perform: In case you deal with others callously, you needn’t really feel intelligent for having gotten a bonus, as a result of others will then deal with you callously and life can be disagreeable for everybody.
Why must you care concerning the consolation of the particular person sitting behind you? As a result of the particular person in entrance of you would simply as effectively decrease their seat onto your lap.
In fact, your obliging airline is keen to allow you to pay much more so that can’t occur. However what if one other passenger, having additionally paid the additional fare, feels entitled to depart the shared toilet in a disgusting state?
You understand, and don’t care, that Miss Manners finds your sense of entitlement ugly. However you also needs to know that it’s going to come again to get you in the long term. (Or maybe, within the case of an equally entitled fellow passenger, within the quick run.)
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I misplaced three expensive associates this yr. With the vacations approaching, it doesn’t appear proper to want their households a Merry Christmas or a Joyful New Yr.
I’ve bought clean “thinking of you” playing cards as a substitute. What do I write in them? Ought to I share a reminiscence of the cherished one they misplaced?
Understanding nothing I say will take away their loss, I simply wish to consolation them to allow them to know their father, their husband and their brother had been expensive to me and plenty of others.
GENTLE READER: Uh, you probably did write letters of condolence on the time, didn’t you? Along with your sympathy and appreciation of those that died?
If in case you have extra such reminiscences to share, then certain, achieve this.
But it surely happens to Miss Manners that in case you are occupied with these bereaved households now, you seemingly understand that they may very well be significantly lonely at a time when others are gathering with their households. Is there a way you may embody them — maybe by visiting them, or by inviting them to occasions which might be considerably subdued, relying on their state of mourning?
DEAR MISS MANNERS: Are you able to please shed some mild on what’s acceptable when giving a present and the worth tag just isn’t simply detachable? Is it higher to half-remove it and mark by means of the remainder, leaving a shoddy sticker mess, or to only depart the worth there for all to see?
GENTLE READER: Ink it out, and please attempt to not make a multitude.
Please ship your inquiries to Miss Manners at her web site, www.missmanners.com; to her e-mail, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or by means of postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas Metropolis, MO 64106.
