Downright Rude in Paris and London

Reader’s Digest survey lays bare capital’s bad manners

A recent Reader’s Digest investigation has revealed that London only ranks 15th in a list of the world’s most well-mannered cities. Am I surprised? No, certainly not. Every time I return from a weekend at my grandparent’s house in the West Country I’m once again shocked by the indifference and discourtesy I am displayed by my fellow Londoners.

Not wanting to sound too sanctimonious, I must admit we’re all to blame to some extent. It’s just tricky to be friendly here. Really it is. Out in the sticks, how hard is it to say hello to a bus driver you see every day (who’s probably your cousin)? If I took the effort to struggle through the masses hoarded on the tube platform, knock on the driver’s door in order to exchange salutations, I’d be carted off to the loony bin. But probably not, whilst I embarrassed myself, the other passengers would no doubt be trying doubly hard to stare intently at their Metro. Nevertheless, I am on good terms with all the shopkeepers around where I live, because I am actually familiar with them.

In the poll New York came out as the politest city. My first thought was that the US tipping culture was probably lubricating manners a fair bit. But was the survey taking into account sincerity, I ask myself? An inbred reflex to rebuff people with a saccharine sweet ‘have a nice day’ is by no means politeness. It’s just this kind of production-line manners that London can do without.

Take our beloved supermarkets for example. The big companies have cottoned on to the fact we like to have a chin wag with staff and have trained their till robots accordingly. Sadly these minimum wagers, while being, in the main, fairly competent at scanning barcodes, do not possess finely honed acting skills. A totally non-committal, wooden ‘good morning, how are you?’, pulled off with a lack of enthusiasm suitable for a general election, doesn’t really wash. Furthermore, it’s curbing the truly polite amongst them who are forced to use these set lines. Anyway – Asia (not Asda) turned out to be the rudest place in the world – all of its cities surveyed (save Hong Kong) came in the top ten rudest. Cultural difference or total indifference, who knows?

The biggest shock to the system though was coming in neck a neck with the French. Who hasn’t found themselves at the wrong end of a death stare from a churlish Parisian waiter on requesting a well-done steak? Then again, that sort of behaviour is at least based on fathomable culinary snobbery. In a pub the other day I ordered vodka and coke which, when delivered, was in fact a vodka and murky soda water. I explained my troubles to the barman who replied ‘yes, that sometimes happens’, and walked off to serve other customers. 'Service' like that, which smacks of indifference and a total lack of pride in your work, is something London can do without.

The highlight of the survey though, was that the poll found that the men over 60 were the rudest of all. The vast majority of Reader’s Digest’s readership I shouldn’t guess. So much for the ‘youth of today’.

Greater London Generosity

12 boxes of vitamins, a coffee machine with eight tins of coffee, a DVD of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ a torch and some binoculars were among the 59 gifts given to the Mayor of London between September 2005 and May 2006. The presents, given to Ken Livingstone and other members of the Greater London Authority, were listed in a report published last week. Some are on display in City Hall.

Blessed be thy Bridge

The Bishop of London has blessed a new five-lane bridge at Paddington Station. The 574ft structure, which crosses 14 rail tracks, two Tube lines and the Grand Union Canal, is designed to ease congestion stemming from one of the city’s busiest railway stations. The ceremony marked the end of the project which took two-and-a-half years to complete.

Baa-rchitecture

30 sheep accompanied by sheep dogs and shepherds made their way across the capital’s Millennium Bridge this month to mark the start of London Architecture Week. Thousands witnessed the event demonstrating the historic droving rights of the Freemen of the City of London.

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