Miss Manners
Miss Manners: Be gracious, despite social inequities
Dear Miss Manners: My partner and I have attended several weddings of heterosexuals in Wisconsin, which, ironically, passed the first statewide Gay Rights Bill in the 1980s and now bans so-called gay marriages. My partner doesn’t like the fact that I now boycott straight marriages instead of attending them. His mother thinks it’s selfish. (Updated: 11/05/09 8:00 AM )
Miss Manners: How to dress to impress, sans stress
Dear Miss Manners: When I was visiting friends, I perused my hotel’s list of recommended dining establishments. Each restaurant listed their dress code and, to my consternation, I found each of the following variations: (Updated: 11/03/09 7:54 AM )
Vandalism is not the answer
Dear Miss Manners: When I parked my car in a public parking lot, I noticed a car had a bumper sticker that read, “If you have nothing to say, just shut the ----up.” (Updated: 11/01/09 6:44 AM )
Miss Manners: Don’t tell if they don’t ask
Dear Miss Manners: A married couple, both good friends of mine, are going through a very rough time financially. Together, they made some bad decisions that led to their current financial situation; those decisions originated with her. (Updated: 10/29/09 8:12 AM )
Miss Manners: ‘Literal’ humor not so funny
Dear Miss Manners: I have a question regarding the following scenario: (Updated: 10/27/09 8:08 AM )
Failing grades for e-mails
Dear Miss Manners: You could assist an entire profession if you would advise undergraduates on how to compose e-mail messages to their professors. (Updated: 10/25/09 7:27 AM )
Miss Manners: Tip of hat to manners
Dear Miss Manners: As I was going through the closets of my house, I happened across my grandfather’s old homburg hat, which had remained undisturbed in its hatbox for many years following his death. As it fit remarkably well and suited me excellently, I took to wearing it out and on special occasions as both an affectation and tribute to the grandfather I never knew. (Updated: 10/22/09 8:11 AM )
Miss Manners: ‘Your’ cake, but share it with others
Dear Miss Manners: When I left a job of eight years, my co-workers took me out to lunch on my last day and, back at work, presented me with a beautiful cake. I was stuffed from lunch and made the comment that I would like to wait until later to enjoy some of the cake. (Updated: 10/20/09 7:56 AM )
Sneezing into your sleeve
Dear Miss Manners: With all due respect to urgent demands of public health—yuck! (Updated: 10/18/09 6:41 AM )
Miss Manners: A request for money is begging
Dear Miss Manners: I am a moderately successful novelist. Things are a bit dicey for me financially, mostly because I am appallingly incompetent when it comes to money management. (Updated: 10/15/09 8:06 AM )
Miss Manners: Convictions collide with manners
Dear Miss Manners: Occasionally, the rules of etiquette conflict with my religious and moral convictions. When this happens, is there a way I can signal this to new acquaintances? (Updated: 10/13/09 8:04 AM )
What’s in a name?
Dear Miss Manners: I discovered a Bible that belonged to my great-great-grandmother, and, as I have an avid interest in our family genealogy, I was thrilled! I am curious, however, about the form of her name that was engraved on the cover of the bible, “Mrs. Catharine Bowers.” (Updated: 10/11/09 7:19 AM )
Miss Manners; You get what you pay for
Dear Miss Manners: My problem is with dear friends of ours. The husbands have known each other since before kindergarten, and the four of us have been close for years. (Updated: 10/08/09 8:04 AM )
Miss Manners: Speak up if teacher is wrong
Dear Miss Manners: I am a student who really takes her studies seriously. I am academically inclined and enjoy learning, and so I do a lot of extra reading on my own time. Unfortunately, this puts me in an awkward situation: I often notice my teachers’ errors. (Updated: 10/06/09 7:56 AM )
Handle ex’s gal with grace
Dear Miss Manners: I am at a loss as to how to handle my ex-husband’s girlfriend. She and my husband were together many times before the end of our marriage, and I see her as a home wrecker in the least and unprintable names at the worst. (Updated: 10/04/09 7:13 AM )
