"Please Read This Story, Thank You"

“Please Read This Story, Thank You”
-Linton Weeks

Central argument: The words people use and their behavior to show their appreciation and gratitude, nowadays, have transformed from the “traditional magic words” and polite ways to something that makes it seem ruder.

“Yo!” or “what up?!” used instead of “hello,” or “gotcha” in place of “okay,” are few of terms used frequently in the 21st century. Linton Weeks’ “Please Read This Story, Thank You” addresses the issue of how etiquette is slowly fading away in most parts of modern society, whether it may be in the form of body language or speech. This, she says, is due to the environment and “social norms” that change in time. I agree with Weeks’ argument as it present in the speech of many teenagers, including me, as well as the behavior of fellow schoolmates that I have observed during school. Though it is unfortunate that majority of the people are following suit, there are still those that are well mannered and will have a positive impact on those around them.

“Dhoenkyi, please could you get me a cheese on the way back,” says my friend. “Yup,” I respond. That is just one of the million situations in which I have used the word “yup.” Ever since I heard my elder sister replace the word “yes” for “yup” (which was around grade 8), that word stuck in my vocabulary like a leech. I used that word whenever the answer would (or rather should) have been a “yes,” a word that definitely is a lot more respectful and polite. However, I began changing my ways after an incident that took place during the Parent-Teacher Conference, in the second semester of grade 10. My father had come for the conference and was talking to my math teacher as I stood at the side and listened to them quietly. Before parting ways, my math teacher asked me a few questions, all of which my answers were“yup.” As I looked at my teacher while answering the first two questions, I did not notice my father’s stern glare on me until the last one. Right after the talk, my father told me just how rude it sounded to reply with a “yup” instead of a “yes.” He told me how frequently I used that word and what shocked him the most was that it did not matter whether it was to someone older than me or younger, I would still reply in the same manner. “It’s just like it is in Tibetan,” he said, “You would never use the same language and tone to speak to and elder person and a younger person.” He asked to me to make an effort on going back to saying “yes” especially to those that are older than me and whom I should show respect to.

During a presentation by one of the advisors of my class, I was reminded of how indeed students were becoming more self-absorbed and seemed to forget their “good” behavior. Students will just walk by an adult without greeting them or showing any sign of interest. Even if they did not know the adult’s name, a smile and a nod of the head would have been so much more polite. In the school that I attended before coming here, all the students were taught the importance of teachers and other supervisors and how they should be respected at all times. Even though that was taught to me way back in grade 1, each and everyone one of us, 5,6, and 7 year olds, practiced what was preached to us. However, as years go by, it seems like many of us have forgotten the importance of those adults we seem to ignore or show little interest to. The little things that were taught in the early stages of our lives, like saying “please” and “thank you” or proper etiquette, seem to be a thing of the past.

Though times have changed, the words that have replaced the “classic polite phrases” do not express the same meaning as those “polite phrases,” even though they may hold the same meaning. The change in speech and behavior, especially that of students, is appalling and can be seen on a regular basis. These actions and words, seem rather rude to an extent, and is what Weeks writes about in the article.