Who's the rude one?
Dear Editor:
Recently an article appeared in the Interrobang (Rude rules the day, Interrobang issue 6, September 27, 2010) about the apparent rampant rudeness that has erupted within the walls of Fanshawe. This article, written by a faculty member was in itself, to put it simply, rude.
The writer proclaimed he went around the halls "probably with a scowl, looking for a fight." This does not seem like a fair way to test his theory of entitlement. Would you happily thank someone who angrily held open the door for you? The author also seems to place the blame squarely and solely on Fanshawe's student body. In my experience teachers (though not all, or even most) are just as rude - if not more - than the average student I interact with during my daily Fanshawe experience.
Teachers seem to walk into other teachers' lectures unannounced and without knocking which is very disruptive. No wonder some students are left in a less-than-pleasant mood, having had their learning experience so rudely interrupted. Also, I can think of at least one exceptionally rude experience that involved this particular faculty member.
Underneath the article, there is a valid point: students AND faculty could stand to be more polite to each other and yes, stop leaving pizza boxes all over D block, but as the cliché goes, "It starts at home."
You could also apply several other clichés to this article including, "The pot calling the kettle black," or, in this particular authors case "Do as I say, not as I do." Maybe "those baggy pants, crooked hat pseudo-Hollywood gangster puckering clods that wander the halls ... cranking angry music while surrounded by a dim entourage of faded gangster groupies ..." are rude to certain people because the scowl they wear openly gives away that they are judging these students. Stop scowling and start smiling.
Politeness cannot be forced on a population. Individuals need to start being polite without expecting any thing in return. Stop being discouraged if you do not receive an enthusiastic thank you after holding the door open. Not to overload this with clichés but there does seem to be one more that applies, maybe even more than the others: "Lead by example."
Erica Gulliver
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
Recently an article appeared in the Interrobang (Rude rules the day, Interrobang issue 6, September 27, 2010) about the apparent rampant rudeness that has erupted within the walls of Fanshawe. This article, written by a faculty member was in itself, to put it simply, rude.
The writer proclaimed he went around the halls "probably with a scowl, looking for a fight." This does not seem like a fair way to test his theory of entitlement. Would you happily thank someone who angrily held open the door for you? The author also seems to place the blame squarely and solely on Fanshawe's student body. In my experience teachers (though not all, or even most) are just as rude - if not more - than the average student I interact with during my daily Fanshawe experience.
Teachers seem to walk into other teachers' lectures unannounced and without knocking which is very disruptive. No wonder some students are left in a less-than-pleasant mood, having had their learning experience so rudely interrupted. Also, I can think of at least one exceptionally rude experience that involved this particular faculty member.
Underneath the article, there is a valid point: students AND faculty could stand to be more polite to each other and yes, stop leaving pizza boxes all over D block, but as the cliché goes, "It starts at home."
You could also apply several other clichés to this article including, "The pot calling the kettle black," or, in this particular authors case "Do as I say, not as I do." Maybe "those baggy pants, crooked hat pseudo-Hollywood gangster puckering clods that wander the halls ... cranking angry music while surrounded by a dim entourage of faded gangster groupies ..." are rude to certain people because the scowl they wear openly gives away that they are judging these students. Stop scowling and start smiling.
Politeness cannot be forced on a population. Individuals need to start being polite without expecting any thing in return. Stop being discouraged if you do not receive an enthusiastic thank you after holding the door open. Not to overload this with clichés but there does seem to be one more that applies, maybe even more than the others: "Lead by example."
Erica Gulliver
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
