Arthur D. Hlavaty

So I just posted about this asshole who acted as if he believed that a woman he was writing to needed to hear his opinion of her physical appearance. Once again I was reminded of Miss Manners's wise dictum that one essential element of civilization is means of keeping people from expressing how they really feel.

For instance, Congress operates on the principle that one does not interrupt the president with instantaneous critique. Great Britain does it differently, but in our parliament, one doesn't do that.

I am not used to being one of the more mature or more socially competent people in a group, and I find it disquieting. My own social failings tend to be sins of omission and those can be somewhat extreme, but at least I don't suggest to young men in need of social guidance that they introduce themselves to women at cons by talking about breasts.