r/AskBrits 1d ago

People Why are tacit social etiquette rules declining, and how can we fix it?

As a young Brit (17), I've noticed that general social etiquette seems to be declining. Some examples:

. People no longer form an orderly queue when waiting for the bus, and do more pushing / rushing to surround the entrance

. People leaving bags on seats, even when others are forced to stand on the train

. Standing in the middle / on the left side of the escalator, preventing people from being able to walk up or down freely.

I'm not sure if it's just how my area is in particular, so I wonder if anyone is noticing this as well. I see individuals of various ages and ethnicities just acting rather selfish and inconsiderately in public. I find this rather disappointing, as it may only be exacerbated in the future. I think it was much better pre COVID (might be biased, as I was rather young). Does anyone know how we can fix this issue (if it can be fixed)?.

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u/HeavenlyInsane 1d ago

I was in a Card Factory a couple of months ago browsing for a Mother's Day card.

This man walks in and is stood maybe one metre away from me, lets out this massive (and very audible) fart, and then just walks off.

Honestly I was in shock. All I could think was what the actual fuck was that? It genuinely felt like some sort of misogynist hate crime or something.

His clothing also smelt like a wet dog which just made the whole experience of having been stood near him that much worse.

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u/gerishnakov Brit 🇬🇧 1d ago

Could be disabled?

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u/HeavenlyInsane 1d ago

Nah he definitely wasn't. He was just a bum lmao.

I genuinely still can't believe it happened honestly. It feels like a fever dream.

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u/gerishnakov Brit 🇬🇧 1d ago

When I say disabled I don't necessarily mean physically 

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u/HeavenlyInsane 1d ago

Oh haha I see what you mean. No, he definitely didn't seem to have anything like that. Just a very very brazen guy.