So the vicious circle is set up. In the workplace too, good manners make a big difference. It's still good advice. A boss who fails to practice the elementary courtesy of saying 'good morning' to his staff will not be held in much regard. Likewise, an employee who is rude to customers is not good for business.
Road rage is another example of people's lack of any training in patience.
And it's a sad day when, in a snarly, 'if they want equality they've got it' attitude, people of both sexes fail to assist a young mother struggling down steps with a baby in a stroller, and a toddler in tow. Far from being obsolete, good manners are now at a premium. With competition being so fierce for the best jobs, short-listed applicants are increasingly assessed not just in interviews, but via a weekend selection process, often in a classy hotel. Over the weekend they are not only questioned on their CV, but scrutinized for their behaviour. What a sad irony it is that the disadvantaged are further disadvantaged by a prevailing ideology which proclaims all cultures are equal.