Manners Died and Youre Stuck as the Sheriff

It feels like basic manners have vanished everywhere I go, and I am constantly surrounded by rude people. How do I cope without losing my mind or becoming bitter?

Seething Over Constant Rudeness,
Sir Please-Thanks III

You cope by accepting the obvious truth: you are not surrounded by rude people. You are surrounded by evidence. And that makes you the reluctant, exhausted, last living clerk of the Court of Human Decency.

Because this isn’t random. This is a coordinated resignation. Folks used to have jobs. Holding doors. Taking turns. Not screaming into their phones like they’re broadcasting the fall of Rome to a Bluetooth headset. Now? They’ve all clocked out. No notice. No severance. Just walking off the shift and leaving you to mop up the social spill like a volunteer janitor at a food fight.

Here’s how you keep your sanity: you stop treating rudeness like a vibe and start treating it like a charge. Every line-cutter is not “in a hurry.” They are committing Petit Larceny of Time. Every internet troll isn’t “having a bad day.” They are impersonating an adult without a license. You document it. Not because you’re petty. Because you’re building a case file.

Carry a little notebook. Nothing dramatic. Just a clean, cold ledger. Date, location, offense. Door not held. Cart rammed into ankle. Speakerphone in public. No “excuse me.” And you don’t even have to confront them. The power is knowing you could. Like walking around with a badge nobody recognizes but you still feel the weight of it.

Then you escalate responsibly: appoint yourself Manners Sheriff. Not with violence. With procedure. You start handing out imaginary citations with your eyes. You stand a little straighter in the checkout line like a judge who already knows the verdict. And when someone finally says “thank you” like a civilized mammal, you mark it down too. Even outlaws can be rehabilitated. Under supervision.

– Uncle Bobby