Your family is sitting around the dinner table. But no one is paying attention to the spaghetti. Your older sister is taking a selfie with her food. Your dad is busy picking salad out of his teeth. Your mom is sending work emails.

    Oh, and your little brother just let out a huge, gross burp. As usual, he didn’t say “excuse me.”

    There are many examples of bad manners at this dinner table. And scenes like this are happening across America. Eighty-five percent of Americans think that people are ruder than they were 10 years ago.

    But is that such a bad thing? In the age of texting and TikTok, do good manners even matter anymore?

    Your family is at the dinner table. But no one is eating. Your sister is taking a selfie. Your dad is picking salad out of his teeth. Your mom is sending emails.

    And your brother just let out a loud, gross burp. He didn’t say “excuse me.”

    There’s plenty of rudeness at this table. And scenes like this are not rare. Eighty-five percent of Americans think people are ruder than they were 10 years ago.

    But is that so bad? Do good manners really matter these days?

    Your family is sitting around the dinner table, but no one is paying attention to the spaghetti. Your older sister is taking a selfie with her food, your father is busy picking salad out of his teeth, and your mother is sending work emails.

    Oh, and your little brother just let out a huge, gross burp. As usual, he didn’t say “excuse me.”

    There are many examples of bad manners at this dinner table. And scenes like this are happening across America. Eighty-five percent of Americans think that people are ruder than they were 10 years ago.

    But is that such a bad thing? In the age of texting and TikTok, do good manners even matter anymore?

    But some people argue that many manners are a waste of time. Your days are already full of homework, activities, and time with your family. You don’t have an extra hour to write out thank-you notes for all your birthday gifts!  

    Besides, people today are more casual. We send texts instead of letters. We say “no prob” instead of “you’re welcome.” It’s not that people don’t care about each other. It’s just that the way we act now is different than how we acted in the past. 

    And think about the serious problems in the world today. We’re facing issues like war, disease, and pollution. Does it really matter if your elbows are on the table? 

    Maybe not. Still, some people believe you can’t go wrong by being polite. They say it’s better for you—and everyone else too. 

    But are good manners worth the time they take? You have homework. You have activities. You have family time. You don’t have time to write out thank-you notes for all your birthday gifts!   

    Besides, people today are more casual. We send texts, not letters. We say “no prob,” not “you’re welcome.” It’s not that we don’t care about each other. It’s just that the way we act has changed over time.

    And think of the big problems in the world today. There’s war. There’s disease. There’s pollution. Does it really matter if your elbows are on the table?

    Maybe not. Still, some people say it’s just better to be polite. They say it’s good for you—and for others. 

    But some people argue that many manners are a waste of time. With your days packed full of homework, activities, and family time, you don’t have an extra hour to write out thank-you notes for all your birthday gifts!

    Besides, people today are more casual. We send texts instead of letters, and we say “no prob” instead of “you’re welcome.” It’s not that people don’t care about each other—it’s just that how we behave now is different from how we behaved in the past.

    And considering all the serious problems in the world today—like war, disease, and pollution—does it really matter if your elbows are on the table?

    Maybe not. All the same, some people believe you can’t go wrong by being polite. They say it’s better for you—and for everyone else too.