In today’s society, saying things like “thank you” and “you’re welcome” are not as common as they used to be. What I don’t understand is why people can’t say them anymore. Why can’t people say thank you anymore? It honestly isn’t that difficult.

Common courtesies are something you don’t hear or see often. One of my pet peeves are common courtesies that are ignored, like something as simple as holding the door open. Holding the door open for someone is so simple. Just recently, I was walking out of the Student Union, and I thought this person was holding the door open for me. When I looked her way to say thank you, the door hit me in the face. I was slightly offended, but that did not stop me from holding the door open for the person coming out the door behind me. What bothered me about this person was he did not say thank you. Where are all the nice people in this world? I don’t care what gender you are. If you are a female, I am going to hold the door open for you. If you are male, I am also going to hold the door open for you. Just say thank you. 

Do not get me wrong. Numerous people have held the door open for me and I have said thank you and they have said you’re welcome. There are still nice people in the world, but some just don’t care.

Another common courtesy you do not see anymore is using blinkers. Why does no one use blinkers? The purpose of a blinker is to let someone know you are turning or switching lanes. You are being nice by letting the person know you are getting over. I am not talking about putting your blinker on a split second before turning or getting over. You need to give the person behind you a fair warning. Just be polite. I don’t understand how hard it is to let someone know you are turning. To avoid an accident, just use your blinker. It really isn’t that difficult. 

Speaking of driving, why don’t people like to stop for pedestrians? If a person is walking in the crosswalk, normally, you are supposed to stop, especially if you have a stop sign. I have almost gotten hit twice on campus because cars have not stopped behind the stop sign or the crosswalk. I am just trying to walk to class. If I have to look both ways before I cross the street, you should have to look both ways to make sure a person isn’t in the crosswalk. 

I could go on and on about the many courtesies people forget about, but these seemed to be the most important. So, thank you for listening to my little rant and don’t forget to say thank you the next time someone holds the door open for you. You know why? It’s just a common courtesy.