I don't try to provide info for questions that have been asked so I will be thanked, but I have noticed lately that there are quite a few people who ask a question and then overtly reject the info provided. It's fine to disagree that a suggestion sounds a good idea, but what has happened to saying thank you for taking the time and making the effort to respond? And then maybe something like, "I wonder if that would work in my situation because..."
The finest compliment I've ever been paid in regard to being a parent is when people say something like, "your kid is so polite." This has happened often over the years because I've made the effort to explain to my kids why it's always appropriate to be polite, that to be rude is to disrespect one's self, and offered examples of ways to be polite. It's very important to me that, if I'm going to send new people out into the world, they are polite. It is free, anyone can do it. Being polite is part of the "golden rule" to treat others as you would be treated, do unto others that which you would have done to you. What goes around comes around. You get what you give.
My profile says, accurately, that I'm in AL but this is not a southern thing. I came from OH, where I lived for decades, and moved to AL about 15 yrs ago. I've encountered polite people all over the country. Thankfully, there seems to be many more polite people out there than rude people. I hope our society can continue that. I don't do social media beyond chatting about plants, but that does seem like a great arena for the proliferation of politeness, should people choose to do so. Yes, I'm aware that people say ugly things online in writing, especially when they feel anonymous, but I hope they will remain a small percentage of the population.
