Sorry, Please - Manners and Etiquette

How have manners and etiquette changed in the US?

I have to write a reaction paper to the state of manners and etiquette in the United States. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find any websites that show how manners have or haven't changed from the past to the present. So I guess what I need is your opinions on the state of manners in the United States. Thanks in advance.

Public Comments

1. a lot.
2. my number one beef is the cell phone and how it is a reflex action today. people in the stores, you name it. I do not care to hear the details of their life.
3. In days gone by, we used to say, "put your best foot forward," "do unto others as you would have them do to you," etc. Today, it seems like being rude and getting in someone's face is admired along with doing to others before they do to you.
4. go to wikipedia.com type in manners and then see what their answers are if you think any thing differently from what you read then compare the manners to todays manners through that
5. of course they have changed. just look at life 50 years ago, 100 years ago... ... and there ya go.
6. Manners and etiquette have all but gone out the window. There is NO respect and it seems like the only thing going on is to see who's the coolest by being the rudest and most callous. It's really not that hard to hold the door for someone, to say thank you, or just smile at someone you don't know.
7. I believe as Westerners, we have been overly influenced by the media, television and movies. We don't dress, or act the way we used to. So much respect for the country, men and women have been lost. Some issues I have with the change in manners include: 1) Men don't remove their hats when they enter a building 2) We don't honor our elderly anymore 3) "Good" teachers are not respected 4) People have lost the idea of appropriate dress for certain occasions 5) Eating habits have changed in public places and at home 6) Students show little respect to teachers, parents and other adults 7) Men don't open doors for women much anymore . There are many more examples where etiquette and manners have changed from the past to the present, but we'd be here for another hour for me to complete my list.
8. In the olden days, manners were a vital part of rearing children. Now it seems to be totally out the window. With our fractured families and people in this me-first generation, there are very few mannerly people. It is quite disgusting to eat at a fast food place having to watch others.
9. Manners - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manners Etiquette - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiquette Since 1800 until present, how has the US changed regarding economics, equal rights and family values. Example: Topics regarding sexual harassment, equal rights gained during the 60's, two working parents versus one and the education of children's manners and family values transferring to childcare authorities - who are not always professionals. Read about the changes and write how you feel about those changes.
10. omg i love you, i have the same paper to do xD though i waited til last minute ^-^ but thanks this helps alot xD
11. I would suggest that you consider buying the book "Generation Me" by Jean Twenge. The first couple chapters explain this clearly. I have also communicated with several people on this subject. There has been a serious erosion in manners over the years. I think a number of things have played a part from increasing corporate greed, to media portrayl of bad manners, to people not teaching it in school, to the family unit being broken up, to people working longer hours, to increases in homework, to changes in technology, to people going more and more casual, and numerous others.